Save Time With A Prefinished Wood Floor

Save Time With aPrefinishedWood FloorFactory-finished productsmean less work on site,but they demand a morecareful installationBY CHARLES PETERSONWhen working with prefinished flooring, it’s important to keep in mind thatthe finish is permanent.While that may sound a bit obvious, manycontractors who are used to installing unfinished wood flooring sometimes find it difficult to transition to prefinished products.They’re used to working atop floorboardsthat will receive aggressive sanding beforethe job is done—a safety net of sorts. However, the margin for error when installingprefinished floorboards is small. The mostminor mistake or oversight—a droppedhammer, a rock stuck in the sole of a boot,an exposed fitting on an air hose—can havecostly consequences. From job-site setup tothe layout to the actual installation, gettingevery detail right is imperative.I recently installed solid, 3 4-in.-thick, prefinished, quartersawn white oak of variouswidths in my house. The installation processis similar regardless of the type of prefinishedflooring you choose. Many of the importantlessons that you’ll learn here can even beapplied to the installation of prefinishedengineered flooring.Get a superior finishMany builders are opting for prefinishedwood floors for reasons of speed. Dependwww.finehomebuilding.comAUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2010COPYRIGHT 2010 by The Taunton Press, Inc. Copying and distribution of this article is not permitted.37

A 3 4-in. gapshould be leftbetween anywalls, posts, andhearthstoneswhen installing3 4-in. flooring sothat the floor canexpand properly.THE SUBFLOORMUST BE FLATThe subfloor should be deadflat before a vapor retarderis installed. Raised plywoodseams and other flaws can telegraph to the floor’s surface.Adjust for flatness by sandinghigh spots or gluing downshims in low spots. The floorshould be flat within 1 8 in. over6 ft. Here, a layer of plywoodwas installed over the vaporretarder because the plankflooring will be glued down.Vapor retarder withseams lapped 4 in. -in.plywood3 8THE LAYOUT IS PARAMOUNTFigure out where to start the floor installation by finding the focal point of the roomand working out from there. The focal point may be a window, a doorway, or inthis case, a fireplace. Your eye is drawn to the focal point in the room, so you wantmaximum control over the length of boards in this area and the way they break.Notched, ripped, or tapered boards should be left for more inconspicuous areas.BACDDirectional differencesThe direction in which the flooring runs has aprofound impact on how a room looks and feels.Floorboards that run parallel to the longestwall in a room make the space feel longer andnarrower (A), while boards running parallel to theshortest wall in a room make the space feel shortand wide (B). Square rooms are simple becauseyou can run the flooring in nearly any directionand it will look good (C, D).Rack it out. Lay out as much flooring as possible, but be sure to retain enoughspace for your flooring nailer. Racking gives you a preview of what the floor willlook like. You’ll notice boards with harsh, contrasting color tones or grain patternsright away, and you can refine how the boards break. Joints should be spaced atleast three times the width of the flooring.38ing on the scope of the project, in as little asa single day you can install a beautiful newfloor that the homeowners are able to useimmediately without having to go throughthe inconvenience of a long and messy sanding and finishing process. Moreover, the finishes, which are applied in a factory, tend tobe better from a consistency standpoint thananything applied on site. (For more on factory-applied finishes, see “You get what youpay for,” p. 41.)Prefinished flooring is more sensitive tomoisture changes due to its hard finish, whichcan be damaged if the floor is installed toodry. Acclimate the floor to the middle rangeof the expected interior moisture content ofthe house. (To calculate the ideal moisturecontent, see the chart in “11 Wood-FlooringProblems and Their Solutions” in FHB #200and online at FineHomebuilding.com.)As good as prefinished floors can be, readthe fine print of the manufacturer warrantiescarefully before ordering. A 50-year warranty may include clauses that make it impossible to collect on a claim. For instance,some manufacturers allow 5% to 10% ofthe boards to have defects. They leave it upto you not to install them. Also, wear is notconsidered a defect, no matter how quickly itoccurs. Warranties typically cover only flooringwhose finish has been completely worn off toexpose bare wood; they don’t cover the floor’scosmetic appearance. Maintenance is crucial.Variations in grain, color, or tone are also notconsidered defects, so carefully select theboards you will use in the racking process.The right tools for a flawless floorI recommend that you rethink every detail,from the type of boots you’re going towear—I wear nonmarring white-soled workboots—to the placement of your tools whennot in use. I place all my tools on a workmat to prevent accidental scratches. While arefined method of work is important, you’llnever achieve a quality installation if youdon’t have the right tools on hand, and thereare only a few to consider.Almost all manufacturers of flooring nailers use a poppet-type valve system. Theharder you hit the gun, the more the valveopens, which lets more air in to drive the piston. It’s difficult to control the penetration ofthe fastener this way, however, because if youdon’t hit the gun hard enough, you’ll sink thefastener insufficiently. On the other hand,if you hit the gun too hard, the piston canFINE HOMEBUILDINGCOPYRIGHT 2010 by The Taunton Press, Inc. Copying and distribution of this article is not permitted.Drawings: Dan Thornton

CUT THE FLOORING CAUTIOUSLYCutting prefinished floorboards to length should not be met with trepidation. Ifdone properly, the finished edges will retain their perfect sheen. As with any millingor cutting task, always be sure the blade or bit comes to a complete stop beforemoving the stock. Failing to do so is an easy way to chip finished edges.Create a factory end.With a slot-cutting bitin a router, restore thetongue or groove onthe end of the board. Torestore the factory bevel,make a few passes onthe edge of the boardwith a palm sander.Finish cut ends. Afterrestoring the factorybevel, wipe a bit ofpolyurethane finishon the exposed edge.Mohawk clear-finishmarkers (www.mohawkfinishing.com) are available in different sheensand make this task abreeze.TIP FROM A PROCrosscut blades with high toothcounts cut prefinished flooringbest. Even so, a layer of painter’stape helps to reduce tearout.come into contact with the wood and crackthe tongue.On this job, I used a Primatech P250 (www.primatech.ca). Primatech guns have a valveassembly that controls nailing impact independently from the mallet strike. Tap thestriking surface, and the pneumatic reciprocal action of the valve drives the piston andfastener with a constant, regulated, and uniform push. I typically run this gun with mycompressor set no higher than 90 psi. Excessive air pressure can create too much forceon the edge of prefinished products, causingedge crushing, unsightly finish cracks, splinters, burnished areas, or broken tongues.Manufacturers make adapters that fit onthe base of flooring nailers to prevent damageto the board’s edge. These essential adapterstransfer the force of the gun to the flooringwww.finehomebuilding.comtongue instead of the delicate surface edge.It’s important to adjust an adapter for thethickness and contour of the flooring beinginstalled. My gun is outfitted with a fullyadjustable base, also made by Primatech, thathas bearing-mounted rollers.With fasteners, I always opt for cleats onprefinished flooring. Staples tend to fracturethe flooring tongue and damage the board.Other tools you’ll want to have on siteare a miter saw fitted with a sharp crosscutblade (the higher the tooth count, the better),a palm sander for beveling end cuts, and arouter with male and female bits for millingthe tongue and groove on cut boards. I likethe carbide-tipped bits made by Amana Tool(www.amanatool.com) the best.Finally, an 18-ga. finish nailer helps to fasten boards the flooring nailer can’t reach, likeButt joints don’t cut it.Restoring cut boards totheir factory-milling tolerance not only makeseach individual boardlook better, but it alsolocks the boards togetherat the same height sothat the floor is evenacross its surface.the first and last row of floorboards parallelto walls, or boards held tight to a hearth.Keep a good floor looking greatMy greatest nightmare begins happilyenough. I’ve just completed a prefinishedfloor with meticulous attention to detail,careful not to place a single scratch in a singleboard. Then the owners come home. Theyopen the door, and in sprints the dog, digging in his nails as he fights for grip on theslick floor. Next come the kids from baseballpractice, dropping bats, mitts, and dirt asthey make their way to the kitchen in cleats,only to be followed by the parents, who grindthat dirt into the floor with each step.Wood floors and prefinishes are durable,but they still demand a little respect andproper maintenance. To help prevent damAUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2010COPYRIGHT 2010 by The Taunton Press, Inc. Copying and distribution of this article is not permitted.39

HIDE FASTENERS AND FLAWSNailing off the flooring is the easy part. After all, you already haveyour layout determined. Now it’s simply a matter of pulling the piecesof the puzzle into alignment. Whether nailing with a finish nailer or aflooring nailer, be sure your compressor is set to the proper air pressure. Start with the air pressure at 70 psi to 75 psi, and adjust accordingly until the fasteners are set properly.While you can get away with blind-nailing strip flooring, plank flooring needs extra hold-down power to keep it from moving radically.Before setting a board in place, apply a bead of urethane adhesive onthe subfloor. Then nail the flooring every 6 in. to 8 in.Top-nail, butsparingly.Whether you’reinstalling the firstor last row offlooring, you’llneed to top-nailthe boards. Gluethe board downbefore tackingit with an 18-ga.finish nailer.TIP FROM A PROUse a bash block made of scrapflooring to knock stubbornboards into place. The matchingprofile ensures that you won’tdamage the delicate edges ofthe floorboards.COVER YOUR TRACKSWhether you’re spot-filling nail holes or covering up a mistake, these products can help you touch up prefinished floors.Mohawk Fil-O-Woodwww.mohawkfinishing.comThis paste filler, tinteda variety of colors, cancomplement almostany wood species.40FINE HOMEBUILDINGTimbermate Waxstixwww.timbermate.comThese wax sticks canbe melted by a butanetorch to fill deep orshallow scratches.Waxes can be customblended to meet thedemands of almost anyflooring tone.Mohawk markerswww.mohawkfinishing.comThese permanentmarkers, available in arange of colors fromblond to black, help tohide shallow scratchesin prefinished floors.Photo facing page, top right: Dan ThorntonCOPYRIGHT 2010 by The Taunton Press, Inc. Copying and distribution of this article is not permitted.