Installing hardwood flooring can seem like a daunting task that many people don’t want to face. It’s often easier and less stressful to hire a professional to fit your wood flooring panels than it is to attempt the job yourself.
However, the advantage of tackling this hefty DIY task on your own is that you’ll save money and learn a new skill. Being able to fit or paint hardwood flooring by yourself is a helpful skill to possess, as you never know when you’ll want to renovate your home again.
Here are some simple steps for successfully fitting hardwood flooring in your home.
Gather Your Supplies
You’ll need a few tools to fit hardwood flooring and gathering the essentials before you start installing any wooden panels is key to staying organized and getting the job done quickly. Here’s what you’ll need to fit your hard flooring:
- Pencil
- Measuring tape
- Hand saw
- Hammer
You might also want to get yourself some glue to secure the wooden boards down onto the floor. However, this isn’t always necessary, especially if you’re using underlay.
Place Down Your Underlay
If you’ve purchased some brand-new underlay, lay this down carefully across your floor. Make sure it covers as much floor space as possible, leaving minimal gaps. Smooth the underlay with your hand or forearm so there are no bumps or creases to ensure your hardwood flooring is level when you place it down.
Fit Your First Panel
When installing hardwood flooring, it’s recommended that you start in the top left corner of the longest wall. This recommendation is due to the way the floorboards piece together.
Consider which way you want your panels to run. Usually, it’s best to run the panels in the same direction as the main source of light coming into the room. For example, if you have patio doors in your kitchen or large windows in your living room, place the panels such that they are running perpendicular to the doors or windows.
Carefully lay down your first hardwood floorboard, making sure it fits neatly into the corner of the room. Check that the underlay isn’t noticeable above the flooring. If it is, you’ll need to tuck it underneath or cut it so it’s not showing.
Continue Fitting the Rest of the Panels
Now continue to lay down new panels along the length of the longest wall. You may be left with a small gap when you reach the top right-hand corner of the room. In this case, grab your measuring tape and note the size of the gap.
Cut a hardwood panel according to the size of the gap using your saw panel so it fits snuggly into the right-hand corner of the room. After this, go back to the left-hand size of the room and start fitting a second row of panels.
The hardwood flooring panels should interlink nicely when you lay them down next to each other. However, you may need to use your hammer to gently knock the boards into place.
