Advice on hardwood floors?

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Advice on hardwood floors?

Posted: 1/31/2002 10:24:50 AM EDT

I'm getting ready to lay down hardwood strip flooring (pre-finished) in my kitchen (above-grade floor).

How long do the strips need to acclimatize in the room? They came from Home Depot, so they were kept at @60-65 degrees already, and the air in my house is pretty dry. I've heard 3-5 days, but I figure that since the conditions are pretty close I might not need that long (I'm itching to get to work).

What about underlayment or adhesive? Anyone use that for strip wood floors on plywood?

Does anyone have any good pointers? I think I'm on top of how to do everything, but just wondering of anyone has any advice. You know, the kind that you say afterwards "damn, I wish I had known that before I started!"

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Posted: 1/31/2002 10:30:49 AM EDT

[#1]

My only experience is with the unfinished random length white oak strips. I nailed them to the underlayment with a special floor nailer that drives nails thru the tongue. - no adhesive.

Mine sat in the house about a week before I used them.

I couldn't use the nailer for the first and last couple rows, those I had to drill pilot holes thru the face and nail down with finishing nails.

Posted: 1/31/2002 10:34:45 AM EDT

[#2]

One cardinal rule for ANY project is DON'T RUSH IT!

Posted: 1/31/2002 11:53:35 AM EDT

[#3]

Yeah. If the instructions say something like, "leave 1/4" gap at the walls", or something like that, DO IT! Wood is very dynamic--it will expand and contract with the weather. You don't want the flooring buckling up when it expands in hot/damp weather.

Also, when it comes time to put in the 1/4 round molding or floor shoe, nail into the base molding, not the floor.

Good luck.

Posted: 1/31/2002 11:59:41 AM EDT

[#4]

Quoted:

Also, when it comes time to put in the 1/4 round molding or floor shoe, nail into the base molding, not the floor.

View Quote

Good call on this one...moved into a house where the finish nails pulled through the quarter round when the hardwood floors swelled under the wall in the summer. The previous owner couldn't understand why his quarter round popped out from the wall!

Posted: 1/31/2002 12:03:24 PM EDT

[#5]

Quoted:

Quoted:

Also, when it comes time to put in the 1/4 round molding or floor shoe, nail into the base molding, not the floor.

View Quote

Good call on this one...moved into a house where the finish nails pulled through the quarter round when the hardwood floors swelled under the wall in the summer. The previous owner couldn't understand why his quarter round popped out from the wall!

View Quote

I'm going to ring in again, and say that when it comes to this kind of trim, buy, beg, borrow or rent a compressor and a brad gun. You'll shed tears of joy, I ga-run-teee!

Posted: 1/31/2002 5:43:17 PM EDT

[#6]

Thanks for all the advice.

I was planning to leave as much expansion room as possible underneath the baseboards/quarter round - and I think I'll definitely rent some nailing equipment rather than do everything by hand. That would be an awful lot of pilot holes for the entire floor!

Thanks again.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Advice on hardwood floors?

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