How to Renovate a Condo Using a Cherry Hardwood Floor

Roll out your flooring underlayment felt in overlapping courses over the whole floor. Secure it with your stapler, shooting staples every 2 feet.

Set a starting line for the floorboards along the longest edge of the room, using your chalk box. Set the line so it's half an inch out from the wall.

Set a cherry floorboard at one end of the starting line with its grooved side facing the wall and sitting half an inch out from it. Secure it by shooting nails straight down through the top every foot or so along both long edges of the board with your floor nail gun.

Set the remaining boards of the first course along the line, fitting them together end to end by the tongue-and-groove and nailing them down as before. Cut the last board on your miter saw so it fits at the end.

Set the second course of boards alongside the first, locking them together at their sides. Secure them with nails shot through the sides (rather than the tops), at an inward angle, so the next course will hide the nail heads.

Repeat for each course, building across the floor. Position the boards so the ends are staggered between courses. Cut the last board of each course on the miter saw as needed.

Length-cut the boards of the final course with your table saw to fit by the end wall with a half-inch space before the side of the last course and the wall. Floor trim will hide the spaces.