Wooden flooring is the most versatile option to renovate your existing floors. This flooring can add warmth and ambience to your place while improving its overall look and comfort. Wooden floors are either solid or engineered and comprise different exotic and domestic wood species. Installing these floors in your residencies will greatly add to the value of your property.
Wooden floors are a breathtaking addition to your home due to their practical benefits and visual appeal. Installing wooden floors is a challenging task for beginners and interesting for advanced Diyers. If you want to install new wooden flooring in your house, you must be seeking a professional guide you can trust to get the process started. In this article by mats Dubai, we have summed up the easy steps to install wooden floors.
Steps To Lay Down The Wooden Floors In Your Homes
For the installation of wooden flooring, you must have plenty of time, enthusiasm, and an expert guide to begin with. But before you start, make sure to get the tools and materials needed for installation.
Gather Requisite Tools & Materials
- A hammer and Saw
- Knife & Pencil
- Tape measure
- Adhesive or glue
- A level & pry bar
- Drill
- Safety gloves & mask
- Spacers & tapping block
- Underlay, nails, & wood putty
1. Chose The Installation Type
Wooden floors can be installed in two ways on the floors based on their construction style. One is the click-lock system in which the wooden planks are installed as a floating floor system while the other is the glue down method in which quality adhesive or glue is used to fix the planks and often they are nailed down, as well.
With the click-lock method, it is easier to install the planks on the floor as they can be joined with a single click, much similar to a puzzle. When needed, you can replace an individual plank without affecting the rest of the flooring. Whereas, wooden flooring planks installed with the glue-down method take a lot of time for their removal. However, it is entirely dependent on you to choose the installation type in accordance with your capabilities.
2. Prepare The Subfloor
To proceed further, it is important to inspect the subfloor type. The subfloor you are working with must be properly cleaned, leveled, and prepared for the installation of the new flooring. First of all clean the entire floor by sweeping and mopping. Remove all the remnants of the previous flooring (if any) and dispose of them.
Examine the entire space, look for loose sections, and level up any uneven floors. To establish a leveled surface for the installation of wooden flooring, you might sand the floor if it is not smooth. A vapor barrier can also be put in place to stop moisture and water from traveling up from the ground.
3. Install The Underlayment
Installation of the underlay is simple even for beginners. Roll out your underlay against the wall. For the click-lock installation approach, make sure to consider the direction in which you want to lay down the floors.
The underlayment for wooden floors can be of different types and materials. You can choose from the variety of foam, rubber, cork, and felt paddings for your solid or engineered hardwood floors. When you install the underlayment, make sure to remove the excessive parts from the sides.
4. Lay Down The Planks
After the underlayment, here comes the process of installing wooden planks over the floors. Divide the width of the room by the width of the planks and check how many rows of planks you will need to install. Place the mark on the wall for the installation of the first row of planks and leave at least 4 cm wide space for the last row.
Start laying the first low along the longest wall of the room for the optimal results. The last plank of the first row must be clicked with the first plank of the second row. Keep joining the planks till the last row. Make sure to keep tapping the planks with the help of a tapping block.
5. Finishing the Wooden Floor
Here comes the finishing process for the installation of the wooden floors. You can use nails or staples to fasten the planks to the subfloor. In the last row of planks, nails must face the tongue side so that they can fit in perfectly. You can trim or cut out the additional parts of the planks.
For the perfect finish, check for any holes in between the tongue and groove of these floors. If you notice any, fill them with the wood putty. The minor gaps, and holes over the hardwood floors can be filled with the help of wood putty.
To Conclude
Wooden floors are of different types and styles, so, the installation methods to lay them down differ from each other. You can decide on either the method of gluing down or click-lock for the installation of these floors. Follow up on the steps mentioned in this guide for an effective DIY installation of wooden flooring. Using this comprehensive guide that covers both the installation methods, beginners can install wooden floors themselves and save on the expenses of professional services.
