How to Install Wood Floors
Wood floors impart a special kind of class and elegance, whether they’re used for homes or office buildings. The fresh, natural appeal of wood makes it perfect for everything from hallways to corridors to rooms. If you’re making a small construction project and you want to use wood for flooring material, here are some tips to help you use it effectively.
Kinds of Wood Flooring
Wood is a very common and popular construction material because of its low cost and ease of use. Wood is plentiful, and many kinds of timber are used to build houses, buildings, and other construction projects. Many homes have a high resale value on the market because of well-constructed, well-maintained wooden floors.
There are two kinds of wood floors available on the market:
Plank flooring is made from long strips of timber laid side-by-side to create a floor. Planks are the most common type of wooden flooring material because they are easy to construct, and easy to lay on sub-floors.
Parquet flooring is made from squares of pre-finished wood laid like tiles. Parquet is especially useful for floors with patterns and tile mosaic designs.
Laying Flooring
There are two ways to lay down and assemble wooden flooring:
wood floors
From floor scaffolding. Laying flooring from scaffolding is great for raised floors and if you’ll use planks. If you’ll assemble a raised floor from scaffolding, make sure that the measurements of the planks fit the edges of the scaffolding, and that the planks are flush with each other during the dry-fit. Secure the planks to the scaffolding using nails or a pneumatic stapler.
From sub-floors. Laying flooring from a sub-floor is perfect if you’re using parquet flooring. Some squares of parquet may already come with miters that make the floor easy to put together like a puzzle, although you may need a pneumatic stapler to ensure that the pieces remain stable.
Finishing Flooring
Once you’ve laid the floor in place, it’s time to finish the job. Hardwood floors add a nice visual appeal to your home if you allow them to retain their natural color. There are three ways to finish your wooden flooring once you have it installed:
Sanded floors. A drum sander is typically used to smooth out the surface of a wooden floor. It takes a lot of precision to handle a drum sander, because you may end up ruining the floor if you apply the wrong amount of pressure.
Laminate. Many parquet squares and planks come with a protective laminate that lengthens the life span of the wooden floor. The laminate also prevents damage to the floor due to scuff marks and the weight of furniture.
Unfinished floors. Some homeowners prefer the rustic look of an unfinished floor, and would leave some of the splinters and grain on the wood as is. Unfinished floors are perfect for cabins and other structures where the rustic, old-fashioned look blends perfectly with other decorating elements.
Wood floors are easy to install and are very easy on the eyes. With these tips, you can bring nature into your home with a rustic, natural-looking wooden floor.