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.

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" wrote in message
m...
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" 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

Im no floor pro but wood has to stabilise to interior humidity and be
dry to a specific %. Get a moisture meter and call the mnfg for specs.
Do it wrong and you may be paying later to redo it.

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.

My mistake was to use the wrong fasteners, get a proper flooring
installation tool and my experience would be to recommend staples. There are
2 or 3 brands of flooring staplers available out there.

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" wrote in message
m...
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.

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
____________________________

On 15 Sep 2004 19:42:18 -0700, (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.

Greg G. wrote in message . ..
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.

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"

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" 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

(ississauga) wrote in message om...
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 Thu, 16 Sep 2004 13:13:04 GMT, Joe wrote:

On 15 Sep 2004 19:42:18 -0700, (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

On 15 Sep 2004 19:42:18 -0700, (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.

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." 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"

"Wilson" wrote in message
ink.net...
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

"Alan Sung" wrote in message
news:%gC2d.65233$D%.18417@attbi_s51...
"Wilson" wrote in message
ink.net...
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

"Phil Scott" wrote in message
om...

"Alan Sung" wrote in message
news:%gC2d.65233$D%.18417@attbi_s51...
"Wilson" wrote in message
ink.net...
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?

: )

Alan wrote in
:

On 15 Sep 2004 19:42:18 -0700, (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!


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tweaked vvv wrote:

Alan wrote in
:

On 15 Sep 2004 19:42:18 -0700, (ississauga)
wrote:

If you have installed hardwood what mistakes have you made?

I used a handheld pneumatic nailer. Not good - get a hammer actuated
flooring stapler.

I used a chop box on top of a couple fo 2x10s. Get yourself a
dedicated chop saw station with a sliding stop for length - it's much,
MUCH quicker, and more accurate. Even better, use a few sets of story
sticks so you don't even need to measure. You can reallly fly that
way.

I'd bring a portable table saw and a scroll saw to the site as well.

Lay out and snap lines where needed at the beginning, and focus on
materials handling from the start. True expertise lies in the
details.

JP

"Noozer" wrote:

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?

: )

Here in Colorado we've gotten away from slabs where the soil is too
expansive, and have been doing structural subfloors - usually wood,
with a crawl space and possibly a sump pump or ventilation system
underneath.

Imagine my surprise while walking through my mom's new home (just
built, tract home in the Denver suburbs) and the builder's rep
mentioned that the cement slab is actually a subfloor. If you tap
hard on the floor, you can hear the echo from the space underneath.

So it does happen. I was surprised too, but it's actually a better
option IMO than a wood subfloor.

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" wrote in message
m...
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.

"CR" wrote in message
...
"Noozer" wrote:

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?

: )

Here in Colorado we've gotten away from slabs where the soil is too
expansive, and have been doing structural subfloors - usually wood,
with a crawl space and possibly a sump pump or ventilation system
underneath.

Imagine my surprise while walking through my mom's new home (just
built, tract home in the Denver suburbs) and the builder's rep
mentioned that the cement slab is actually a subfloor. If you tap
hard on the floor, you can hear the echo from the space underneath.

So it does happen. I was surprised too, but it's actually a better
option IMO than a wood subfloor.

there is a wood subfloor under the slab they have to pour it against
something ya know

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.

On Fri, 15 Oct 2004 16:44:00 -0400, Rob Mitchell
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