" We've removed the old tile floor and the old wooden floor underneath. We've cleaned up the floor and lay down our first row of fifteen pound felt paper. Now it's time to lay down the new floor. The first thing we have to do is to make sure that the first course of flooring will clear the trim of the register. In this case the first course that's if not we would have had to cut the first course of flooring to fit around the register -- To set up the position of the first course of floorboards. Measure the width of the floorboards. And add three inches to allow room for the snap line. So that it won't be in the way of nailing the floorboards. Then hammer a nail in place and attach the snap line. Now lay out the snap line. And line up the Starr report. Check to make sure that the width of the molding. Will be wide enough to cover the inside edge of the floorboard. Because the wall in this room is broad. We're going to set back the starting line a quarter of an inch closer to the wall so that the molding will be covering the space between the bowed wall and the starter. Continue to line up the boards until the entire starter line is laid down and ready for nailing. The space in front of the threshold of the closet cannot be covered by the molding. So we're going to cut a filler to fit. Transfer the measurement to -- the floorboard. And cut the filler with a circular saw. Set the filler in place. Next will dry fit the trim for the register vent. In this case no adjustment is needed. The first strip is based nailed towards the grooved image so that the baseboard molding. We'll cover when install. We carefully -- the first draw flooring with the strain. So that it to street is possible. Trying to place the face nails into the floor joists to hold the first prone position as we blind nailed the next several rows. If we keep the first three -- perfectly straight. Then the rest of the floor will look better and it will be easier to install. Now holding the drill at roughly a 45 degree angle drill pilot holes into the -- image for each nail. Then nail in eight penny finish nails so that the nail will be hidden by the next course of flooring. This is called blind nailing. Countersink each nail with a nail set. So that the nail is flush with the tongue of the floorboard. You can speed things up. By drilling a series of pilots and setting the nails all at once. The second course of floorboards is also blind nailed by hand. Said each mail flush with a nail set using a power nailer set the third -- floorboards and place. Power nailer is specifically designed to drive blind nails into tongue and -- floorboards with only one or two hammer blows. The power nailer leaves the new -- set. The modern flooring nails feature barbed edges that prevent the nails from working loose. Here's a -- next to an old fashioned cut nail for comparison. The course of the flooring for the other side register will need to be -- to fit the register. We carefully measured cut and fit the section in place. Now drill pilot holes into the trip. -- wood trim into place making sure to set the nails. Hand nail the last piece of flooring behind the register. And insert the register. Keep vacuuming up the debris as you go to maintain a clean smooth surface. As you roll out the second line of fifteen pound felt paper be sure to overlap the seams at least four inches. Floorboard should be staggered or racked. So that the edges of the floorboards or at least six inches from a joint in the previous row. By the end of the morning. -- more than halfway done. Working steadily across the room. Note that the next dozen or so courses are laid out by -- ready for installing. When you reach the other side we switch back to setting the nails with a hammer. As there's no room for power nailer. For the last three courses of flooring. The floorboards are pressed into place with a power Jack. As we move along. We press the last course in the place. Drill pilot holes and top nail the last course. Two more pieces fill up the space in the doorway. If a piece doesn't fit don't force it. Measure the difference and carefully trim it decides. Taking your time will ensure a perfect fit it be sure the pieces snug by happy and in place with a mallet or hammer while using a scrap of wood as a buffer. Now insert the Opel mosaic. Again be sure it's not using a hammer and a piece of wood to protect the bull nose. Next drill pilot holes. And then drive and set the finishing nails. There's one more small space that should be filled before we installed -- molding. This strip is less than an inch wide. Measuring cut a strip of wood and fitted in place. Happen in place with a hammer. Then using a pry bar bringing up snug to the last course of wood. Next drill pilot holes for each mail. And hand nail them in place. Finally we put the molding back in place. Nail the molding into the studs behind the wall. And set the nails. -- this last step your floor is done. In your room is ready for furniture."

[-]

More Videos »Related Videos

Prefinished Wood Floors in the Modular Home

Bob Vila takes an early interior tour of the modular home. Bob is in a 15-foot-wide-by-48-foot long section. The flooring and walls are almost complete and much of the molding and cabinetry is laid out and ready to be installed. Bob points out an archway between the kitchen and breakfast nook�one of the pleasant design surprises that can be added to a custom modular home. The floors are Bellawood�s Northern Red Oak with a gunstock finish. The darker finish gives a more sophisticated and formal look to the room. The hardwood floors are installed in the modular home just as they wood be in a site built home. Mike Snyder from Mike�s Flooring, a flooring sub contractor in the Simplex plant, points out the quality of the Bellawood noting it has very few flaws and a durable finish. The flooring is left incomplete where two pieces of the modular home are to be attached. On site, quick work will be made of the few details left when the large modular sections are joined.

Moisture Content and Vapor Barrier for Wood Floors

For proper installation, wood flooring should be allowed to acclimate to its surrounding environment before it is installed. Too much or two little moisture in the flooring can cause it to bow, buckle, split, or crack after it is installed. In the dining room, Brickman shows Bob two ways to measure the moisture content of wood. The first is a traditional moisture meter that is stuck into the floor. The second is the FloorWatch system, which can be monitored remotely. The FloorWatch system monitors moisture levels, temperature, and relative humidity. It can be accessed over the phone or via a Web site. Before putting the floor down, Brickman applies a vapor barrier that is similar to an ice shield used in roofing. A different floor fastening system is being used in this room; rather than the nailing technique used elsewhere in the house, Brickman uses screws and wood plugs.

White Oak Hardwood Flooring Installation

Now that the WarmZone radiant-floor heat has been installed, it's time to put the finish flooring on. The homeowners selected a Bellawood white oak, tongue-and-groove floor with an oxidized finish for a 50-year guarantee. Since the flooring will be nailed over the hyrdronic heat tubing, it is critical to avoid puncturing the tubes. General contractor Tim Berky is installing the flooring perpendicular to the tubing, which allows him to see the Pex at all times and avoid nailing into it. Berky shows Bob how he began the installation with the second course cut to receive the supply and return pipes and sited half way over the first loop, which initially runs parallel to the wall and is hidden from view. By starting his courses this way, he can set the power-assist nailer to drive the two-inch galvanized staples at an angle just above the tongue without fear of puncturing the tubing. While Berky shoots the staples, Bob points out how the entire floor and substrate is effectively a green application since it is all wood, which is a renewable resource. The advantage, he says, is that trees are planted every time the resource is used, resulting in increased planting and forest protection. The wood floor will cover the entire space, even under the cabinetry and appliances, to create an even floor and provide full finish flooring should the homeowners wish to remodel in the future.

Discussing the Bellawood Maple Hardwood Floor

Tom Sullivan of Bellawood is in one of the four Mashpee affordable homes where they have donated hardwood flooring for the living room, dining room, and kitchen of each house. This 3 1/4 inch natural Maple flooring has color variations, tight knots, and more visual wood character than a select grade. Like the select and rustic grades, this Maple flooring is 12 percent harder than a Red Oak floor and will last a lifetime. Sullivan shows Bob a prefinished, micro-beveled plank that comes ready to install with a variety of lengths ranging from one to six feet. Bellawood provides a 50-year finish warranty on its flooring, which has eight coats of an aluminum-oxide based semigloss finish. Bob notes how the crew has positioned the pieces in advance to avoid lining up seams and to ensure an aesthetically pleasing layout. Sullivan points out that they have put rosin paper over the plywood subfloor and under the hardwood installation to combat squeaking.