Solid Hardwood, Engineered and Laminate Flooring - Help with getting first row straight with 3/4" solid maple

I'm laying 3/4" 3-1/4" wide Bellawood Select white maple flooring. "Real wood"

I'm having a heck of a time trying to get a nice chalk line to reference off of. I'm spaning 25ft across in which I need to have a nice straight line of floor. The line the chalk leaves is about 1/8".

How the heck do you get a straight row, as seeing the chalk line isn't real thin so the floor could vary here and there and I would assume throwing off the whole deal by the time I get to the other end which is 25 feet long too. "Room is 25x25

I have a back door which the bottom of the sliding back door insets about 1" from the front of the drywall. Would you take and notch the floor so it recesses into that space or cut a 1" strip and face nail it in there? I will be putting shoe molding all the way around too.


Tips, tricks, etc?

Mike, not sure if you have tried it and I never have on a floor but, some of the new laser line levels are able to shoot you straight line that won't be hidden by the floor or be so wide that you don't know which part to reference off of.

Just a thought.

http://f2.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/creativecustom@sbcglobal.net/album?.dir=/7420

The second pic you'll have to turn your head to the right to view it. I couldnt figure out how to turn the pic.

This is where I'm at and the headaches have begun. I guess I'm just too critical from being a custom furniture maker that the thickness of the line a chalkline makes is too thick to me. I'm afraid it will wander off and end up duplicating and making it look worse by the time I get to the end.

Start a full piece at the door and cut the wall wood.First row should be all straight long pieces,get a strip longer then the door and cut the both sides and nail.Then start from both sides of the door piece and cut your wood little more than a inch and butt it up to the width side of the T&G of your 1st(3 1/4 planks are wide and if they are straight you shouldn't have a problem).Top nail the row and check with a line,you can all ways bang in or wedge and crowbar out!!

Mike-

You lay floors, too? You're right about the chalk line being kinda thick so I usually work to one side of the line - or the center. True, it isn't perfect, but if you lay the first row carefully, you'll be fine. A variation of 1/8", or so over 25' will be undetectable. The walls of the room are probably off-parallel by at least that much.

I've often snapped a line down the middle of a room so the line looked centered (not necessarily parallel) then laid the floor from my line to each wall. With flooring, it's more about appearance than geometry.

Have fun. :)

P.S. I would notch around the door sill

One other thing i see by the pictures your putting tar paper in a kitchen area.I would "never" use that because if you get a good spill the water will be trapped and has no where to go but up and besides if you don't use paper you can see the beams and nail on them!!

i have layed a few floors in my career. i start by flipping a piece of flooring up on its 3/4 side and against the wall and start by top nailing the first peice. then i go back and pull up the peice when i am done laying the room. i would notch around the door

It has been suggested once line is drawn that you face nail the first row BUT leave the heads up a little in case you have to adjust ( temporay).

JAT

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