Sliding Door Maintenance
For small rooms, like doorways and closets, a first rate answer would be to get a sliding door. The type that features two panels that can glide past each other is the bypass door type. They are commonly found in wide closets.
Hardware difficulties can be blamed for the door sticking, going off track, or not closing all the way. First on the checklist is to verify the condition of the roller brackets. Test each bracket by waggling one while keeping the others down. Take the wobble out of any brackets by tightening the screws.
If you can’t pinpoint the wobbly bracket, just detach the door completely. The first step is to unfasten the guides. Get the screws off and put them somewhere you can get them again. Hardware stores sell substitutes for any wrecked guides. Sometimes bent metal guides can be straightened with pliers.
Next, have a helper grasp the outer door along one of its long edges while you grasp the other edge. Working together, tilts the door so that the bottom rises away from the inner door. Drive it upward in the same instant. Set the door against a nearby wall.
Use the same process to remove the other door. Look for openings on the side channels if you can’t take out the bypass door in the manner above. This way, you can tighten all the screws without breaking a sweat. If screw openings have widened, just get the next biggest screw.
For installation directions, just reverse the detachment procedure. The doors should be perfectly balanced once hanging. Secure the floor guides once more, remembering to make it so that the doors are unobstructed when they are moved. The sorts of sliding door with panels that fold and slide along a single overhead rail are called bifold or accordion doors. Panels are affixed either by roller brackets or short spindles within the tracks.
These doors are detached by removing the spindles and then lifting the door on the same side as the pins. Tilt the bottom up from the floor at the same time. The spindles need a good cleaning before the door can be reattached. Procedures for the channel interior are the same.
How to tile a floor
In this article we look at how to tile a floor in three easy steps. If you have never tried tiling before and feel a bit daunted by the task, I’m sure by the end of this article you will feel more confident that the process in not only very achievable, but also a lot quicker than you may have previously thought! With the help of high-quality raw materials and modern tools, tiling a floor has become a relatively straightforward DIY task in the home.
Before we get started with our how to tile a floor guide, take a look at the list of tools below and make sure you have access to these, or items that will do a similar job before getting started. We always recommend that you purchase about 10% tiles than what you have estimated you’ll need for the job. This will help to keep your project on track regardless of any mistakes or miscalculations. Good tile and flooring specialists will always accept any unused tiles and refund the money. Another important step to remember before you begin is to makes sure your sub-floor is as clean as possible, removing any dirt and small particles that may cause problem when you come to lay the tiles themselves.
Tools for the job
a power drill with a mixing paddle attachment
tile adhesive (check with your supplier which is appropriate for your job)
safety glasses
a mixing bucket
dust mask
a spirit level
a trowel
a grout float
a grout finishing tool
knee pads
tile grout
a sponge (for cleaning up afterwards)
Step 1 – Apply Adhesive
Without further ado, let’s begin finding out how to tile a floor! You should find instructions on the back of your packet of tile adhesive informing you of how much adhesive to mix, and the correct quantities of water. For speed and ease, use a power drill with a mixing paddle attachment to mix the adhesive together. In terms of consistency, the adhesive should be thick enough to slowly fall off an angled trowel after a second or two.
Place a generous amount of adhesive onto your sub-floor, and then using your trowel (be sure to purchase the correct trowel depending on the kind of tiles you will be laying), roughly begin to work the adhesive out from where you placed it. Next when you have an even amount of adhesive spread across the area you are going to begin in (I recommend about a metre squared at a time), begin scraping your trowel through the adhesive, allowing it to create notches to achieve what’s known as a ‘solid bed’. The kind of trowel you use will determine the depth and width of these notches, and should complement the type of tile you’re laying.
Step 2 – How to Lay Tiles
When you come to laying the tiles, be sure to check each tile carefully for cracks and imperfections before you lay it. With natural tiles such as stone or slate, you’ll need to apply a light but thorough ‘butter’ to the bottom of the tiles with your tile adhesive, to help to fill in all these cracks and inconsistencies. Lay your tiles carefully; being sure not to damage your back if you’re laying heavy tiles. Once in place, apply a bit of pressure to the tile from above and gently move it in place to allow it to really sit in place. It’s also important to ensure your tile is flat using a spirit level. If it needs adjustment give it a gently tap with a wooden block or with your spirit level.
Step 3 – How to Apply Tile Grout
Now that all your tiles are in place, you’ll need to begin to mix your tile grout. Again, there are many different types of grout available, so be sure to ask advice on what’s the most appropriate for your project. Follow the instructions on the back of your packet of tile grout to mix the correct quantities of grout mix and water. It’s advisable to mix small amounts as you progress through the room. The consistency we’re looking for is a like a smooth porridge.
Begin laying the grout onto the gaps between your tiles using your trowel; then using a grout float, spread the grout into the gaps with the grout float at a 45 degree angle to the floor, ensuring you are getting the grout into the gaps. After you’ve finished laying the grout, leave it to dry for about 10-15mins until you find the grout feels like a cream cheese consistency. Now, using your sponge, clean the surface of the floor removing any excess grout. Leave the floor for a further 15mins until you begin to see a haze form over the floor as the residual grout dries on top of the tiles. You can now use your grout finishing tool to clean up the joins between the tiles, and after this you can use a professional tile grout remover to thoroughly clean the floor.
Congratulations! You now know how to tile a floor!
Posted in Flooring Guides | 
Correct Quantities, Diy Task, Dust Mask, floor, Flooring Specialists, Knee Pads, Modern Tools, Quality Raw Materials, Safety Glasses, Spirit Level, Sponge, Step 1, Three Easy Steps, Tile, Tile Adhesive, Tile Cleaning, Tile Floor, Tile Flooring, Tile Grout, Tiles, Trow, Trowel | 
Leave a commentAlternative flooring
When people remodel their house many people decide to change the flooring in our home to give the room a new look. When you are deciding on a new look for your room you’ll be able to change the flooring to meet all of your needs. There are many different types of flying that you have to choose from so you have to be well aware of all the different types so that you can make an educated decision. Here are the types of flooring you can choose from and some interesting facts about each one so that you have more information in order to make the right decision for the room in your house.
Hardwood flooring is very easy to clean and very easy to install. Hardwood flooring is also a little bit more expensive than any other type of flooring because it uses the hardwood grain as a design when you install it. It is very easy to install and depending on the size of the room you’ll be able to have it done in a couple of hours. The bad thing about hardwood flooring is that it allows sounds to bounce all over the house very easily.
Linoleum is another great way to get the job done quickly and cleanly. This type of flooring does not cost very much and is very easy to install. It will only take you a couple of hours to install this type of flooring and it is very easy to clean. Many people like using this flooring in kitchens and in the bathroom so they do not take all of the time cleaning. The bad thing about this type of flooring is that if it’s wet you will slide all over the place in bare feet.
You can also choose carpeting to put down on a new floor. Carpeting is very easy to install and does not take a lot of time depending on the size of the room. You have to have special tools in order to make sure that the carpet is pulled tight all away across the room so there are no raise areas for people to trip on. This type of flooring also cuts down on the amount of noise echoing across the room.
Caution About laminated floors on stairs
Laminate is a great floor cover solution, not only for personal houses but also for commercial buildings and offices. With the available assortment of laminate grade ratings that may serve even the highest quantity of foot traffic, it’s little wonder that it’s such a popular choice these days. Some Problems may arise when there are steps and stairs that connect to laminated floor though. It’s frequently desirable to maintain the continuity of the design by laminating the steps so they mix nicely with the floor and the environment without making sudden gaps that are plain to the eye.
Laminate finishes are often quite slippery, particularly those of low grade rating that are intended for more personal use with less foot traffic stress. It is vital to think about who is going to walk on it and avoid putting any home members or potential guests under the specter of falling down. Elder folk or small kids are often the ones who are most exposed to this danger.
naturally a solution is to put a runner cover in the shape of carpet or a rug over the steps, even though the reason for laminating the steps should have been getting rid of using fabrics in the 1st place! But the thing is, most suppliers and manufacturers would never counsel you to laminate your stairs and leave them uncovered. The danger is not worthwhile and only someone who doesn’t care would let folk take such risks .
If, in spite of all, you push ahead with a laminated floors on stairs in your home, keep in mind that most providers offer specifically made staircase floor planks that fit to most standard steps and are specifically made to handle with the Problems that pop up as best as possible.
If you go to to install laminate yourself, always glue the cover and never use nails, as the chance for having an unstable piece ( which occurs sooner or later ) is not worth taking. The wants and factors differ from home to home, so although it’s OK to follow some general tips and measurements, make efforts to observe and plan fastidiously for your own specific case.
If you want to learn more about floors in general, flooring types, floor installation and floor cover maintenance tips, visit dupont laminate flooring where you can read about flooring comparison, installing laminate floors guides and resources, cheap bamboo flooring, laminate hardwood floors, pre-finished hardwood floor, designed bamboo flooring, and more.
at Install Flooring
Posted in Flooring Guides | About, Assortment, Caution, Commercial Buildings, Continuity, Fabrics, Floor Planks, Floors, Foot Traffic, Gaps, Glue, Home Members, Laminate, laminated, Laminated Floor, Laminated Floors, Nails, Personal Use, Small Kids, Specter, Spite, Staircase, stairs | Leave a commentHow to lay laminate flooring
In this article we intend to condense how to lay laminate flooring into six easy steps that you can follow at home. Remember, if you’re not sure how to lay laminate flooring and of your DIY skills in general, it is always a good idea to ask a more experienced friend if they can help you out – even if it’s just to get you off on the right foot. The process of laying laminate flooring has evolved alongside the technological advancements with the actual floor boards themselves, and is a perfectly achievable task for even the most humble DIY enthusiast. One important thing to remember before we get started with our how to lay laminate flooring guide is to ensure your laminate flooring has been left in the environment you plan to install them in for at least 48 hours before you start laying. This is very important, as the boards must be allowed to acclimatise to the new room temperature and moisture levels it will be exposed to. The boards themselves will then expand or contract accordingly during this period. In addition to this, you also need to make sure the surface of the floor is thoroughly cleaned, and all dust and debris is removed. Any debris left on the floor surface could cause an inconsistency when you come to lay the tiles as it may alter the level of the sub-floor.
Okay, let’s begin our guide to how to lay laminate flooring:
Step 1 – what you’ll need
You will find the following equipment and materials very useful, if not essential in most cases:
a laminate cutter
tile spacers
knee pads
safety glasses
a pencil
set square
gaffa tape
a hammer
a sharp craft knife
a pulling bar
tapping block
foam underlay
Step 2 – measuring for your laminate floor
In order to purchase the correct amount of laminate flooring, you’ll need to find out the total squared area that you require covered. Thankfully laminate flooring comes in packs (which vary in the quantity of boards they contain depending on the type you purchase), which indicate both the individual board size of the panels, as well as the overall area covered per pack. Therefore, to calculate how many packs of laminate flooring you’ll need for your project you’ll need to first multiply the width by the depth of your room. This will give you your squared area size. If your room is not completely square or rectangular, simply divide your space up into smaller areas that can be squared off. Now take your new area size and divide it by the area covered as indicated on the packs of your chosen type of laminate flooring. This will now give you a figure which is equal to the number of packs you’ll need to purchase to cover your area.
It’s important to purchase 10% extra boards than you’ll need just in case you make any mistakes, or there’s been any miscalculations. This will avoid the project being potentially held up, or a situation where you realise you need more boards, but they’re out of stock or discontinued.
Step 3 – marking out your floor
Whilst you do need need to mark out where you will lay each laminate board as you would with laying tiles, it is very important to determine how you will lay your first row, and to get this right. For this reason, before we move onto laying the underlay, decide now where you will begin laying your first row of laminate, and the direction the boards will be going in. It’s always advisable to start laying your flooring in the lightest part of the room. Once you have decided where your first row will go, lay your row as a trial, remembering to use spacers between the boards and the skirting board. This trial row will help determine how much of the end-row board you will need cut off in order to make the flooring fit. This is useful to plan in advance since you should avoid a situation where you are having to cut more than 50% of the depth of the board away (the short side), or less than 400mm of the width of the board away (the long side). This is because it will compromise the strength of your floor.
Step 4 – laying underlay
Begin laying your underlay by first ensuring you have your spacers in place, and you are laying the rolls at a 90 degree angle to the way you will lay your laminate boards; this is to prevent the seams between the pieces of underlay ever corresponding to the joins between the piece of laminate flooring. As you lay the underlay, make sure there is no gap or overlap between the sections as either of these might cause the laminate boards to sink or stand proud. The goal here is a nice consistent surface. Tape down the joins between the sections with a bit of masking tape to hold them in place.
Step 5 – laying laminate flooring
Now you come to actually laying the laminate flooring itself. Following the layout you already worked out in Step 3, begin laying your laminate flooring remembering to keep the spacers in place between the laminate flooring and the skirting board to allow for expansion. If you’re using tongue and groove laminate flooring, simply introduce each new board at a 45 degree angle to the previous one, and gently lower the new board in place. You should feel the tongue click into the groove, and the boards should sit flush with each other. It is advisable to use a pulling bar and a beating block to help encourage each board into place after you’ve laid it. Pulling bars are used when you reach the end of a row and don’t have sufficient space to use a beating block.
When you come to cut your end-of-row boards, the easiest way to do this is to lay the board in position where you intend to place it, ad mark on either side when a cut will need to be made. Using your set square, join the marks up to give you a nice straight cutting line. Using your laminate cutter, or the saw you have available, cut your laminate board, first checking which side of the board should be facing upward to minimise damage (this will depend on the type of saw you’re using). Do not forget to wear safety protection while you do this.
Step 6 – applying the finishing touches
If possible, leave your newly laid floor for 48 hours before adding any finishing touches such as trims, scotias, or transition bars. This will give the flooring extra time to acclimatise to the room, and this is where that 10mm gap we left between the flooring and the skirting boards comes into play, allowing the flooring to expand without running out of space.
Cutting trims and scotias for navigating around corners is made easier with a mitre box that will help you cut perfect angled cuts. In addition to this, you can use transition bars between your new floor, and other floor surfaces that meet in doorways for example. These are easy to fit, and help form a clean transition.
Congratulations! You now know how to lay laminate flooring!
Posted in Flooring Guides | Block Foam, Craft Knife, Diy Enthusiast, Floor Surface, Flooring, Flooring Guide, Flooring Laminate, How To Lay Laminate Flooring, Inconsistency, Knee Pads, Laminate, Laminate Floor, Laying Laminate Flooring, Moisture Levels, Right Foot, Room Temperature, Safety Glasses, Squared Area, Step 2, Tapping Block, Technological Advancements, Tile Spacers | Leave a commentThe Right Choice of Floorings for Homes
The Right Choice of Floorings for Homes
iFloor can provide you with the widest range of wood floorings that will suit your personality, needs, and of course, your budget. They have the most durable and easy to maintain wood floorings that are surely cost efficient. Now for instance you are on a tight budget, you may want to consider having laminate floors instead. This kind of flooring is also extremely durable and does sport an indistinguishable hardwood look but is sold at a more affordable price.
The Home Flooring Guide provides comprehensive information about hardwood, laminate, cork, (and vinyl flooring) as well as other alternative flooring materials like tiles and bamboo floors.
Laminate Flooring
Laminate flooring has proven to customers that aside from its ability to mimic the beauty of most hardwoods floors, it can also prove useful for home use, offering durability and trouble-free maintenance. Laminate flooring will furnish you the luxury of being stain, warp, and buckle proof. one part of laminate flooring production involves coating the material with an aluminum oxide solution, in order to give it a high degree of scratch resistance. With all these features and facts about laminate flooring, like being a water, scratch and stain proof, it certainly makes a suitable candidate for home flooring, especially for areas with heavy foot traffic. That includes kitchens, living rooms and bathrooms.
Hardwood Flooring
Bamboo Flooring
<a rel=”nofollow” onclick=”javascript:_gaq.push(['_trackPageview', '/outgoing/article_exit_link']);” href=”http://www.ifloor.com/bamboo-flooring/”>Bamboo flooring</a> is very popular in Asia and is used by most people in the construction of buildings for a decade. But it is only just recently when bamboo flooring became a huge hit in home flooring all over the world. Because of its very unique look and adaptability to various types of design, homeowners have become engrossed on purchasing this flooring material for the home. The surprising thing about it is that it is actually a grass-derived flooring product instead of wood. Bamboo is a type of grass that can last long and can maintain its durability and flexibility. This is what gives bamboo flooring similar characteristics to that of hardwood. What’s even greater this material is that it’s eco-friendly and made from renewable resources.
Cork Flooring
Just like bamboo, cork flooring is also created from a renewable resource and thus, is environmentally friendly. The materials being used for cork flooring are harvested from cork trees without necessarily cutting down a single one. Cork flooring has the amazing natural ability to resist mildew growth with the astounding capability to absorb vibrations. Cork flooring is also a great insulator and it will surely keep your house cool in summer and warm in winter days.
At iFloor, you can have all the freedom to choose the type of flooring for your dream house. There a lot of flooring materials featured at iFloor that’s bound to fit your home plans. What’s more interesting about this company is that customers can buy directly from the same company that owns 30 factories of flooring worldwide. This is an undeniable criterion shift in the consumer flooring shopping experience.
Posted in Flooring Guides | Alternative Flooring, Aluminum Oxide, Bamboo Flooring, Bamboo Floors, Choice, Construction Of Buildings, Exit Link, Facts About Laminate Flooring, Flooring Guide, Flooring Laminate, Flooring Materials, Floorings, Foot Traffic, Free Maintenance, Hardwood Flooring, Homes, Link Href, Rel Nofollow, Right, Scratch Resistance, Stain Proof, Tight Budget, Vinyl Flooring, Wood Floorings | Leave a commentLaminate vs Hardwood
Purchasing a new house or remodeling the existing one is an exciting project every time.
Because of it’s important part in the house and the first thing you will notice as you entering the house, flooring will be usually the most important and careful project.
There are many house decorating styles to choose from like: Asian, Italian, Mediterranian, Modern, contemporary and many more.
Once you decide the color and type of flooring such as hand scraped or smooth finish, you will be able to take care of the rest of the interior decorating things in the house like: kitchen cabinets, living room, and even art.
When time is coming and you need to choose what type of flooring will be good for you, you need to take a few things under consideration.
There are many types of flooring in the market but the most common one when it’s come to house or apartment will be laminate flooring or wood flooring.
Like any other flooring there are pros and cons on both of them.
The pros of laminate flooring:
Cost:
Prices of laminate flooring can start on a minimum price of .99 for 7-8mm and can go up to .50 when it’s 12mm, hardwood flooring prices usually will start on a minimum price of .00 and can go up to even .00-.00.
Installation:
Laminate floors installation is very easy and instead of calling a specialist to install your floor you can do it by your self, today you can find almost in every flooring guide website on the net all the steps that need to be taking care and save more money on the installation part.
Laminate installation can start at .50 per Sq FT.
Not like hardwood flooring that you will have to choose between a nail down or glue down installation, laminate will be very easy to lay down and the only thing you need is the padding underneath the floors.
Prices of hardwood flooring glue can start at 0 per 5 gal and go up to 0, and will be usually covering a Sq Ft amount of 150-200.
Durability:
House or apartments with a lot of traffic as kids,guests,and even pets is more recommend to use laminate flooring because of it’s durability and scratch resistant part.
Maintenance:
Taking care of laminate floors is very easy and you don’t need to spend too much money on cleaning tools, all you need is a dust mop and some water and your laminate flooring will be as good as new.
The cons of laminate flooring:
Add value to your home with hardwood flooring:
When it comes to hardwood flooring, you will be adding more value to your home than laminate.
Selling your house will be with a much more profit, and as soon as the buyer will find out that your flooring is hardwood you will gain more money when you sells your property.
Customized:
Although laminate flooring are coming in a variety of colors and sizes you will not be able to customized your own color, from the other hand hardwood flooring can be stained to the color that you are looking for, if you want a different and unique color all you have to do is buy unfinished wood flooring and stain it with as many shades you want.
Replace/Refinish:
Hardwood flooring does not need to be replaced each time it’s getting old, you can refinish your wood flooring and by that save money on changing your floors once in a while.
You can refinish your flooring 2-3 times depend on your top layer thickness.
Today there are hardwoods flooring brands that carry 4mm top layer and by that you can refinish your flooring for longer period of time.
Laminate flooring that damaged will have to be replaced and there is no other option.
Posted in Flooring Guides | 8mm, Apartment, Apartments, Decorating Styles, Durability, Flooring Guide, Flooring Wood, Glue, Hardwood, Hardwood Flooring, Kitchen Cabinets, Laminate, Laminate Flooring, Laminate Floors, Laminate Installation, Living Room, Padding, Pets, Pros And Cons, Sq Ft, Traffic, Wood Flooring | Leave a commentSave On Sliding Door Repairs
An ingenious resolution to the space problem is the sliding door. Two paneled doors that slip past each other are called bypass doors. They are most often used for wide closets.
If bypass doors jam, derail or do not close tightly, the problem is usually in the hardware. Examine the roller brackets first. Hold down the rest of the brackets while joggling each one. Any loose brackets should have their screws tightened.
If the wiggle process doesn’t work, take the whole door off. First remove the guides fastened to the floor. Take the screws off and keep the guides around. Damaged guides should be replaced with new ones available at hardware stores. Sometimes bent metal guides can be straightened with pliers.
Firmly get a hold of one side of the outer door, while someone helps with the other side. In joint movement, tilt the bottom away from the inside. Drive it upward in the same instant. Set the door against a nearby wall.
The same procedures apply to the second door. Stubborn bypass doors can still be removed by lining them up with openings found along the track. With the door completely accessible, loose brackets should be easy to tighten. Bigger screw holes need bigger screws.
Just turn the process around if you are trying to mount bypass doors. When in place, the doors should hang level. Screw the floor guides back in place, making sure that the doors have enough room to slide past each other without obstruction. With foldable panels, called bifold or accordion doors, an overhead track is still involved, only this time with only one channel. Panels are affixed either by roller brackets or short spindles within the tracks.
First remove the spindles and then lift the door on the same side as the pins to get the door off. In the same instant, press the bottom away from the floor. The spindles should be spotless before the door can be put back in place. Identical measures are performed on the channel interior.
Posted in Flooring Guides | Accordion Doors, Brackets, Bypass Doors, Closets, door, Hardware Stores, Measures, Nearby Wall, Overhead Track, Paneled Doors, Pins, Pliers, Repairs, Save, Screw Holes, Screws, Sliding, Sliding Door, Sliding Doors, Space Problem, Spindles, Tilt, Wiggle | Leave a commentSliding door installation – easy effective ways to install patio doors
Installing sliding doors
If you have problems with space and clutter with your casual opening doors, if you want to segregate the kitchen from the dining area, or even if you want a bigger room but want to reserve an area for study or work space. These and other solutions can be obtained by installing sliding doors; Thus separating the environments without closing the space. Sliding mechanisms consist of 3 parts: the upper rail, the bearings that hang over it and support the door, and a lower guide placed on the floor.
Tools and materials
Aquire the materials and hardware for sliding doors that best applies to your situation, whether to place sheets of wood, hardboard or glass. Drill, screwdriver, level, saws if you are making a double wall and masonry supplies along with construction material if you want to hide the slide with a new partition.
Support for guide rail
When you purchase the track you have to consider the quality and weight it can support. It is essential to support the weight of the sliding doors. Having chosen the location for the sliding door take notice whether if the location is qualifies for installing or building a new structure all together. The top bracket for the guide should be perfectly leveled.
Slide view
The simplest way is to cut to size and put a wood strip at least 4 x 4 inch, screw at various points to the wall at the correct height. Towards the end of the door place a vertical bar will stop the door and close. Our recommendation is to do the same with as the previous length. Next, screw the guide rail in the horizontal bar. In these rails it’s recommended to place stops in the desired place to prevent the door from reversing or fully closing. Screw the mechanisms of the slide bearing on the top edge of the blade, as recommended by the manufacturer. Then screw the floor guide rail. Hang the door on the upper guide rail and check that it moves freely.
Hidden Slide
The installation is similar, but should be covered with a double wall, for the doorway to be seen. A simple and effective way to build to the necessary width double wall is with sheets rock. These walls are screwed to the top of the dual structure of wood or metal that is fixed to the floor and ceiling with horizontal and vertical reinforcements.
So there you have it. A Simple and effective way to install a brand new sliding door and change the look on the interior of your home.
Posted in Flooring Guides | Bearings, Clutter, Construction Material, Dining Area, door, doors, easy, Edge Of The Blade, effective, Floor Tools, Hardboard, Horizontal Bar, install, installation, Masonry Supplies, Opening Doors, patio, Patio Doors, Saws, Slide View, Sliding, Sliding Door, Sliding Doors, Tools And Materials, Top Edge, Vertical Bar, ways, Wood Strip, Work Space | Leave a commentHow to lay wood flooring
In this article we look at how to lay wood flooring in six steps that you can follow yourself. If you’ve followed my other article on how to lay laminate flooring, then many of the steps are very similar, but there are a few differences when it comes to laying a hardwood floor. If you’re nervous about how to lay wood flooring and about your level of DIY skills in general, don’t be afraid to ask a more experienced friend if they can help out. Technological advancements with in hardwood flooring have meant that the products are both higher quality, and easier to fit as well.
Before we get started with our how to lay wood flooring guide, you’ll need to ensure your wood flooring has been left in the room you plan to install it in for at least 48 hours before you start the process of laying. This is an important step since the boards themselves are composed from a natural material, they must be allowed to acclimatise to the new room temperature and moisture levels they will be exposed to. As the boards adjust to the new environment, they will expand or contract accordingly. You also need to make sure that you clean your sub-floor thoroughly to remove any dirt and small particles that may cause problem when you come to lay the wood flooring.
Let’s make a start and begin our guide to how to lay wood flooring:
Step 1 – tools for the job
a panel saw or electric saw (e.g. circular saw)
tile spacers
safety glasses
a hammer
a pencil
set square
knee pads
masking tape
a sharp craft knife
tapping block
a pulling bar
self-adhesive underlay
Step 2 – how to measure for your wood floor
To calculate the amount of wood flooring you’ll need for your project, you will have to measure you space to calculate the total area squared that needs to be covered. Wood flooring comes in various pack sizes depending on the variety you buy, and these packs tell you both the board dimensions, and the overall coverage achievable per pack. In order to calculate how many packs of wood flooring necessary for your project, first measure the width of your room and the length. Multiply these numbers by each other to give you your total area size. Awkward rooms can sometimes be difficult to measure, but the best way to try and overcome this it to try and divide up your area into smaller spaces that you can be square off, and then add the individual area sizes of these squares together. To calculate how many packs of wood flooring you’ll need, take your total area size (this needs to be in the same units as the ones used on the wood flooring packaging), and divide this number by the total area covered on one packet of wood boards.
It’s highly advisable to acquire at least ten percent extra boards than what you calculated you will need for your project. This is to avoid running out of boards in the middle of your projects in case of mistakes or bad measurements.
Step 3 – marking out your wood floor
Unlike when you lay a tiled floor, there is no need to mark out the position of each wood board that you lay. However, it is recommended that you lay a trial row before you begin installing the self-adhesive underlay. This is to help to determine the direction and position you will begin laying the flooring, and also to help calculate how much of the end-of-row boards you will need to cut when you come to it. A good tip is to start laying your wood flooring in the lightest part of the room. You should try to avoid a layout that will result in you having to cut more than 50% away from the depth of your end-of-row boards, or less than 400mm off from the width of your boards.
Step 4 – laying self-adhesive underlay
We will be installing a ‘floating floor’ through the methods used in this tutorial. This means that technically the new wood flooring is not directly fixed to the old sub-floor. This is a very common, efficient, and perfectly effective way to install wood flooring. With this in mind, begin laying your underlay with the shiny-side up. This is because the shiny side is the one that features adhesive. Ensure you have your spacers in place, and you are laying the rolls at a 90 degree angle to the way you will lay your laminate boards; this is to prevent the seams between the pieces of underlay ever corresponding to the joins between the piece of wood flooring. As you lay the underlay, make sure there is no gap or overlap between the sections as either of these might cause the wood boards to sink or stand proud. The goal here is a nice consistent surface. Tape down the joins between the sections with a bit of masking tape to hold them in place.
Step 5 – laying wood flooring
Using the layout you established previously, start by removing a section of the protective film on the underlay by about the half the width of a wood board. Then gently lay your first board in place (making sure your spacers are still in place). If you’re happy with the position of the first board, peel back more of the protective film to expose the board to the adhesive completely. In the same way you can continue throughout the room, gradually peeling the adhesive film back as you go.
Most wood flooring features a tongue and groove fitting profile. These boards should fit together easily and, and can be joined together by introducing the new board at a 45 degree angle to the previous one, then slotting it in place as you lower it. You can use your beating block or pulling bar to further encourage the boards in place if necessary.
End-of-row boards can be cut using the saw you have available, and by marking the board where the cut needs to be made. Take care to cut the board the right way up as different saws may cause damage to either the top side or underside of the wood. Remember to use your safety glasses as you do this.
Step 6 – applying the finishing touches
It’s recommended that you wait at least 48 hours before applying any finishing touches to your flooring such as trims or scotias. This will allow the floor to settle in further.
Use a mitre box to help with cutting your trims and scotias at an angle. Transition bars can also be used where your new floor meets with a doorway or a different floor surface.
Congratulations! You now know how to lay wood flooring!
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