Transition Pieces and More

Transition Pieces and More!

So you're ready to tackle it. You're ready to grab your nail gun and table saw and finally get that dining room floor refloored with the beautifulhardwood flooring that has been sitting in a pile in the hallway.

Installing a hardwood floor can be a little intimidating for do-it-yourselfers, but it can be done. The biggest key to a successful installation (and continued sanity) are the right tools! You, of course, need your big dogs: nail gun (unless you're doing a floating floor) and various saws, but there are several other tools you might want to have in your arsenal before you kick off the project.

You can mentally separate the job into two parts, the prep and the install. Though the install, the finished floor, is the goal and the "fun part," the prep work has everything to do with the final look of your floor—good or bad.

• You'll want to remove any unstable or damaged subflooring and trim some door jambs, so you might want to have a Skillsaw and a jamb saw or toe kick saw to get your base the right shape and size. Even a Japanese pullsaw can do the trick.
• You also want to make sure the moisture content of your materials and your subfloor are compatible, so moisture meters for concrete or wood, depending on your particular subfloor, are a necessity as well.
• If your subflooring has ceramic tile or thinset that needs removed, a concrete demo hammer could prove useful.
• And any high spots or accumulation of adhesives or material from previous flooring all has to be removed as well, so consider using a concrete grinder and a floor buffer or floor scrapers.
• You also might have an surface that isn't level, which is must be for a hardwood installation. If so, you'll need concrete floor leveling compounds and a leveling trowel.
• The last step before the boards, depending on your subfloor, is underlayment, plastic sheeting or rosin paper. And you'll want a staple gun to tack it down.

Once you have your subfloor in shape, you're ready for the lay down. Depending on your method, floating, glue down, or nail down, you'll need some different tools.

• Floating, of course is the easiest, and all you need is a table saw and/or a miter saw to put the planks together in the correct position and finish out rows that don't fit full-size boards.
• If you are gluing, in addition to saws, you'll need your adhesive and a trowel.
• If you're nailing or stapling, you definitely want a nail gun or staple gun that has the kick of compressed air behind it, and if you don't have one, you can rent an air compressor for your day of installation.
• And the most important tool of all—knee pads (We're not kidding!)

Best of luck on your project—just utilize the best tools, and you'll be enjoying your new floor in no time!

Or feel free to contact wholesale woodfloor warehouse for more information.