Page 339 - 2018 National Home Improvement

2018 National Home Improvement Estimator, All Rights Reserved Page 272

Wood flooring, sheet vinyl with resilient backing, and carpeting can be installed directly over an existing
hardwood floor, assuming any voids have been filled and the surface isn’t loose. Shrinkage cracks are
more common where boards are wide. Be sure to check for boards that are buckling, cupping or
cracking due to moisture. If there’s a moisture problem, solve that before you lay new flooring.

You can install laminated wood flooring over ceramic, wood or resilient flooring, so long as the surface is
firm and dry.

New Wood Flooring
Hardwood flooring is available in tongue-and-groove strips and blocks (parquet). Some thinner patterns of
strip flooring are square-edged. See Figure 11-01. The most common hardwood strip flooring is 25/32”
thick by 2-1/4” wide and has a hollow back. Strips are random lengths and vary from 2’ to 16’ long. The
face is slightly wider than the bottom so joints will be tight on the surface.

Softwood flooring is also available in strips and blocks. Most softwood strip flooring has
tongue-and-groove edges, although some types are end matched. Softwood flooring costs less than
most hardwood species, but it’s also less wear-resistant and shows surface abrasions more readily.
Use softwood flooring in light traffic areas such as closets. No matter which type of flooring you select,
give the material a few days to reach the moisture content of the room where it will be installed.

Strip flooring is normally laid at right angles to the floor joists. When new strip flooring is installed over
old, lay the new strips at right angles to the old, no matter what direction the floor joists run. Use 8d
flooring nails for 25/32” thick flooring, 6d flooring nails for 1/2” flooring, and 4d casing nails for 3/8”
flooring. Some manufacturers recommend ring-shank or screw-shank nails. To help prevent splitting the
tongue, use flooring brads with blunted points.

Begin installation of tongue-and-groove flooring by placing the first strip 1/2” to 5/8” away from the wall.
That allows for expansion and prevents buckling when the moisture content increases. Nail straight
down through the face of the first strip, as in Figure 11-2. The nail should be close enough to the wall to
be covered by the base or shoe molding. Try to nail into a joist if the new flooring is laid at right angles
to the joists. Drive a second nail through the tongue of this first strip. All other strips are nailed through
the tongue only. Drive these nails at an angle of 45 to 50 degrees. But leave the head just above the
surface to avoid damaging the strip with your hammer. Use a large nail set to drive nails the last quarter
inch. You can lay the nail set flat against the flooring when setting these nails, See Figure 11-03.