How To Start First Row Of Wood Flooring

This will stagger the seams which results in a more natural look.

How to start first row of wood flooring.

Use the remainder of the laminate flooring planks you cut at the end of row one to start the next row as long as it s longer than 1 foot. Plan to start perpendicular to the longest wall to keep cutting minimal. They must be absolutely straight and laid without gaps or bends. If it s not start the row with a plank cut to a length greater than 1 foot.

Step 1 layout the first few rows of laminate or vinyl plank flooring. Each package of vinyl plank flooring will have subtle differences in the plank pattern and color so remove all. It is important to face nail the first row because the pneumatic nail can t get down in there. It will hit the wall and the force would push the wood against the baseboard which would lose the 3 8 expansion and contraction.

When installing the first row of laminate flooring i prefer to start on a wall that is as straight as possible. The solution is to angle cut the lengths of the first and last courses for your laminate floor layout pattern so the floor is straight even if the. Start the second row where you started off the first. Since wood is a dimensionally imperfect material this can be a challenge to get right but the extra effort is worth the time investment.

There are specialty tools for installing wood floors but a hammer and. When starting the first row of laminate flooring using spacers to maintain a gap will make it easier. This foundation i m talking about is at least 4 rows of planks. Usually an outside wall will be the best place to start.

The first row of a wood floor must be straight sound and fastened tightly before installing the remainder of the floor. Let s get started and i will show you how to install the first row of laminate flooring. Before you can begin nailing or gluing down the planks for your wood floor you must establish a straight line from wall to wall across the room. You may only need to trim the last row but if the last row can only accommodate less than a plank s half width trim the first row to make up the difference.

Properly laying the first three boards in a hardwood flooring installation is essential to a quality install. Even if you re planning to install the first row. The first three boards set the tone and direction for the floor. How to start the first row on laminate floor if the wall is not straight.