How to Install Wood Floors and Cost

Prepare the subfloor for the new wood floors. The subfloor needs to be clean, structurally sound and dry. Remove staples and protruding nail heads from the floor with pliers or a hammer. Sweep or vacuum the floor, so it is free of any debris.

Lay 15 lbs. of asphalt felt on the floor. Roll out the asphalt felt in rows, and staple it in place. The asphalt rows should overlap by 3 inches. Trim the felt with a utility knife.

Inspect the floor joists, and choose the direction of the wood flooring. The flooring should run perpendicular to the floor joists. Find the longest wall in the room that corresponds with the direction of your wood flooring. This will be the wall where you begin installing the flooring.

Set the wood flooring in the room two or three days before you install it. The wood needs time to adjust to the temperature and humidity of the room.

Place 1/2-inch spacers along the walls in the room. These spacers will remind you that you need an expansion gap as you install the flooring.

Install the first few rows of flooring. Choose the longest, straightest planks available. Set the planks next to the 1/2-inch spacers. The tongue on the planks should face the center of the room. Face-nail the boards every 6 inches, and set the nails below the surface of the boards. Cut the last plank in each row to size with a miter saw.

Install the rest of the flooring. Fit together the rows with a tapping block and rubber mallet. Cut the last board in each row with a miter saw. Stagger the planks so adjoining rows do not have joints that match. Use a flooring nailer to nail the boards in place through the tongue of the board. Install the planks until you reach the last few rows of flooring in the room.

Install the last two or three rows of flooring. Flooring nailers typically do not reach these rows. Instead, face-nail these rows like you did with the first few rows in the room. When you reach the last row, you may need to rip it to size on a table saw. Measure the distance between the last installed row and the spacer against the wall. Use this measurement to cut the last row to size. Nail it in place.

Finish the floor as you desire. Many wood floors now come prefinished. If this is the case, you can simply fill the nail holes with tinted wood putty.