If you have installed hardwood what mistakes have you made? The
hardwood I am installing is the 3/4 inch thick type, about 2-3 inches
wide, oak and maple mostly, finished type.
I am installing hardwood flooring for my customers. There is a big
demand for it here, as many people want me to replace their carpets
with hardwood. I have being reading books and now work with a
professional installer but there is nothing like learning from
mistakes.
"Wilson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Use a vapor barrier below the floor, especially over basement/crawl space.
> If there's a crawl space, put plastic on the ground there too.
> Wilson
I hope you don't mean directly under the hardwood. I wouldn't want a vapor
barrier between the hardwood and the subfloor. The usual thing is to use
rosin paper between the hardwood and the subfloor.
-al sung
Greg G. wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> AL said:
>
> >I'm hardly an expert, but I would say a mistake would be to not make sure
> >the paying customer understands that humidity related shrinkage gaps are to
> >be expected. Maybe a mockup showing what it will look like in the winter is
> >in order.
>
> Or take the opportunity to sell them a furnace humidifier as well.
> It has worked wonders for our house and furniture, and an added
> benefit is that you are less susceptible to colds.
> FWIW,
>
> Greg G.
The key to avoiding seasonal shrinkage is, as said above, moisture
content. Buy it from a supplier where you know it hasn't been sitting
around picking up moisture in warehouses or conatainers. If it's dried
right, there should be no problems. If the supplier says this is
normal...go somewhere else.
[email protected] (ississauga) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> If you have installed hardwood what mistakes have you made? The
> hardwood I am installing is the 3/4 inch thick type, about 2-3 inches
> wide, oak and maple mostly, finished type.
>
> I am installing hardwood flooring for my customers. There is a big
> demand for it here, as many people want me to replace their carpets
> with hardwood. I have being reading books and now work with a
> professional installer but there is nothing like learning from
> mistakes.
Use glue (Liquid nails subfloor or similar) and plugged screws for
thresholds and stair nosing. These boards get torqued and the nails or
staples will loosen over time.
Mitch
On 17 Sep 2004 01:36:59 GMT, ToolMiser <[email protected]> wrote:
> My mistake was while operating the "manual" nailer that I hit my finger when
> the hammer glanced off the window trim when I got close to the wall. It was
> time for me to call it a day, and I had an ugly fingernail to show off for a
> long time. Best part was that I didn't use any profanity!
Bah, you haven't _lived_ until you hit your shin with the same hammer.
Saw stars on that one, which I thought was just a cartoon thing but was
definately real. It hurt to much for me to swear, too.
Dave Hinz
ississauga wrote:
> If you have installed hardwood what mistakes have you made? The
> hardwood I am installing is the 3/4 inch thick type, about 2-3
> inches wide, oak and maple mostly, finished type.
>
> I am installing hardwood flooring for my customers. There is a big
> demand for it here, as many people want me to replace their carpets
> with hardwood. I have being reading books and now work with a
> professional installer but there is nothing like learning from
> mistakes.
Assure that your first courses are dead straight and very firmly fastened.
--
dadiOH
_____________________________
dadiOH's dandies v3.0...
...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico
____________________________
JohnT. wrote:
> Is such 3/4" thick flooring like this tongue and groove
Yes (normally)
_________________
> Do you use those hammer type floor nailers?
That or one using air
_________________
> I'd think Oak would be pretty hard to do with those big flat floor
> nails.
Not if you avoid the Bostich nailer and use the Porta Nailer one...it has a
ratchet that holds the ram down until the nail (serrated cleat, actually) is
totally seated. That means you can whack it more than once; with the
Bostich, one whack is all you get, terrible tool.
--
dadiOH
_____________________________
dadiOH's dandies v3.0...
...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico
____________________________
"Joe" <[email protected]> wrote
:
> >If you have installed hardwood what mistakes have you made? The
> >hardwood I am installing is the 3/4 inch thick type, about 2-3 inches
> >wide, oak and maple mostly, finished type.
>
> Not really a mistake, but remove the base trim before installing
> the flooring, unlike all the TV experts I've seen. A piece of 1/4
> round chunked onto the last board looks tacky to me.
A-men!
JSH
Mistakes:
Using a manual nailer
Nailing into the groove instead of the tongue
Using staples instead of nails
Other suggestions.
Put down a long, dead straight board that will serve as your first course.
IME, this is better than starting off with the actual flooring material
since you can nail this sacrificial course straight down into the subfloor
instead of using the angled nailer, thereby (mostly) assuring it won't move
during the nailing process. Don't remove this board until you have butted
at least 4 full courses against it, at which point the courses shouldn't
move, no matter how much banging (manual or pneumatic) you're doing.
Make very accurate measurements wall to wall in various parts of the room to
determine where to put this backer board. Be sure you're not going to end
up with a 1/4" last course up against a wall. Opinions may differ, but I
put my backer board in the middle of the room, then used a tight
groove-to-groove spline so I'd always be nailing into the tongues (sp?) as I
changed direction and started working toward the opposite wall.
Just one amatuer's opinion based on a job that turned out *very* well.
Joe C.
"ississauga" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> If you have installed hardwood what mistakes have you made? The
> hardwood I am installing is the 3/4 inch thick type, about 2-3 inches
> wide, oak and maple mostly, finished type.
>
> I am installing hardwood flooring for my customers. There is a big
> demand for it here, as many people want me to replace their carpets
> with hardwood. I have being reading books and now work with a
> professional installer but there is nothing like learning from
> mistakes.
"Phil Scott" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Alan Sung" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:%gC2d.65233$D%.18417@attbi_s51...
> > "Wilson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > news:[email protected]...
> > > Use a vapor barrier below the floor, especially over
> basement/crawl space.
> > > If there's a crawl space, put plastic on the ground there
> too.
> > > Wilson
> >
> > I hope you don't mean directly under the hardwood. I
> wouldn't want a vapor
> > barrier between the hardwood and the subfloor. The usual
> thing is to use
> > rosin paper between the hardwood and the subfloor.
>
> a basement slab is not a sub floor... untreaded wood
> against concrete with no vapor barrier rots
Uhm.. How many concrete slabs have a crawlspace beneath them?
: )
Use a vapor barrier below the floor, especially over basement/crawl space.
If there's a crawl space, put plastic on the ground there too.
Wilson
"ississauga" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> If you have installed hardwood what mistakes have you made? The
> hardwood I am installing is the 3/4 inch thick type, about 2-3 inches
> wide, oak and maple mostly, finished type.
>
> I am installing hardwood flooring for my customers. There is a big
> demand for it here, as many people want me to replace their carpets
> with hardwood. I have being reading books and now work with a
> professional installer but there is nothing like learning from
> mistakes.
Alan <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:
> On 15 Sep 2004 19:42:18 -0700, [email protected] (ississauga)
> wrote:
>
>>If you have installed hardwood what mistakes have you made? The
>>hardwood I am installing is the 3/4 inch thick type, about 2-3 inches
>>wide, oak and maple mostly, finished type.
>>
>>I am installing hardwood flooring for my customers. There is a big
>>demand for it here, as many people want me to replace their carpets
>>with hardwood. I have being reading books and now work with a
>>professional installer but there is nothing like learning from
>>mistakes.
Jion the National Wood Flooring Association, read their manual, and don't
listen to some of the terrible advice you see on the internet newsgroups!
----== Posted via Newsfeed.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeed.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! >100,000 Newsgroups
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AL said:
>I'm hardly an expert, but I would say a mistake would be to not make sure
>the paying customer understands that humidity related shrinkage gaps are to
>be expected. Maybe a mockup showing what it will look like in the winter is
>in order.
Or take the opportunity to sell them a furnace humidifier as well.
It has worked wonders for our house and furniture, and an added
benefit is that you are less susceptible to colds.
FWIW,
Greg G.
On 15 Sep 2004 19:42:18 -0700, [email protected] (ississauga) wrote:
>If you have installed hardwood what mistakes have you made? The
>hardwood I am installing is the 3/4 inch thick type, about 2-3 inches
>wide, oak and maple mostly, finished type.
Not really a mistake, but remove the base trim before installing the flooring,
unlike all the TV experts I've seen. A piece of 1/4 round chunked onto the last
board looks tacky to me.
Build in the time to remove and re-install the trim, or maybe upsell them to a
nice oak trim that matches the flooring. Either way, yank the old stuff.
You read instructions that state to allow the wood to acclimate. My
house had no AC when it was being built. The AC or heat has been
running post installation and finishing for the last 6 years. The
humidity was 60-80% when the flooring was installed and the temp was
10-20 degrees warmer. The wood may never see those conditions again.
In an existing house the acclimation to the environement is possible.
That said if you go into Atlanta houses that have hardwood installed
back in the 1940s and 50s you see lots of gaps now. I suspect that has
something to do with AC installed in the 80s and 90s. My parent's
house built about 1900 in Cleveland Ohio had pretty tight flooring. We
never had AC and the hot water radiators had humidifying trays on
them. My frugal Dad rarely had the heat set above 68 so the house did
not dry out the way things can here in the south with AC.
[email protected] (SteveC1280) wrote:
>If you can, stack the wood in the house with air spaces between boards for a
>week or so to acclimate to the moisture conditions in the house. I had some
>freshly kiln dried flooring buckle after I installed it acclimated to the
>house.
>>>
>Remove the 'remove' in my address to e:mail me.
On Thu, 16 Sep 2004 13:13:04 GMT, Joe <[email protected]> wrote:
>On 15 Sep 2004 19:42:18 -0700, [email protected] (ississauga) wrote:
>>If you have installed hardwood what mistakes have you made? The
>>hardwood I am installing is the 3/4 inch thick type, about 2-3 inches
>>wide, oak and maple mostly, finished type.
>
>Not really a mistake, but remove the base trim before installing the flooring,
>unlike all the TV experts I've seen. A piece of 1/4 round chunked onto the last
>board looks tacky to me.
I prefer to do both, remove the base and install the 1/4 round. I
like a three piece base, consisting of a flat board, the 1/4 round,
and a moulded trim on top of the flat piece. In some rooms, the flat
board looks great if it's 6-8 inches tall.
Barry
1) Acclimate the wood to the humidity in the house - sticker it and leave
for at least a couple of weeks.
2) put a vapor barrier between the hardwood floor and the subfloor. I used
poly, despite postings not to. A local flooring dealer that I know well
said it is not a problem. Two years now and no problems.
3) If subfloor is not dead flat, put a 1/4" luan layer down
4) Buy or rent a pneumatic floor stapler. And whack it hard every time -
that whack is driving the boards together tight.
5) Speaking of whacking, make sure to get the butting ends of the boards
tight before you whack the pneumatic stapler
6) Cull out the ugly pieces of wood before you start laying the floor.
You'll forget to do this and lay a couple before the "oh crap" comes out of
your mouth
7) Hardwood flooring is always laid perpendicular to the floor joists.
8) Leave 1/4" around the perimeter of the room for expansion. Quarter round
will hide it.
9) Nail the quarter round into the baseboard, not the floor, so the floor
floats
10) Buy or borrow a Fein multimaster to undercut your door jambs - gives a
very professional job
11) When undercutting door jambs, don't cut the security system wires
Bob
"ississauga" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> If you have installed hardwood what mistakes have you made? The
> hardwood I am installing is the 3/4 inch thick type, about 2-3 inches
> wide, oak and maple mostly, finished type.
>
> I am installing hardwood flooring for my customers. There is a big
> demand for it here, as many people want me to replace their carpets
> with hardwood. I have being reading books and now work with a
> professional installer but there is nothing like learning from
> mistakes.
On 15 Sep 2004 19:42:18 -0700, [email protected] (ississauga)
wrote:
>If you have installed hardwood what mistakes have you made? The
>hardwood I am installing is the 3/4 inch thick type, about 2-3 inches
>wide, oak and maple mostly, finished type.
>
>I am installing hardwood flooring for my customers. There is a big
>demand for it here, as many people want me to replace their carpets
>with hardwood. I have being reading books and now work with a
>professional installer but there is nothing like learning from
>mistakes.
My biggest mistake was using a trigger-activated air stapler rather
than a mallet-activated air stapler.
"Alan Sung" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:%gC2d.65233$D%.18417@attbi_s51...
> "Wilson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > Use a vapor barrier below the floor, especially over
basement/crawl space.
> > If there's a crawl space, put plastic on the ground there
too.
> > Wilson
>
> I hope you don't mean directly under the hardwood. I
wouldn't want a vapor
> barrier between the hardwood and the subfloor. The usual
thing is to use
> rosin paper between the hardwood and the subfloor.
a basement slab is not a sub floor... untreaded wood
against concrete with no vapor barrier rots
Phil Scott
>
> -al sung
>
>
ississauga wrote:
> If you have installed hardwood what mistakes have you made? The
> hardwood I am installing is the 3/4 inch thick type, about 2-3 inches
> wide, oak and maple mostly, finished type.
>
> I am installing hardwood flooring for my customers. There is a big
> demand for it here, as many people want me to replace their carpets
> with hardwood. I have being reading books and now work with a
> professional installer but there is nothing like learning from
> mistakes.
NEVER put glue on the T and G. I did this on some beautiful cherry and
installed in the summer. Over the next 2 winters as it shrunk, I heard
loud cracks (like ice on a lake). It didn't ruin the floor, and when we
had it re-finished a few years later, the cracks were filled in. It
still looks great. (but I know where the gaps are ;)
Also, cutting the floor is a hard job to get perfect the first time.
After spending $$ and time putting the floor in you will cry if you
gouge it cutting it for the first time. Hire a pro for this part. And
they usually keep their power tools balanced and tuned up. Rentals from
BORG are usually bad news.
For cherry, DO NOT STAIN. Use sealer (I think mine was called duraseal)
wipe on/ wipe off then 3-4 coats of varnish.
Your smartest move is learning from a professional.
The furnace humidifier is a good idea. When I did my floor, I did 2000
Sq Ft over a couple of weeks. I stacked the wood in the room for six weeks
prior to the job, but I neglected to put spacers between layers. Oops. The
first 1500 ft went well, but for the last 500 ft I got sloppy and ended up
with a lot of cracks. I'm not sure if it was humidity in those bottom layers
in the stack, or if it was just careless work on the home stretch. Those
cracks are a constant reminder for me that I can do better if I have another
chance. The power staplers save effort and make a good job. I put decorative
inlays around the stair landings, really nice effect. We put hardwood in the
kitchen and around a toilet, not the greatest idea but it worked out ok. I
wouldn't do that again. I found a videotape of how to do hardwood floors,
sold over the internet, and found that really useful.
Dave
"Jana" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Greg G. wrote in message
> news:<[email protected]>...
>> AL said:
>>
>> >I'm hardly an expert, but I would say a mistake would be to not make
>> >sure
>> >the paying customer understands that humidity related shrinkage gaps are
>> >to
>> >be expected. Maybe a mockup showing what it will look like in the
>> >winter is
>> >in order.
>>
>> Or take the opportunity to sell them a furnace humidifier as well.
>> It has worked wonders for our house and furniture, and an added
>> benefit is that you are less susceptible to colds.
>> FWIW,
>>
>> Greg G.
>
> The key to avoiding seasonal shrinkage is, as said above, moisture
> content. Buy it from a supplier where you know it hasn't been sitting
> around picking up moisture in warehouses or conatainers. If it's dried
> right, there should be no problems. If the supplier says this is
> normal...go somewhere else.
I'm hardly an expert, but I would say a mistake would be to not make sure
the paying customer understands that humidity related shrinkage gaps are to
be expected. Maybe a mockup showing what it will look like in the winter is
in order.
Is ississauga related to Mississauga?
"ississauga" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> If you have installed hardwood what mistakes have you made? The
> hardwood I am installing is the 3/4 inch thick type, about 2-3 inches
> wide, oak and maple mostly, finished type.
>
> I am installing hardwood flooring for my customers. There is a big
> demand for it here, as many people want me to replace their carpets
> with hardwood. I have being reading books and now work with a
> professional installer but there is nothing like learning from
> mistakes.
In article <lZ82d.57555$D%.14343@attbi_s51>, "AL" <[email protected]> wrote:
-> I'm hardly an expert, but I would say a mistake would be to not make sure
-> the paying customer understands that humidity related shrinkage gaps are to
-> be expected. Maybe a mockup showing what it will look like in the winter is
-> in order.
Or maybe it should be installed in the winter? Or would that
lead to buckling in the summer?
--
8^)~~~ Sue (remove the x to e-mail)
~~~~~~
"I reserve the absolute right to be smarter
today than I was yesterday." -Adlai Stevenson
http://www.suzanne-eckhardt.com/
***Revelation 22:12*** ICQ: 349878998
I rented a pnuematic flooring stapler that required the big hammer
swing. It helps tighten up the wood as you are nailing. I have used
the old fashion non power assisted where you wack the heck out of the
nailer. The pnuematic assist is much easier but you still get a
workout.
All the flooring in my limited flooring experience has be tongue and
groove where you nail into the top of the tongue. Or iis it the top of
the groove. If you have a hardwood flooring supply house nearby they
have installation guides.
"JohnT." <[email protected]> wrote:
>Is such 3/4" thick flooring like this tongue and groove, or just
>straight sided? Do you use those hammer type floor nailers? I'd think
>Oak would be pretty hard to do with those big flat floor nails.
>
>John "gots a lot of rough sawn oak and a carpet that needs replacing"
On Fri, 15 Oct 2004 16:44:00 -0400, Rob Mitchell
<[email protected]> wrote:
>Also, cutting the floor is a hard job to get perfect the first time.
>After spending $$ and time putting the floor in you will cry if you
>gouge it cutting it for the first time. Hire a pro for this part. And
>they usually keep their power tools balanced and tuned up. Rentals from
>BORG are usually bad news.
What are you cutting that gouges a new floor? Don't you cut pieces
as needed before nailing them in?
Barry