Re: Tools 4 Hardwood Floor Install

[bob]

For the hardwood floor, you need a pneumatic floor stapler, a mallet and an air compressor. Suggest you rent the stapler (mallet should come with it), as it is about $400 to buy. I just laid 400 sq ft of oak and can attest to the pneumatic stapler as mandatory. A box of 5000 staples will run you $40. Don't be chintsy with the staples, and be sure to staple near the ends of the boards to avoid squeaks. But not so close that you split the tongue.

You will need a flat subfloor. I laid 1/4" luan over mine as the CDX was pretty rough. Then you put a black plastic vapor barrier down. I used a pneumatic stapler for this (not the same as a pneumatic FLOOR stapler), as the plastic slides around and the stapler lets you reallly fasten it down quickly and easily.

It took me 2.5 days to lay the hardwood floor (all the prep time - luan, etc.. was extra time) - had a lot of trim work. Oh yeah, a power miter saw helps a lot to get good, square clean cuts on the ends of your boards, if they are going to show, as in a doorway/entry to carpet or some other floor.

good luck. It's a lot of work, but very satisfying when the job is done.

Bob

Hi All, > > My wife came to me tonight and asked me in a very special way if I would > install about 1000 sq ft of prefinished cherry flooring and 100 sq ft of > slate this up coming Oct. for her mother. It will be her birthday present to > from us. SO here is your chance to let me have it for doing work for my > Mother-in-law. > > My question is what are the tools needed and are there any tips that I need > to know before I start. > > Thanks in Advance. > > Chef > >

[Mike Dembroge]

Here's a couple sites that might help you:

Dembroge

[Wilson Lamb]

I've laid about 1500 SF of T&G I cut myself and had milled. Did it all with the manpowered nailer. It's kinda fun when you get the swing down and get a good drive . Some of my wood is so hard I had to finish some nails with a nailset and hammer.

With prefinished, getting the substrate flat is all the more important. I knocked down some swelled seams in my OSB with a drum sander. I used tarpaper instead of plastic, but either is OK, as far as I know.

You can rent all the tools. There's no use for them except for floors and they are hard to sell. I gave $50 for my nailer because there was no market for it.

Wilson

[Bob Bowles]

[MSH]

Look for the book and companion video from Taunton Press on Hardwood flooring too.

M Hamlin

[Nova]

Looking to get some new tools out of the deal? ;-) Lets see:

1. Pneumatic floor nailer
2. Sliding compound miter saw (a chop saw would work, but what the heck)
3. Table saw to rip to width when less than a full board width is needed
4. Finish nailer for face nailing the edges
5. Undercut jamb saw to trim the door jambs.
6. Knee pads

-- Jack Novak Buffalo, NY - USA

[Todd Stock]

[Rick Rodela]

always stay between 1/4 - 1/2 in.away from all walls due to expansion.unless you use brazilian cherry or mesquite flooring. they have the least expansion rate.you can use 30lb. roofing paper or

15lb.paper but double up going across then with the direction of the wood.kneepads are a must!!!i use a square and make my mark on the butt end and cut w/a jigsaw its easier because it is portable you can use it right there.less getting up your knees will thank you later.you need a table saw to make your long cuts (ripping).if you go to home depot they rent out a good pneumatic floor nailler made by port-a-nail its called the hammerhead ll i liked it so much that i bought one.by the way i install wood floors for a living.the home depot also rents an undercut saw for doing your doorways.put a board next to your doorjamb and make a line on the jamb so you can adjust the undercut saw.cut the trim off the doorjamb and check if the piece of floor fits under the doorjamb.always stagger the butt ends.it keeps the strength of the floor tight. if you have any more q's ask away .good luck and try to have fun. think of it as a puzzle.

[Phil Crow]

Smip and 100 sq ft of

Snip

Why not get some kind of cultured stone? It looks pretty close (almost exactly) like the real thing, and it's all the same thickness, all the edges are sqare and plumb, and it's waaay more expensive. Wait, that's not an argument *for* cultured stone...

We also need some more details. Interior or exterior? What kind of substrate (concrete, dirt, gravel, wood)? High traffic? Is furnitre going on it?

Good luck.

"I have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm all over it."

-Brian Hall

Phil Crow

[Master Chef Richard Campbell]

Hi All

Why am I doing it? Wife of mine is letting me get more tools with out arching her eye brows.

Where is the slate going? 78 sq ft of it are in a inside entry way and the remainer is in a unheated outer covered doorway with a large outer door that they rarely close. No furniture on the slate but it is high traffic. There community salts road and sidewalk heavily so lots gets tracked in. I was thinking that I would have to seal really well.

Any one out there have a air compressor that they really love? Of for that matter really hate?

[Charlie Spitzer]

cultured stone is frequently softer than real stone.

[Phil Crow]

Cultured stone, unless *well* sealed, is gonna succumb to salt sooner or later. The binder in cultured stone is portland cement, which is broken down by salt. Natural stone holds up better.

My suggestion is for what's called "cut blue stone" or some such. Also, get a variety of shapes, rather than 'all the same size' because they rarely are and when you try to line them up, well, they don't and the grout lines look crummy. If you're more adventurous (or have tighter purse strings) you can get irregular shapes, but IMO, the look of cut stone is worth the extra $$$.

Good luck, Master Chef. Let us know how it comes out, and post pictures!

-Phil Crow

[George]

Interesting. One of the features common to brick buildings in Russia are annual rings produced by salted winter mortar (brick shortages) and dark summer mortar.

Of course, back in the full employment days they didn't care. Work redone was work, too.

[Charlie Spitzer]

#2 & #3: wet saw. rent one for a day to do all your cuts, or you can buy a cheap one at the borg for about 2 days rental.

regards, charlie cave creek, az