Installing hardwood flooring today does not take much to do on your own. There are tools and guides that can help you undertake the project by yourself. Not a few people have actually succeeded in saving money on the high labor costs of having hardwood floors installed by professional contractors by doing the installation themselves. To do your own hardwood floor installation, you simply have to consult websites and other resources for step-by-step instructions on how to install hardwood floors. These instructions would vary depending on the type of hardwood flooring you intend to use. These websites and resources would also be able to give you an idea of what hardwood floor installation tools you would need to complete your DIY hardwood floor installation project.
Before you decide to start on your DIY hardwood floor installation project, you should have all your materials ready along with the hardwood floor installation tools you would need. You can purchase all your hardwood flooring materials from your local hardware store or home improvement store. You can ask the sales attendants in these stores for some tips on your DIY hardwood floor installation project. Your hardwood floor installation tools are likewise available in the same venue. There are some hardwood floor installation tools that you can rent from workshops or borrow from friends and relatives to save you some costs. Having a list of these hardwood floor installation tools when you go to the hardware or home improvement store would make it easy for you to ensure that you have everything before you start your project.
Here is a list of the hardwood floor installation tools you would need for your DIY hardwood floor installation project using the nail down method:
1. Measuring tape. You need this to measure out the space that you are working on and the hardwood floor boards that you are going to use. End boards need to be precisely measured to ensure that they fit perfectly.
2. Carpenter’s chalk. This will be used to mark out the subfloor and underlayer. When you have finished laying out your underlayer, you have to use a chalk line to mark out the middle of the room perpendicular to the floor joists. You also have to mark the starting line where you are to install your first row of hardwood floor boards – usually half an inch from the wall.
3. Electric drill. This equipment will help you drill pilot holes in your hardwood floor boards. These pilot holes are drilled at a slightly smaller circumference than the nails that you are using and at a shorter length. Drilling pilot holes allow you to set the nail down into your hardwood floor boards without the risk of cracking your hardwood floor boards.
4. Nailer. A pneumatic nail gun is the preferred option to use in putting the nail down into the hardwood floor boards. This piece of equipment needs only a slight tap on the plunger to shoot the nails right down to the hardwood floors at just the right angle and depth.
5. Finishing nails and flooring nails. Usually, finishing nails are used for manually nailing down your initial row of hardwood floor boards. While finishing nails do a good job keeping your initial hardwood floor boards in place, flooring nails are required to keep the rest of your hardwood floors from becoming loose over time.
6. Rubber mallet. This tool is used to gently pound your hardwood floor boards so that they fit snuggly against each other. Using any other tool would not do as good a job and could damage your hardwood floor boards.
7. Circular saw. You are going to need this power tool to cut your last hardwood floor boards to size. You do not actually have to go out and buy this power tool. This is one of the tools that you can rent out from a workshop or hobby shop, or that you can borrow from a friend or relative.
There are other basic tools that you can include in your list of hardwood floor installation tools such as a cutting knife, pencil, cleaning implements, and safety tools. You do not have to have an arsenal of power tools to complete your hardwood floor installation. But, you do have to make sure that you have at least these basic tools at hand when you start your project to keep everything moving smoothly.
Before you decide to start on your DIY hardwood floor installation project, you should have all your materials ready along with the hardwood floor installation tools you would need. You can purchase all your hardwood flooring materials from your local hardware store or home improvement store. You can ask the sales attendants in these stores for some tips on your DIY hardwood floor installation project. Your hardwood floor installation tools are likewise available in the same venue. There are some hardwood floor installation tools that you can rent from workshops or borrow from friends and relatives to save you some costs. Having a list of these hardwood floor installation tools when you go to the hardware or home improvement store would make it easy for you to ensure that you have everything before you start your project.
Here is a list of the hardwood floor installation tools you would need for your DIY hardwood floor installation project using the nail down method:
1. Measuring tape. You need this to measure out the space that you are working on and the hardwood floor boards that you are going to use. End boards need to be precisely measured to ensure that they fit perfectly.
2. Carpenter’s chalk. This will be used to mark out the subfloor and underlayer. When you have finished laying out your underlayer, you have to use a chalk line to mark out the middle of the room perpendicular to the floor joists. You also have to mark the starting line where you are to install your first row of hardwood floor boards – usually half an inch from the wall.
3. Electric drill. This equipment will help you drill pilot holes in your hardwood floor boards. These pilot holes are drilled at a slightly smaller circumference than the nails that you are using and at a shorter length. Drilling pilot holes allow you to set the nail down into your hardwood floor boards without the risk of cracking your hardwood floor boards.
4. Nailer. A pneumatic nail gun is the preferred option to use in putting the nail down into the hardwood floor boards. This piece of equipment needs only a slight tap on the plunger to shoot the nails right down to the hardwood floors at just the right angle and depth.
5. Finishing nails and flooring nails. Usually, finishing nails are used for manually nailing down your initial row of hardwood floor boards. While finishing nails do a good job keeping your initial hardwood floor boards in place, flooring nails are required to keep the rest of your hardwood floors from becoming loose over time.
6. Rubber mallet. This tool is used to gently pound your hardwood floor boards so that they fit snuggly against each other. Using any other tool would not do as good a job and could damage your hardwood floor boards.
7. Circular saw. You are going to need this power tool to cut your last hardwood floor boards to size. You do not actually have to go out and buy this power tool. This is one of the tools that you can rent out from a workshop or hobby shop, or that you can borrow from a friend or relative.
There are other basic tools that you can include in your list of hardwood floor installation tools such as a cutting knife, pencil, cleaning implements, and safety tools. You do not have to have an arsenal of power tools to complete your hardwood floor installation. But, you do have to make sure that you have at least these basic tools at hand when you start your project to keep everything moving smoothly.
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