How to Install a Snap Together Hardwood Floor

Snap together hardwood floors, the latest in hardwood floor products, allow do it yourself homeowners to install their own affordable hardwood floors. Basically the only key tools required are a couple of saws, preferably a miter saw and a small hand saw or jig saw, to cut the ends of the boards and to make any necessary notched cuts.

A hammer and small finished nails are also necessary to install baseboard trim or quarter round molding around the edges of the floor.

A square and utility knife are also necessary for squaring up the floor and scoring the boards.

Snap together hardwood floors are similar to laminate flooring technology however instead of a plastic top coating they actually have a thin veneer layer of finished hard wood on the top surface. Snap together hardwood floors use specially designed tongue and groove technology to enable the hardwood floor boards to interlock together to form a strong and tight joint. Consequently no nails or adhesive are required to hold the hardwood flooring boards together.

Snap together hardwood floors actually sit on a very thing underlayment material and float on the subfloor as one large sheet. Expansion space is allocated around the perimeter of the hardwood floor to allow it to expand and contract with temperature and humidity conditions.

Snap together hardwood flooring can be found at your local home improvement stores and flooring stores. They can also be found on the internet.

Subfloor Preparation As with all hardwood floors it is imperative that they are installed on subfloors that are free of moisture and that are level. Use a self leveling compound if necessary to smooth out the subfloor, and make sure the subfloor is free of any popped nails, bumps or any other type of extrusions. Also check the floor for any squeaks. If there are any, screw the subfloor down with some additional decking or drywall screws. How to Install a Snap Together Hardwood Floor The first step in installing a snap together hardwood floor is to take measurements of the room using a measuring tape, paper and pencil.

With the measurements in hand visit your local home improvement store or online store and order your snap together hardwood flooring material. Note that you should always order about 5-10% additional material for waste. In addition, you will need to buy an underlayment that is appropriate for your specific snap together hardwood floor. You will also need some baseboard molding or quarter round molding to cover the edges of the hardwood floor.

With the work area cleared, first roll out the underlayment onto the subfloor.

When installing a snap together hardwood floor it is important to make sure that the width of the last row of boards is at least 2 inches in width. To determine this, measure the width of the room and divide this number by the width of the finished surface of the hardwood board. If the remainder is less than 2 inches, make sure that you rip the length of the first row of boards to a finished width, such that the final row will be at least 2 inches in width.

Next, begin by laying and interlocking the hardwood flooring boards along a straight wall or cabinet toe boards. Start each row of hardwood floor boards by first cutting off the tongue of the first piece using your miter saw. Set this board in place, near the wall edge, however leave approximately 1/4 to3/8 inch space along the wall edge to allow for expansion and contraction.

Continue to add hardwood floor pieces to the row along the length of the wall, making sure that the boards snap into place to form tight, interlocked joints. When you reach the far end of the wall, cut the last piece so that the board has, again about a 1/4 to3/8 inch space to the wall edge.

Repeat this process across the entire floor by adding additional rows one at a time.

After completing the installation of the snap together hardwood floor, install baseboard molding or quarter round molding along the edges of the floor, where the floor intersects the walls.

With the molding installed, your new snap together hardwood floor is ready for use and enjoyment.