Solid Hardwood, Engineered and Laminate Flooring - installing pre-finished hardwood
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04-23-01, 10:29 AM
My husband and I would like to install pre-finished hardwood planks in our living room and dining room (ground level). The subfloor is plywood. The dining room is connected to the living room (in an upsidedown L) and the joists run in one direction in the living room and then change to the other direction in the dining room. I would prefer to lay the floor down on the diagonal so that I don't have to switch the way the planks run. I know this is more difficult and time consuming not to mention costly. Any tips?
Elite Flooring/Ken Fisher
04-23-01, 02:08 PM
Great Idea!
At least you'll have the bases covered to standards. Years ago that method was the standard for 1' X6'+ subflooring over joists. Dedending on how thick the plywood is, try at your best to put a nail/staple into every joist.
Running on a 45º requires more span across the joists, as the lengths will be longer. You haven't mentioned the width of the product in question as that will increase your waste factor.
Diagonal installations definately provide a different more obvious and desired look. It will be more time consuming but the final outcome will be noticed by everyone.
:)
At least you'll have the bases covered to standards. Years ago that method was the standard for 1' X6'+ subflooring over joists. Dedending on how thick the plywood is, try at your best to put a nail/staple into every joist.
Running on a 45º requires more span across the joists, as the lengths will be longer. You haven't mentioned the width of the product in question as that will increase your waste factor.
Diagonal installations definately provide a different more obvious and desired look. It will be more time consuming but the final outcome will be noticed by everyone.
:)
04-23-01, 03:06 PM
Thanks for your response. The planks are 3" in width.
Elite Flooring/Ken Fisher
04-24-01, 01:14 PM
I'd have to recommend a 10% waste factor here as wider material(as opposed to 2 1/4") gets gobbled up quicker with diagonal cuts. Depending on the quaility of the material you may also run into a percentage that cannot be used which is common.
Starting that job for a DIY'r may be confusing too and I would recommend placing a "starter board" of 4' in length or so in one of the corners. Screw it into the subfloor as it can be removed to complete the area later. Using this method allows for a easier start so you won't be toying with small miters in the tiny corner.
Be careful when nailing near the wall lines on that 45º as if you nail it too hard it will have a tendancy to get out of line with the rest of the floor. It will begin to "sag" for lack of a better word. Check for straightness every two feet of completed nailing with a string or chalk line.
For great guidelines on succesful hardwood installation, I always recommend nofma.org. as there's more info there than you'll get from any salesperson or that tiny installation guide the manufacturers provide.
Good Luck;)
Starting that job for a DIY'r may be confusing too and I would recommend placing a "starter board" of 4' in length or so in one of the corners. Screw it into the subfloor as it can be removed to complete the area later. Using this method allows for a easier start so you won't be toying with small miters in the tiny corner.
Be careful when nailing near the wall lines on that 45º as if you nail it too hard it will have a tendancy to get out of line with the rest of the floor. It will begin to "sag" for lack of a better word. Check for straightness every two feet of completed nailing with a string or chalk line.
For great guidelines on succesful hardwood installation, I always recommend nofma.org. as there's more info there than you'll get from any salesperson or that tiny installation guide the manufacturers provide.
Good Luck;)