Tools for installing engineered hardwood floor

There are three methods for installing engineered wood floors: the floating method, the glue-down method, and the nail-down method. In this blog post, we will explain the nail-down method of installing engineered wood floors. This can prevent mistakes and save you money in the long run. For assistance with finding a contractor in your area, learn more about our Find a Contractor service. You also want to ensure that you are following the guidelines and instructions set by the flooring manufacturer; not following those instructions will likely result in your warranty being voided.

They come in metal or plastic. You can select either a manual or digital protractor. Because wood either absorbs or releases moisture when relative humidity increases or decreases, it can cause hardwood flooring to expand and contract. Hand saws are great when you have a small sawing job; a hand saw will do just fine. Some hand saws you may want to purchase are:. Nail sets look like awls. You use them to drive nail below the surface of the wood.

When hand nailing tongue-and-groove flooring, use the nail set on its side to avoid damaging the corner of the flooring strip. Nailing machines help keep nailing time to a minimum and eliminate time spent reaching for nails.

They work as fast as you can position the machine. There are different styles of nailing machines. Pneumatic nailers, also known as air nailers, use compressed air to operate and require a higher degree of safety consciousness. The ratchet-style nailers are easier for novices to use because they can operate with several strikes. Spring-loaded nailers operate on the one strike, one nail principle. The pneumatic nailers shoot fasteners into wood some are designed to nail into concrete in one of two ways.

Some require hitting it with a mallet while others require you only pull a trigger. Installers use fasteners to attach the subfloor to the concrete. They allow for wood movement in a highly efficient way. Cleats are barbed nails with a T- or L-hooked head. Most are proprietary designs for use only with a specified type of nailer. Their thin rectangular shape guards against nail splitting. Some nailing machines use staples rather than cleats. They, too, can be effective.

Installers can also use case nails, cut nails, finish nails and screws to fasten wood flooring. Screws can be used to fasten plank flooring. Since most wood flooring materials join together using a tongue and groove system, it helps to have a rubber mallet to give them a good whack when nailing. If not, the gap between the boards will remain and creaks will occur. As with the mallet, buy one specifically designed for use with a wood flooring adhesive.

Some people believe the V-shaped notch design is best for wood flooring adhesives. Regardless of their shape, the notches on the trowel also come in different sizes. The quarter inch v-notch is considered best for wood flooring installations. These hardwood floor tools will help you move the wood planks tightly into place.

First, using the cut board is the easiest way to chip the installed wood plank, especially the tongue or groove you need to make the next plank fit in nicely. This is all unnecessary, especially since a specifically designed tapping block is so inexpensive. However, there are differences between them. Wood fillers are usually water-based and dry much more quickly than wood putty, which is oil-based. Because wood putty is oil-based, it will only work with oil-based finishes. Wood fillers can be made with a variety of binders.

A latex or epoxy filler works well with unfinished flooring. Polyurethane or lacquer fillers are only going to work well with pre-finished or pre-lacquered surfaces, respectively.

Obviously, floors are wide spaces, so you want a walk-behind sanding machine. The two main options are a drum or orbital floor sander. Whichever you choose, these standing sanders both come in a variety of sizes, usually to support either eight, ten, or twelve-inch pads. A drum sander is the most efficient sander, but it has some drawbacks. However, if this in a floor installation of unfinished wood, it can cause scratches and grooves.

Instead, the round pad on a random orbital sander moves in an elliptical pattern but also oscillates back and forth. This prevents the sanding pad from sanding in a fixed pattern, which is when scratches and grooves are most likely to occur. There are a number of air compressors available for job site operation of pneumatic staplers and nailers. A powerful portable shop vacuum is useful to pick up any powdery sawdust generated from sawing. Be sure to get one with sufficient amps in the motor.

Low amps in small motors typically mean less power and less suction. Consider getting one with wide wheels to prevent damage or marring to the flooring. Also, consider systems that link their vacuums directly to dust-producing tools to collect dust and debris at its source.

Last updated on October 19th, Thanks for the advice on hardwood floors and their installation. I went through your explicit and very comprehensible write-ups on the various tool and usage. Well done. I am planning on setting up a furniture company in my country, and I sure needs guide on the kind of tools and eqipments.

So thankful! Love the way how you explain everything. Can you also please share link where I can buy those tools. Thanks for the question. First, you need to have someone determine what the issue is, is it moisture moving through the slap or is a condensation issue related to the relative humidity and temperature in the air vs the temperature of the concrete. I would consult a certified flooring inspector to start, and see what they determine.

Keep up the great work! Thank you so much for sharing great posts. Amazing Blog! When you reach the last wall, you will want to carefully cut all of your final boards to fit and place them in their spots. After this, use the pry bar with a scrap of wood to push the boards into position and get rid of any gaps. With the pry bar and a scrap of wood still in place, you can easily nail the boards into their location. They have very large heads that are made of either wood or rubber and rely on their softer striking surface to knock items into place without damaging them.

When you are installing a new hardwood floor at your home, you are most likely going to need a rubber mallet, as it will be strong enough to use without fear of damaging your new floor. Try to avoid using them if possible, but if you get towards the end of your project and need more flooring, you will use your mallet to make them straighter. Simply drive a chisel where you will be using the bowed piece into the subfloor.

You will have to pry against the bowed piece to try to straighten it as much as possible. Depending on how badly bent the wood is, you may need to screw a piece of scrap wood into the floor. Use your mallet to tap a wooden wedge to fill the gap, which will gently straighten the board.

These tools are perfect for driving nails into the wood of your trim. They usually use compressed air to power them, making them very powerful and easy to use without a lot of effort.

Most nail guns use fasteners or nails that are attached to a long strip or in a plastic carrier. You can get nail guns that have larger nails or ones that use much smaller finishing nails. These are the types of nails that you are going to want to use when you are installing your trim after finishing your hardwood floor.

While you can use a flooring nailer to actually install your piece of floor, you will need a nail gun to install the trim around the room and down the hall. This gives your space a finished look and can easily hide any problems or gaps you left around the edge of the room.

While this is not a tool that is used directly for the installation of your new hardwood floor, it is imperative that you have a dust mask on hand when you are going to be sanding your floor upon completion of the installation.

Any dust that is released into the air can be very dangerous for you to breathe, which is why you need to take steps to protect yourself. Just like you want to take steps to ensure that your lungs are protected when working on a hardwood floor, you also need to make sure that your eyes are protected from any bits of wood or nail that come out from the floor. Using power tools is dangerous, and the speed at which the saw blades rotate can cause bits of wood to spin out at your face at very high speeds.

Unfortunately, being hit in the eye with a piece of wood can cause you to go blind, which is why you need to take steps to protect yourself. Regular eyeglasses will not provide you with the necessary protection. Even though you are likely to be using your power tools for short periods of time, exposing your ears to these loud noises is actually very dangerous and can result in hearing loss.

Earmuffs fit over your external ear and create a tight seal against the side of your head, making them very effective at blocking out any external sounds. Earplugs fit into your ear and are often reusable.

If you do choose foam earplugs, then make sure that you opt for ones with a high enough rating so that your ears will be protected. Spending a lot of time on your knees can be very difficult and painful, no matter how old or young you are. You can take steps to protect your knees and ensure that you can easily get up off of the floor when you invest in a set of knee pads.

Make sure that you choose ones that are high-quality and adjustable, as these will offer the best fit and protection possible. When installing a hardwood floor you will leave behind you not only a lot of dust but also small bits and chips of wood that will need to be cleaned up. Source: Amazon. Using a table saw can be very dangerous if you do not take steps to protect your hands and your fingers.

A feather board is useful for helping to push your boards past the saw blade so that you are not at risk of injury. This means that you can also have a smoother cut edge, as you will not be jerking your hands away at the last second, which can cause the board to pull and get caught on the blade.

Rather than guessing and hoping that your wood is ready for installation, you can use a wood moisture meter to check it. These meters come in two styles, but both work in the same way. Pinless meters are held against the wood, and an electromagnetic signal penetrates the wood to check for moisture.

Pin style meters have two probes that penetrate the wood to check for moisture. By passing an electric current between the probes they can see how damp the wood is and if it ready for you to install. There are a number of test methods to check moisture content, but most are fairly unreliable. You have to make sure that the subfloor is level before installing your hardwood floor.

Also, make sure that the level you buy has bubbles on both ends so that you can have an accurate reading quickly without having to move the level multiple times. Your wood floor will contract and expand some naturally during its life, but, because you do not want your floor to be ruined, it is a good idea to try to control this. Using spacers lets you leave a little bit of room around the outside of your floor.

This small space around the perimeter of your room will allow your hardwood to breathe without causing buckling or cracking.

This small groove makes it a lot less possible that you will accidentally damage the board when you are tapping it. Drum sanders are very efficient, but they tend to be a little aggressive and can actually damage your new floor, which is why many people opt for random orbital sanders.

These are much less likely to damage your floor, although they will take longer for you to use. Using any pneumatic tools means that you will need to have an air compressor.

Choose an air compressor depending on how many tools you are going to run at once. Air compressors that are one-horsepower can generally handle a single tool, 1. They are very powerful and offer plenty of suction to quickly clean your floor without you have to vacuum it. Download thousands of custom coloring pages and puzzles for your kids. Table of Contents 1. Tape Measure 2. Broom 3.