There's a reason people love hardwood floors - they add warmth and beauty to a room and are easy to maintain.

Here's how to lay a wood floor:

First you have to fit the floor to determine how the layout will go. Place down the new flooring at right angles to floor joists, leaving a ¾ inch space along every edge of the room. This will ensure you achieve a straight alignment.

On the end wall near the corner of the starting wall, mark a spot ¾ of an inch plus the width of the floor.

On the opposite corner make another mark in the same way and snap a chalk line between the two marks.

The first strip goes down tongue edge out from the wall - nail it 1 inch from the grooved edge using 6d or 8d galvanized or screw-shank flooring nails for best results.

Make sure you drive the nails right into the top surface of the strips and countersink with nail set (face nailing). You will have to place the nails over supporting joists and near the ends of strips. To avoid splits, predrill nail holes.

Keep the starter strip aligned with the chalk line - blind nail it through the tongue as well. In fact, it's best to blind nail the first 2 or 3 runs of flooring strips. The technique: put nails into the tongue edge at a 40 degree angle and make sure they are countersunk with a nail set. You can nail the rest of the strips after that with a power floor nailer.

In a staggered pattern lay out 7 or 8 rows of flooring end to end, leaving end joints 6 inches apart. Cut pieces of floor that will fit within ½ inch of the end wall.

Dry fit the floor to ensure the layout is what you're looking for.

Laying the floor

Before nailing, check that each tongue-and-groove joint is tightly seated together.

Keep installing the floorboards across the room until you reach the opposite wall with the ¾ inch expansion space that you had on the first wall. Ensure that all the joints are tight.

To achieve a proper fit it may be necessary to saw one row of flooring strips lengthwise - this is called ripping.

To avoid nailing into a subfloor joint, place flooring strips so that they don't meet over subfloor joints. You'll have less squeaky floors this way and the floor will be stronger.

When you can't use the nailing machine you will have to blind nail. On the last runs, where you can't blind nail, face nail. For 2 ¼ inch strips, the last 2 or 3 runs require face nailing - the same goes for a ripped strip if one has been used. Before face nailing these pieces, use a pry bar or lever device for tightening.

After laying the strips, sand the floor.

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