Solid Hardwood, Engineered and Laminate Flooring - How do I install a hardwood floor against an uneven stone wall?

My husband and I just bought hardwood floors that we want to install along an 25-foot stone wall with a slightly uneven cement boarder at the base (Note: it also has a 1' X6' stone bump-out fireplace hearth). We, or rather he plans to install the wood along the legth of the room so that the long axis of the plank runs parallel with the wall. He's talking about cutting each piece to fit the stone/concrete base of the wall. I was wondering if anyone has a suggestion or idea that would make this project easier or possibly more pleasing to the eye? Any help or advice is appreciated!

Well, you have a difficult area to deal with there. You can cut the boards as your husbands wants to do, and then fill the gap with a matching sealant, or the profesional way of doing it is to undercut the stone so the boards slide under it about a 1/2".

The previous post is correct that the professional and best looking approach would be to undercut the stone. That approach will also be the most difficult and very messy. What your husband is proposing is called scribing and is usually done with a compass. If it's done well, you should be able to butt the cut flooring right up against the stone almost perfectly. Also, if it's done well, you may find that it becomes *practically* invisible to your eye after some period of time. My best suggestion is to experiment. Take a scrap piece of hardwood, scribe and cut it and put it in place against the stone, then see if it's acceptable to you. I think scribing is the easiest approach. If the experimental piece is not acceptable, then it's off to rent an undercut saw and vacuum combination for you (without the vacuum, clouds of dust will fill the room in seconds and leave everything covered in a heavy dust film). Good luck.

I once took a log cabin tour by a major log cabin manufacturer in Appalachia. In the most expensive home on display was an enormous and beautiful stone fireplace. Having been in the hardwood flooring business for years, my critical big eyes are always on alert.

The installer scribed around the natural stone fireplace. It was one of the best scribing jobs I ever saw, but it still fell short of the mark. For the most professional look, undercut the stone.

Sorry to be so picky, but it's like going into a home where they installed hardwood, engineered wood, or laminate and they didn't undercut the door jambs. You see the gaps and the less than smooth cuts around the jambs. Undercut for a smooth transition.

Thanks for all your advice (sorry for the late reply--I've been out of town). I think we will try scribing with a scrap piece and see how it looks. Otherwise, we will have to do the undercut method. I'll post what worked for us once we do it. We still have cabinets to paint & ceilings to retexture & paint before we install the floors so it may be a while! Thanks again!