Solid Hardwood, Engineered and Laminate Flooring - closing gaps in new install

ok i am currently installing 3/4 solid hardwoods in my house. in the areas where i can use my flooring stapler, the floor is pretty tight. However, on the edges of the room where the stapler cant be used, the gaps are more pronounced. I have tried every thing i can think of to close the gaps and yet they wont close. How big of a gap is considered acceptable? dime, penny, quarter, roll of quarters lol? i am pretty particular and have looked at other installations and have seen gaps, i just want to avoid them if i can. I have tried prying, wedging, etc. Also, should these last rows be face nailed or blind nailed? i am trying to avoid nailing where you can see the nails by blind nailing, but wondering if this could be contributing to the gaps? any help would be greatly appreciated.. tahnks.
Mike

ok so i just double checked and the gaps that i am concerned about are less than a dime thick. Is that ok?

Prying usually takes care of it, before I shoot it down. I have had to breakout my laminate strap clamps a couple of times too many, to get one tight(ah-hum Bruce) It is a total pain in the rear!

Clamp glue blue tape and nail!! Seriously, what ever it takes. With some of the cheaply milled floors out there on the market now, it makes us picky professionals, experts at blending different shades of color filler to make these prefinished floors look seamless. :wall:

Any gap is too much for me. The best tool available for this is the Powerjack.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.powernail.com/images/100_1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.powernail.com/model100.htm&h=173&w=225&sz=5&tbnid=M0MgKAYWC8UJ:&tbnh=78&tbnw=102&hl=en&start=3&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpowerjack%2B100%26svnum%3D100%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26newwindow%3D1%26safe%3Doff

I don't own one yet but its on my wish list.

The way I do the last 3-4 rows on my jobs is use the adjustable metal spacers from my pergo strap kit that is just collecting dust now. I'll take a scrap 2x4 or whatever and cut into the 3-4 different lengths that I will need.
Place the 2x4 flat down and 1-end against the wall and then just keep turning the knob until its tight. This also works real good too under cabinet toe kicks.

I have a picture of it but have no clue how to post it. I can email it if you want.

Jerry, those sound like Crain Tools adjustable expansion spacers..


<img src="http://www.craintools.com/laminate_tools/564.gif"/>

Yeah, mine are pretty much like that. Using those things I can get my last rows as tight as the field. They're solid metal and fairly heavy.

I use them on my starting walls too on a floater. I can usually put 2-3 rows together out from the wall, then slide the whole thing up against the wall or base, adjust it little for squareness and distance, then just drop in those adj. spacers, spin the knob until it just touches the base or wall. Nothin falls apart doing it that way.

You guys are forgetting he's talking about 3/4" solid. Its not that difficult.

smittymike-the last 4 rows or so cannot be nailed with most staplers. Nail with a finish nailer or by hand until that doesn't work anymore either, usually 2-3 rows out from the wall. To get those boards tight you can usually use a long screwdriver, pound it in the subfloor and pry back. If that method is a little too barbaric or not as effective as hoped, find a 3-4' long board and a few shorter boards about 18" or more. Use the long board as a lever with the shorter boards stacked against the wall a few inches up as the pivot. Push against the top of the long board to push the bottom against your tongue. Very effective, you can do two rows at once when you are top nailing. If you need two hands, use your shoulder to push the lever. You don't have to purchase anything. Using the soft side of the mallet, sometimes you need to pound the top of the flooring to send vibrations to get it to slip tight. Top nail in the spring growth when possible and the nails will be difficult to find after filling.

so i tried last night to close the gaps using some wood and my wonderbar. i pushed so hard that the wall bowed, then the floor moved but it honestly appeared that the first few strips moved as one unit, and the gap did not close. i am installing kempas which apparantly is very hard so i am wondering if i am out of luck here. I will try the screw driver method later.

So what is the thickness of a gap that you will tolerate when installing? :thinker:

Are you using bowed boards?
You need more leverage. The wonder bar won't cut it. MAke sure your wood against the wall is long enough to span the wall studs or you will be learning drywall repair too.

Sounds like you let the gaps get away from you and your trying to move more then one row of boards that are already fastened with the gaps there already fastened.

If so, that can be tough!

Sounds like you let the gaps get away from you and your trying to move more then one row of boards that are already fastened with the gaps there already fastened.

If so, that can be tough!


actually no. the rest of the boards seem pretty good. its just the end ones closest to the wall that are a problem. i just went to a friends house and they have a new install. the gaps are much closer than mine . arrrrrgh. i need to resolve this before i move into the meat of the install. and no the boards are not horribly warped, but they are slightly bowed which is definitely the problem. please help.

2 questions:
1. what type and size of nails do you use for the face nailed boards. it seems as thoyugh even if i close the gaps slightly, the boards rebound after the nail-in and the effort of closing them during the install was a waste of time.
2. please let me know what your nailing pattern is. i have currently used 1 nail per 10 inches, and have tried to hit floor joists, where possible.

thanks guys,
You rock.

Smitty, I know you are installing a solid Kempas. Those adj, spacers are what I have to use sometimes on Tigerwood or BC to get those last rows tight. I am not telling you to go out and buy some.

I take it you got started off the wall OK, and then the field went in alright, and the gaps started when you quit using the floor stapler and went to blind nailing with an air finish nailer or hand nailing. You are trying to get this room finished so you can move into another one. Have I got this right so far???

If you already have some of those ending rows fastened down and have a gap, you need to stop and remove those rows and start all over again. Most of those boards can be salvaged and reused where your floor stapler will straighten them out.

Sort thru and pick out the straightest boards you can find to finish this room with. Don't worry too much about the lengths, you need "straight", Don't use any boards that have a bow in them here because you don't have (or need) the right tools to pull that bow out.

I blind nail using a 2" 16ga. finish nailer, spaced about 4"-6" apart. Use that as far as you can until you have to face nail. Marco gave you the right way to do that.

Ya, if everything is straight and tight up this board your having a problem with, something is either milled bad, causing a gap to appear, or you have a seriously bowed board somewhere.