Floor Preparation For Real Hardwood

The key to a beautiful long lasting hardwood or laminate floor is a well prepared subfloor.

Floor preparation for real hardwood.

Multiply length times width of the room. Add about 10 to that number to account for any possible mistakes and warped boards. Snap the two tongue and groove pieces of flooring together. Here s what you need to know to prepare a wood sub floor to make sure it is problem free and has a long and beautiful life.

Remove any carpet or other flooring. But you may want to supplement their dust control efforts. After the floor is swept do a visual check of the surface. Painting wood stairs and floors requires the same preparation as for any interior paint job.

If you have a vinyl floor you may be able to install your flooring directly on top of it. You re still getting real hardwood floors. The layers typically include a top veneer of hardwood backed by less expensive layers of plywood although some. The quality of your floor depends a great deal on the integrity of your sub floor.

Shim areas increase vertical height. We avoid those problems by using a buffer and hard plate with 30 grit sandpaper to abrade the surface. If the surface has been finished. Dust is the number one problem for homeowners during wood flooring installation.

Place the flat edge of a kick tool or wood block against the end of the second piece and hit the kicker with a hammer. Continue this process on the floor along the wall. Determine how much flooring and materials will be needed. Make sure they re snug.

About the floor prep before i continue. If you have one a dead blow hammer will remove the need for a kick tool or wood block to serve as padding. Hardwood floors in high traffic areas in your home may require a deep cleaning by a flooring professional. They re just made differently.

If you have any squeaky areas before the hardwood is installed take care of it before it s too late. Method squirt and mop and bona hardwood floor cleaner are two good ones. Decking screws work the best to keep both tight against one another. Do this by multiplying the room s length by its width.

Before you install your plywood subfloor first calculate the room s square footage to find out how much flooring you ll need to buy. The paint also hardened the wood surface preventing further abrasion. Often plywood will loosen from the floor joists over time. Keep in mind steam water vinegar and cleaners like murphy s oil soap that produces suds should never be used to clean wood floors.

Scrape the floor clean of drywall compound paint and other substances on the floor. Countersink any nail or screw heads.