Install Engineered Wood Flooring on a
Plywood Subfloor.
Items you will need to complete the job:
-Plywood -Table Saw
-Sander -Patching Compound
-Trowel -Jamb Saw
-Hammer -15 pound Builder Felt
-Staple Gun -Utility Knife
-Floor Spacers -Flat Yard Stick/Long Ruler
-Pneumatic Nailer -Floor Nailer
-Nails -Tapping Block
1. Get your subfloor ready. You will need to be working with a plywood subfloor for this installation process. Make sure the floor is level and squeak free. Walk over the entire floor, if you hear a squeak use wood screws to screw down the plywood to remove the squeak. Make sure you set the screws into the plywood subfloor so there are no raised edges that could interfere with your wood flooring. Check that the floor is level by laying a flat yard stick or several feet long ruler on the floor. Move the ruler along the entire floor checking for gaps, or light under the ruler. In these areas use a sander to sand down any high points until the floor is flat and level. If you have low spots in the floor, apply patching compound with a trowel in the low areas. Wait for it to dry, then sand it smooth and check again that the floor is level.
2. Make sure the subfloor is clear of any debris, staples or adhesive. Remove all the baseboards from around the room and any vents or outlet covers that may be in the floor.
3. Check the bottom of your door frames to make sure there is room for the wood floor to fit underneath. Most likely you will need to cut the door frame (casing, or jamb) to make room for the flooring. To do this, lay a scrap piece of your flooring up to the door frame (casing, jamb). This will act as your guide when cutting. Use a Jamb saw to make your cuts. Lay the saw on the top of the scrap piece and cut into the door frame (casing, jamb). Do this to all doors in the room. Clean up any dust and debris.
4. Now it is time to lay the builder felt. Use 15-pound builder felt and roll it out in the direction you will be laying your floor. This is usually with the longest length of the room. Use a staple gun to attach the felt to the subfloor. Staple all around the edges of the felt. Use a hammer to knock in any raised staples. Cut holes in the felt where ever there is a floor vent or outlet. Use a utility knife to make your cuts.
5. Pick the longest wall in the room and start laying your floor in one of its corners. Place ½" spacers between the wall and the edge of your wood flooring. This will allow for expansion of the flooring. Place the first row of flooring making sure the "tongues" of the floor planks are facing into the room. When you come to the end of your first row you will need to measure the length to cut the last floor plank. When measuring make sure to leave off ½" for your spacer. Make your cuts with a table saw to ensure your cuts will be clean and straight. Go back over your first row and make sure that all the "tongues" are flush with each other.
6. Use a pneumatic nailer and a floor nailer, to nail the planks through the tongue at about a 45 degree angle every 8 inches or so. (You can rent these at home improvement stores like Lowes or Home Depot, the pneumatic nailer is for the edges where the floor nailer will not fit.)
7. Starting your next row, cut your first plank in half or 10 plus inches, this will keep your plank joints from lining up as you continue to lay your pieces. Lay out several rows of flooring to get a good idea of your joint pattern before nailing down the planks. Once you have the look you like, install one row at a time. Use a hammer and tapping block to make sure your planks are firmly attached to one another with no gaps, before you nail them down. Continue repeating these steps until all your flooring is laid. Don't forget to use your spacers as you go!
