Installing tongue and groove floor

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Modern hardwood flooring is a far cry from those days: even, smooth and luxurious, thanks largely to the way flooring installation is done now. Tongue and groove flooring has revolutionized the way wood flooring is laid, making it no longer necessary to use external nails or staples to hold boards together. And what is even better is that with some skill and patience, you can handle the flooring installation yourself.

The way it works is pretty simple. The boards have a protruding ridge, or tongue, running along the entire length of one side. The other side features an end-to-end groove. So the tongue side of one plank fits in seamlessly with the groove side of an adjacent plank.

A similar system is also on the short-width side of every plank, so when laid properly, they interlock perfectly, giving you a smooth, interconnected hardwood floor. There are a number of reasons why tongue and groove floors are a better choice for home interior flooring than old-school non-groove wood floors.

For starters, tongue and groove floors do not use nails at all, so exposed nail heads will never be a problem. Thanks to the way tongue and groove planks interlock, you no longer have to worry about the planks warping, expanding, or shrinking, unlike regular non-groove wood floors. This is why tongue and groove floors have become the preferred choice for wood floors among homeowners, with non-grooved wood floors being relegated to historical home restorations and exterior decking applications, which require space between planks to allow for drainage.

Once the floor is down, have a plan in place so that you and your family have a place to be while the various finish layers dry. Many people avoid this, me included on several projects, by purchasing engineered or pre-finished floors.

The last thing you have to empty out is the dust and dirt from the sub-floor. Suck it up with a shop vacuum. Underlayment — Installing wood floors directly to the sub-floor without a barrier in between is an invitation for squeaks. A great bond break is red rosin paper, which comes in rolls feet long and 3 feet wide. Roll it out over the entire sub-floor.

You can also use asphalt impregnated tar paper. Use a hammer tacker or staple gun to secure the material to the sub-floor. Back Priming — In locations where the floor might be exposed to moisture from its finished side, like a kitchen or bath, treat the backs of each board by brushing or rolling on one coat of urethane.

This seals the material and enables it to dry uniformly which helps keep joints from opening up. Consider replacing it before installing the new floor. Nailing — In the old days, carpenters used small hard-cut nails to hand-nail their floors. Today, we use flooring nailers that drive either cleats or staples. These nailers can either be manual or pneumatic manuals drive cleats only; pneumatics drive staples or cleats , and both can be rented for the day or weekend at a very reasonable price.

Check with your flooring supplier which fastener is best for your floor. Popping finish nails into the face of the starting and end-wall boards makes quick work of nailing. Finish nailers are also ideal for fastening the shoe molding. If you hand-nail the face boards, pre-drill them first for hardwoods and at the ends of softwood planks. Cutting — Clean, accurate and quick cuts are vital for installing floors fast and right, and a good miter saw is the right tool for the job.

For many flooring jobs, I bring a inch chop box right into the room and make my cuts there both for the floor and the shoe molding that covers the edges. Although, you can use a circular saw too, since the rough edge of the last piece will be covered with shoe molding.

On most flooring installs, transitioning between rooms and flooring types can be a real brainteaser. The key is creating good thresholds. Each floor is different, but before you leave the home center, make sure you have a couple of pieces of 1-by-6 of the same wood species as your floor. Once your floor is down, you can lay out and create a custom-made threshold to jump or sink to that existing tile or laminate floor surface.

A little skill with a table saw will help you tune-in the piece. I also bevel leading edges whenever possible because feet like smooth transitions. Step 1. Floor planks should be installed perpendicular to the joists, so determine the joist direction before beginning installation.

Step 2. Measure the distance from the baseboard or drywall of the far wall from which you plan to start laying the boards—on each end of the room. If the distances are the same, the room is square and you can butt your first board against the drywall and go to town.

It gives the floor system room to expand. If the measurements in each corner are not the same, you must create a straight line from which to start, a control point. The boards weren't perfect and it rained and rained. When working solo, hold the edges in line with one foot as you tap with the sledge hammer. All four sides of the boards have tongues and grooves for easy fitting. Tongue and groove strip flooring profile designed to be installed over a solid structural subfloor.

Some engineers require it in certain applications, but for standard subfloor applications none will be needed.

Floor planks should be installed perpendicular to the joists, so determine the joist direction before beginning installation. When you are nailing the tongue and groove boards into place, you should make sure that you locate the joists beneath the floor, ceiling, or wall.

Both installations used bostik ultraset glue with secret nailing. Again it is to your discretion also. Basic steps for the installation of tongue and groove flooring. The end of each flooring board must be adequately supported by a joist. Where the flooring is on bearers and joists, there is some squeaking on a few boards. Pin On Projects To Try. Pin On Build It. Pin On Architecture.

Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. How To Lay A Subfloor Plywood Subfloor Diy Installation Flooring Projects Suitable subfloors boral overlay is designed for a subfloor that is structurally sound, level, flat, clean and dry such as: Installing tongue and groove flooring on joists.