The very first step in knowing how to install hardwood floors is dealing with your old floor.
The ease of doing this task depends on the type of old flooring you have.
When you have tiles, you may have to take the time to chip it away to achieve a clean surface.
When you have plywood as your subfloor, you can remove it piece by piece.
If your floor is wooden, determine if it can still be appropriate as a subfloor.
If you have doubts in its condition, it would be best to take it off and start anew.
If your subfloor is particleboard and you plan on nailing down your hardwood flooring, remove the particleboard as it is not stable enough to hold the nails in place.
Installing Floors over Radiant Heat When you wish to install hardwood flooring over radiant heat, make sure that the width of your planks is no wider than three inches, to achieve maximum efficacy of your heating mechanism.
Talk with the installer of your heating system and the floor installer on how to install hardwood floors properly.
The use of the proper subfloor is also important, as some materials are more appropriate for this type of system than others.
Consulting with professionals will also help determine some important factors relating to the installation of hardwood flooring, such as the placement of tubes and the temperature of water used in the heating system.
Installing Pre-Finished Wood When you decide to install prefinished hardwood flooring, additional care should be made not to mar the surface of each plank.
If you're installing over concrete, make sure that a moisture barrier is installed for protection.
Another important consideration is to ensure that humidity is maintained at 45 percent.
Use a clean nailer plate and lay it on a cardboard or a thin cardboard to avoid scratching the surface of the planks.
In using pneumatic nailer, test the device first on spare planks for the appropriate pressure to use without causing any scratch or dent.
When you decide to use adhesive as installation method, have a clean rag handy to wipe off excess glue that is squeezed out when planks are laid together.
Installing Parquet Floor Of all the kinds of wooden floor, parquet flooring is probably the hardest to install.
Make sure that you hire a professional who has extensive experience on how to install hardwood floors, especially parquet flooring.
Most would recommend a plywood underlayer to get beautiful results, though other types of subfloor are also possible.
Adhesive is used to secure parquet flooring to one another and to the subfloor.
Some manufacturers may recommend the type of adhesive for its products and know that these adhesives have varied drying time indicated on its labels.
You may have to wait for several hours before you can apply any stain or finish on your flooring.
The ease of doing this task depends on the type of old flooring you have.
When you have tiles, you may have to take the time to chip it away to achieve a clean surface.
When you have plywood as your subfloor, you can remove it piece by piece.
If your floor is wooden, determine if it can still be appropriate as a subfloor.
If you have doubts in its condition, it would be best to take it off and start anew.
If your subfloor is particleboard and you plan on nailing down your hardwood flooring, remove the particleboard as it is not stable enough to hold the nails in place.
Installing Floors over Radiant Heat When you wish to install hardwood flooring over radiant heat, make sure that the width of your planks is no wider than three inches, to achieve maximum efficacy of your heating mechanism.
Talk with the installer of your heating system and the floor installer on how to install hardwood floors properly.
The use of the proper subfloor is also important, as some materials are more appropriate for this type of system than others.
Consulting with professionals will also help determine some important factors relating to the installation of hardwood flooring, such as the placement of tubes and the temperature of water used in the heating system.
Installing Pre-Finished Wood When you decide to install prefinished hardwood flooring, additional care should be made not to mar the surface of each plank.
If you're installing over concrete, make sure that a moisture barrier is installed for protection.
Another important consideration is to ensure that humidity is maintained at 45 percent.
Use a clean nailer plate and lay it on a cardboard or a thin cardboard to avoid scratching the surface of the planks.
In using pneumatic nailer, test the device first on spare planks for the appropriate pressure to use without causing any scratch or dent.
When you decide to use adhesive as installation method, have a clean rag handy to wipe off excess glue that is squeezed out when planks are laid together.
Installing Parquet Floor Of all the kinds of wooden floor, parquet flooring is probably the hardest to install.
Make sure that you hire a professional who has extensive experience on how to install hardwood floors, especially parquet flooring.
Most would recommend a plywood underlayer to get beautiful results, though other types of subfloor are also possible.
Adhesive is used to secure parquet flooring to one another and to the subfloor.
Some manufacturers may recommend the type of adhesive for its products and know that these adhesives have varied drying time indicated on its labels.
You may have to wait for several hours before you can apply any stain or finish on your flooring.