Decide which direction you'd like the flooring to follow. Hallways look best with the planks running in the long direction; other rooms are a matter of taste. Some manufacturers recommend laying the floor perpendicular to the direction of the joists, but if you have a solid 3/4-in.-thick subfloor, either direction is fine. Measure the width of a plank including the tongue and then add the appropriate wall clearance measurement to that. We needed 1/2-in. clearance. Mark that distance out from the wall at two spots about 1 ft. away from the corner. Measuring from the corner isn't always accurate because of a buildup of drywall compound. Tap in a nail at one mark and then pull your chalk line tight through the marks and snap a starting line onto your paper (Photo 2). If this starting wall has a doorway, be sure to fit a strip of flooring under the casing and jamb because it'll be difficult to slip in later. However, don't nail this piece in until you nail the first row into place. Bring in three boxes of flooring and then select boards from them randomly.

Some boxes might contain more light or dark boards, so drawing from several boxes will keep the floor from looking patchy. Tub To Tile Shower ConversionSelect long strips for the first couple of rows because it's easier to align them with your chalk line (Photo 3). Buy The Weather Pro Outdoor Pool TableStart 1/2 in. away from the end wall. Washer And Dryer Breaker SizeFace-nail the flooring with pairs of nails every 16 in. Make sure your nail gun sets the nail head just below the surface. Fill these holes later with a matching color putty. The face nailing is necessary because the stapler won't fit that close to the wall at this stage. If you have a piece in the doorway, tap it in and nail it now. Continue with a second row, making sure to alternate end joints by at least 4 in. from the previous row.

By the third row, you'll have enough space to use the floor stapler. Before you use it, check the pressure at your compressor. Dial it to about 75 psi and test-staple a piece through the tongue somewhere along the floor. If you drive it flush with the wood surface at the tongue, it's perfect. If the staple is too deep or is still protruding above the tongue, adjust the pressure. Drive staples every 8 in. along the rows and get at least two staples in short planks. Tap the ends together and knock the plank sides together with the edge of your tap block (Photo 5). The flooring is precisely milled, so you should never have to drive the tap block hard with your hammer. If the grooves aren't fitting into the tongues, check for splinters or crushed tongues and remove them or cut them back with your utility knife. Continue installing the flooring, leaving a 1/2-in. expansion space on each end. Drive hard-to- get-at end pieces into place with a pull bar as shown in Photo 7. If you don't have a pull bar, you can position a pry bar between the wall and the end of the flooring.

To avoid crushing the drywall, pry against a drywall knife.DK - Do It Yourself Home Improvement, 2009 Dorling Kindersley Limited Most laminate and real wood floors are laid by dry-clipping boards together. Clipping mechanisms vary, but the principles are the same. Whether you need a vapor barrier or underlay will depend on the type of floor. If in doubt, install one. Where possible, lay flooring before installing baseboards or door casings so that they can cover the expansion gap. Wooden flooring needs to acclimatize for two or three days before being laid. Open packs and lay out the boards. Some flooring will need to be oiled after installation. DK - Do It Yourself Home Improvement, 2009 Dorling Kindersley Limited Roll out the foam across the floor’s surface. Tape the seams together between the sheets of underlayment (Image 1). Trim the foam to size, ensuring that it fits precisely at the junctions between the walls and the floor. Use a utility knife to cut it (Image 2).

Position the first board in a corner of the room. However, if your room has a cased doorway, you may choose to start at the door. The information box opposite shows the different solutions to installing the first board at a cased doorway or the last board at the doorway. The steps shown here result in the last board being installed in the doorway (Image 1). Make sure the grooved side of the boards is against the wall. Insert plastic wedges between the board and the wall (Image 2). To place the next board, engage it with the end of the first board by holding it at roughly 45 degrees to the first board (Image 3). Press down on the second board, and lock it into place. Continue joining boards in this way to make the first row (Image 4). Insert wedges at regular intervals. As you near the end of the row, you will probably need to cut a board to finish: see next step (Image 5). Use the offcut piece from the end of the first row to start the second. Engage it at a 45-degree angle to the edges of the first-row boards (Image 1).

Tap the board with a knocking block to tighten. Place another board beside it. Leave a slight gap so you can clip it to the first row, then knock fully into place. Repeat along row (Image 2). You may need a pry bar to tighten the joint for the last board in any row. Hook the pry bar over the end of the board, and tap its other end with a hammer (Image 3). Check that boards are “square” across the room. If not, adjust them by cutting the first row to fit against the wall, as below for a doorway. Continue across the floor (Image 4). In the doorway, boards should extend to the threshold. Keep laying boards until you near the final wall, and a whole board is too wide to fit. Cut some wood to the width of a board, and sharpen one end. Loosely position a board over the previous whole board fitted. Run the pointed end along the wall, using a pencil at the other end to draw the profile onto the loose board (Image 1). Cut along the guide line of the wall’s profile with a jigsaw, then position the board in the doorway (Image 2).

Install the board, using a pry bar to tap in the clip-together mechanism. Use this method to cut and attach all boards against the wall (Image 3). Install a threshold strip in the doorway. Choose a suitable one for the types of flooring that will meet here (Image 4). Finish off the room with lengths of edging (shoe molding), pinned or glued (with contact adhesive) to the baseboard. This is to cover the expansion gap (Image 5). Coping With a Casing If you start at the doorway, trim the base of the casing, as shown below, and slide the first board underneath it. Clip to the second board and work across the floor. If you finish at the doorway, you may need to trim off the last board’s tongue with a jigsaw or hammer and chisel so that it will fit against the wall. Then install the board. Cutting Around a Pipe If the fixture is not in place, or can be removed, drill a hole in a board and slide it over the pipe. Use a pipe cover to cover the seam at the base.