Installing HARDWOOD FLOORING for the FIRST TIME 🛠 How To Install Wood Floors

Learn how to install solid hardwood flooring with a few simple tools! Hardwood floors are durable, beautiful, and a great DIY project. Thanks to Zoro.com for sponsoring this video, go to zoro.com/crafted and sign up for Zmail to receive 15% off your first order!
🛠 Tools Used On The Hardwood Flooring Installation (affiliate):
DEWALT Hardwood Flooring Stapler : www.zoro.com/dewalt-hardwood-...
ROLAIR Portable Air Compressor : www.zoro.com/rolair-portable-...
DEWALT Knee Pads : www.zoro.com/dewalt-knee-pads...
SawStop Jobsite Table Saw : www.zoro.com/sawstop-jobsite-...
DEWALT Cordless Finishing Nailer : www.zoro.com/dewalt-cordless-...
Floor Staple, 15.5 ga., 2" : www.zoro.com/powernail-floor-...
DEWALT FLEXVOLT Miter Saw : www.zoro.com/dewalt-cordless-...
📦 Materials Used On The Hardwood Flooring Installation (affiliate):
Armstrong Flooring ¾" Solid Oak Hardwood Flooring, Prime Sable SAKP59L403W : bit.ly/armstrongflooring
Vapor Barrier : amzn.to/36mW4Rm
📷 MY CAMERA GEAR : www.amazon.com/shop/craftedwo...
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[@craftedworkshop]

Thanks to Zoro.com for sponsoring this video, go to zoro.com/crafted and sign up for Zmail to receive 15% off your first order! Make sure you subscribe so you don't miss my upcoming videos on the bonus room : goo.gl/V5gcNJ

[@Kpriv-ui2zs]

Thanks for the response means a lot you just made my day

[@jlee0702]

How long did this project take??? I tried to look for it in descriptions but didn't find anything.

[@MikeyB_1972]

They are only saying 10% off net 15%...how do you get the 15%???

[@skeetorkiftwon]

Jesus Christ, what's you do to your arm @ 5:30 bro? Those tack strips get you? Jk, but it looks like you were out on the bike doing wheelies!

[@chuckabrams4016]

they are only offering 10%... the "other place" is still less expensive without that 15%

[@pileofstuff]

You called the flooring nailer the "star of the show", but having done floors in the past, I'd claim the knee pads are the most important tool you used.

[@cm01]

Safety third! 1. Makin money 2. Lookin guud 3. Bein safe 😎👍🏻

[@SoEliteGamer]

Knee pads aren't usually for safety, they're for comfort. I provide my guys with them, but personally never use them.

[@craftedworkshop]

They definitely came in handy, but I didn't use them nearly as much as I would have on my laminate or vinyl flooring install. I was hunched over the flooring stapler most of the time.

[@Asbjoern]

@@SoEliteGamer Ofcourse pads are for safety. The difference is how fast the injury appears.

[@miillena5]

@@SoEliteGamer tell me you are kidding? They may be one of the most overlooked items in a hard laborer's gear list but they are def a part of PPE and can protect your knees..

[@skatetocreate7]

Man I can’t thank you enough for making this video. This is the exact same job I am doing tomorrow . I just started doing flooring and I’m still a little uneasy about everything. Seeing you do exactly what I’m going to be doing and talking through it step by step gave me a lot more confidence. You’re the man 🤙🏼

[@maddiehawkins552]

how’d it go

[@paulbradley1983]

Dude! Just bought a home out here in PA. I was looking for flooring videos, came across yours. Awesome that you pointed out the roadblocks like the floor being a little off level, and how you fixed it. I hate those videos where everything goes perfectly as it never does for us in real life. Thanks!

[@rumsiker]

A good video is the one that show you all the difficulty you can come across in the processes , not the one cut off all that and show you how beautiful the job came out as he brag about how good of a master he is

[@markswearingen117]

Dude I'm in the process of buying a house in PA! where are you originally from?

[@michaelklein2441]

Paul . . . your "perfect video" observation is EXACTLY why I posted my comment! Too funny . . . we must be very "like minded." 😉

[@Qmedjoe]

So very thankful I came across this video! I must of watched 20 different HW install videos and this one was clear and right to the point. Big thumbs up for the shingles tip. One spot on my sub floor needed it. Thanks again!

[@c00per69]

My 125 year old house has its original hardwood floors with no vapour barrier underneath and it’s absolutely perfect

[@wilfdarr]

Yes it depends on where you are. I'm guessing he's in a climate where the vapor barrier goes on the outside to keep the outside humidity out of the walls (where I'm currently at this is the situation). But in the climate where my rental property is at, the vapor barrier is on the inside to keep the moisture from inside the house from condensing in the walls. Ask someone who knows local code before you do this. Also of concern is what is underneath: floors over a crawl space, finished basement, or concrete pad (if you're doing hardwood in the basement for example) must all be treated differently!

[@marine5480]

It’s still a smart thing to do. It’s also too inexpensive, too easy and too fast to not do.

[@debybrooke157]

My back and knees hurt just watching this! Looks sooo much better than the carpet. Nice job!

[@craftedworkshop]

Hah, thanks mama!

[@dcam91]

I have carpet throughout my new (to me) house.. in reality it's probably a decade old.. I have been considering vinyl, but since the carpet gets some sun from my kitchen skylight, I've heard vinyl planking can fade over time. This wood flooring seems like a great idea!

[@CarlRMauri]

WHY is this a great video? Johnny actual discusses and showcases his mistakes (going through the drywall, uneven floor). This visualization will definitely make me think twice when approaching the job. ALSO, GREAT WAY TO LEVEL THE UNEVEN FLOOR WITH SHINGLES!! GREAT PACE, VISUALS AND TECHNIQUES. THANK YOU !!

[@rodw]

Hi Johnny, I'm a brand new subscriber and I live in a Mobile Home. I've been replacing all of the subfloor, only one small bedroom left to do .😁😁🤩. I found a 8 or 10 inch channel lock pliers worked best to remove the old Staples. I grabbed the top of the staple and just pushed the channel locks over the round part and it pulled up the staple with little effort. Just another idea for anybody else to try if they have this kind of project to do. I appreciate you including your mistakes or things overlooked, so we don't have to go through the same setback during our project. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts and videos Rodney

[@yaroz5123]

Rodney Widger or a scraper way easier and faster

[@kquick0238]

I seriously love and appreciate the flow of your videos. Always informative, entertaining to watch, and overall just great quality. Kudos, dude!

[@craftedworkshop]

Thanks a lot Kevin, really appreciate that!

[@trevorstolz8580]

I have installed hardwood flooring before. I love the Flooring Jack. Next time I install hardwood floors, I am definitely going to get one of those. I think you could use it even for stubborn boards that long and just a bit warped. You could put a long 2"x4" between that far wall and the flooring jack, cutting the 2"x4" to length as you go. Every hardwood flooring board could be in tight.

[@joshuatatum8519]

Tip for the carpet pad staples: flathead screwdriver. Beats the strain on the hands of the pliers

[@tmichael39]

Great video. I'm tackling my first HW flooring project this weekend and this was one of the best installation videos out there.

[@michaelklein2441]

Johnny Brooke . . . .WOW! Thank you so much for posting this "Hardwood Floor Installation for Dummies" tutorial. I watched NUMEROUS hardwood floor installation videos but yours was the best. I really appreciate your transparency, showing the mistakes you made (dry wall damage) and creating a level floor surface for the hardwood flooring material with shingles. I think you saved me from numerous train wrecks on my first go at this endeavor. Finally, I REALLY appreciated the tools that you utilized and / or recommended. I made a last minute run to Harbor Freights to secure some of the "other tools" that extended or enhanced my ability to do a "professional type job" on my first attempt . . . WELL DONE!👍😃👍

[@craftedworkshop]

Thanks a lot Michael, glad it was helpful!

[@jimmyjam5146]

There's something about that tiny door that makes you look like a giant.

[@offgridburbia]

Thanks for the video and I agree, pull saws are great!

[@mrcrossovermark1153]

I think having those setbacks in this installation is very helpful for viewers because we might come across those kinds of setbacks in our installations too.

[@danolson8986]

Great video had no idea about the asphalt shingle trick. Looking to do my floors very soon found your video very helpful with your tips and tricks.

[@michaelhodgson8272]

You are a man of patience and precision! Awesome job man

[@milbertyouidiot]

Great job and video! Very thorough without being too long winded.

[@ATG19534]

Instead of the flooring jack, you can cut a piece of flooring diagonal, keeping the groove side, and then cut a piece of plywood angled and sized to the gap to act as opposing wedges to close up the gaps. The groove protects the tongue on your board.

[@NevvverXD]

when removing doors i find its handy to leave in 1 or 2 screws in the top hinge until last to avoid the door from pulling on the bottom hinge

[@dammitmitchell]

while remodeling my home i hung my electronics with "command strips" and zip ties. got everything above shoulder high and i worked underneath my crap without knocking anything down. also thanks for the tip on the shingles!

[@foreignflava9666]

2 years later but thanks bruh!! Your very thorough instructional and educational video really helped me!!👍👍

[@Louayhashem]

Excellent video, the best I've seen. Gave me confidence to tackle my guest rooms. Subscribed!

[@Brentcolo]

Really a great video and I think I will do this myself!

[@Christin5554]

wow, you made this look so easy. Looks really great.

[@norbertorozon4104]

What a great video , Love to see this type of videos where you learn so much planning to buy my own house

[@sophiag9032]

THANK YOU very much for this video. This is incredibly helpful.

[@ianwassink7664]

Next month we put scraps of hardwood flooring on the roof to shore up the low spots and use carpet mats that we pulled up from the bonus room to show down the rainwater flow on the 12/5 roof.

[@scremingwhisper1720]

A faster way to step the stairs is putting some rows on the ground and then using the cuts to start the next row. Also you can use a small cut off to hit the flooring piece your installing and it gets a tight line and it's it's nearly impossible to damage the flooring because it's being hit inside the Grove. Another recommendation is getting a stainless steel prybar it doesn't have paint so it's less prone to damage the wall when removing base.

[@handytbutler7380]

great job, one quick hint for you is when you cut your door and window trim , measure a 1/4 inch of reveal on the door frame and window frame and put the board on it to mark, it will save you time and you will get better results. I learned that from a seasoned pro and what a difference it made for me when i was doing it ... great looking floor though...

[@gogocatmiao3087]

Best hardwood floor installation video

[@bricra8992]

This was a great video for me to confirm what I was planning to do was pretty spot on. My project is a little more involved since it is a dining room, living room combination with a long hallway in the middle. My issue was that I wanted the flooring centered down the hallway so it took way more planning and measuring in 2005 build raised ranch that for some reason doesn't have any straight walls! Gotta love builders that can be off by almost 1/2 inch from one end of the hall to the other! Thanks for the video. Hoping my extra measuring pays off!

[@dulichion]

love this video, and its prepping me for replacing hardwood floors to all my bedrooms and office

[@juansimo4097]

Dude, I feel like I can post an ad now for installing hardwood floorings, Thanks a lot for your video.

[@VanaConn]

Thanks , I did bellawood 15 years ago in my living room but didn’t know about the flooring jacks. Ordered a nice pair for $53 ea but their are cheaper ones for around $32. Doing my foyer this year. I would use quarter round along perimeter. I keep the gap at 1/2”.

[@SoEliteGamer]

You want to get a measurement of how much your last row needs to be cut BEFORE you do the flooring, so if need be you can cut the first row too, that way you don't end up with your last row being narrow (like 1")

[@SoEliteGamer]

@Tyler Winter Either I am misunderstanding what you are saying, or you misunderstood what I said. My comment is not about the difficulty of cutting the flooring, but about looks. You don't want a 1" wide board on the floor, it would look like shit.

[@idontthinkso666]

@@SoEliteGamer I understood you.

[@illegitimate0]

Thank you so much for the asphalt shingle/felt paper shim idea! I was nervous about self levelling cement if I had to nail through it, if it would leak throw the subfloor or between the floor/wall, etc. Shingles are cheap (especially when people throw out extra), sturdy, and will stay in place.

[@raymondmaglaris4149]

Nailing tge shingles wont hurt

[@laurenharper1510]

I’ve used shingles and tar paper to shim up studs when placing drywall and concrete board also.

[@bladedspokes]

Great video! I'm about to install hardwood in my master bedroom and this helped a lot! I need to go tool shopping hah.

[@judithvelez7756]

rent the tools

[@bdavis8489]

i just did mine a month ago, i watched this vid and i still had a 'do-over after about ten boards were down, so not too bad boit it turned out great thsat was after leveling the concrete floor. it looke level but the wood told a different story. youd assume the walls in your home are square..nope two were not, make sure your s are and floor had no dips or bumps.

[@VegardKlaus]

Closing up the gaps when you’re getting close to the end wall is quite easy. Just slice a piece from a board thats waste, put another waste board towards the wall and squeeze the board in place with a crow bar.

[@sunilshukla72]

Thanks for video, Great guidance for wood flooring.

[@NASTYcraftX]

When I did my office floors, I stuffed all my internet stuffs in a cloth bag, and hung it on a nail from the wall.

[@craftedworkshop]

Brilliant!

[@bg73]

Don't you hate it when people come up with good ideas AFTER you've completed the work 😎

[@user-vm9ig4zs8e]

*stuff.....nobody thinks you're cute when you type like that.

[@hzluqili]

thanks so much for all the detail sharing, I am planning to do the same thing to my dining room

[@TheRealKill4Kicks]

Thanks man, just started my own flooring company and EVERYONE wants hardwood, I've done lvp and carpet for about 8 years and this is helpful!

[@craftedworkshop]

Glad I could help!

[@Roaming_Wolf]

I need a good handyman like this in my life!!

[@dtango8345]

Use a long scrapper to scrap staples and also you can pop the tag stripes with the scrapper Aswell.

[@yoospianocafe8466]

Very informative. Thank you.

[@derrickyaeger6548]

Hi, I work for myself, and something I had learned from a fellow contractor was to use the wide shakes of siding cedar wood shakes as spacers. The reason I am mentioning this is that having asphalt shingles in the house is not such a good idea. Because they are tar based products. And cedar is just wood and I would use this instead, for health reasons, for my installs.

[@mikedrever7760]

Thanks for the video. The one thing that I would suggest be done differently, is your first row. I wouldn't offset from the sheetrock along the whole length, but mark an offset at the each end of the wall and then snap a line. I would place the tongue on the line and follow it for the first row. The sheetrock along the length of the wall can fluctuate and not be straight.

[@deandremattison9183]

Great looking floor. Thanks for the video

[@frankalvareziii8289]

Nailed it! appreciate the information, Thanks

[@naimadaklaoui9778]

It’s beautiful good job.

[@freshoffthesaw8090]

It’s amazing what nice flooring will do to any room!

[@craftedworkshop]

Definitely a massive transformation!

[@steven8375]

I don’t know how people can live in completely carpeted houses lol

[@zero450571]

Thank you for this video

[@JTWoodworks]

This turned out looking great. You can use one of your clamps as a floor jack. You would just need to flip the end of the clamp. Also, spacers and wedges can be a good option too

[@thomasarussellsr]

Many people don't know that "quick clamps" have reversible jaws to be used as spreaders.

[@JTWoodworks]

@@thomasarussellsr a lot of parallel clamps have the same option

[@craftedworkshop]

Good call!

[@idontthinkso666]

@@thomasarussellsr Quick clamps with handles that you squeeze to apply pressure would likely lack adequate pressure to get a really tight fit. You can do better with a clamp that has a screw-type handle. You'll apply greater pressure and you can do so carefully, really dialing in the amount of pressure.

[@thomasarussellsr]

@@idontthinkso666 great observation. Most "squeeze" type quick clamps don't get great squeeze pressure. Even the best ones depend on the user having a great squeeze grip in their hand/s. You modification of my suggestion is 99.9% accurate. I concur.

[@rav6099]

Thank you for sharing!!

[@Vision000]

For the door frame if you cut the boards at a 45 degree angle you have a finished side all the way arround.

[@IEnjoyCreatingVideos]

Nice job on the hardwood floor Johnny! Thank you for sharing the video with us.👍👌😎JP

[@craftedworkshop]

Thanks for watching JP!

[@IEnjoyCreatingVideos]

Your very welcome Johnny! Have a great week!😎

[@anthonywurst2548]

Thanks man. Good video

[@northstarfly22]

Thank you very help full

[@NMcCauley]

Thank you for sharing!

[@zzakcelik2637]

Good job.perfect.

[@Vlex24]

I don’t need a Hardwood flooring stapler. But now, I would like one 😁

[@jesustenorio5213]

Very well explained video. 👍🏼

[@FredMcIntyre]

Nicely done Johnny! 😃👍🏻👊🏻

[@craftedworkshop]

Thanks Fred!

[@3alarm]

great video, thanks!

[@rrpp1425]

Vary helpful. Thank you!

[@daviddonadze221]

Thanks a lot. Now I know what to do.

[@mikemoran7036]

Surely putting a.plasric.sheet under solid wood is going to trap any.moisture that gets underneath? Then it will just be absorbed by your new flooring. Wood needs to breath and if you've got moisture coming up from the foundations to your subfloor you've got more problems than a plastic sheet will solve.

[@DaphneGsell]

Cool video ! I’m restoring my Victorian home and keeping the original flooring! So beautiful!

[@MrPhatnguyencao]

Thank you so much.👍👍👍

[@rajeshpersad6001]

Really nice work buddy

[@loveyou211ful]

Thank you for that. I’m going to do my floors as well, your tutorial is indepth

[@dominglandocan1933]

this is cool and interestinG!

[@cvh627]

For the flooring jack you can take one of your parallel clamps or quick clamps and flip the bottom piece so it pushes out

[@craftedworkshop]

Why didn’t I think of that?

[@brfuzz5600]

You can also take a large flat head screw driver to pry the final few rows back. Just beat it into the subfloor right along the tongue of the board and pry. It might cause a little bit of damage to the tongue but oak usually holds up well.

[@Zjombie]

Awesome video, very to-the-point and easy to follow. I plan on putting hardwood in a few rooms soon and this helped a lot.

[@Homestead925]

got to replace my living room flooring so ty ill use this as a reference for when i do it

[@user-fv4sf7im3q]

Nice explanation video.Super duper job.👍👌

[@maurolimaok]

The bedroom with 2 murphy beds and desk is beautifil. Hope you share the project! Thanks for the videos!

[@TwoOnesTanks]

very nice. based on this, would you say it's possible to install hardwoods throughout an entire house one room at a time?

[@MrDelta880]

I would have put a small bevel on the ends of the baseboard where they meet the door casings. Gives a cleaner look with a nice reveal, and you don't have to worry about them being flush.

[@mygmail5470]

Very helpful

[@jobanjotsingh2483]

really really helpful

[@perfectomunoz]

This is so intimidating

[@trippdouglas5596]

Next time you do the rip next to the wall, set your table saw on a 7-10 degree bevel, you can get the edge of the wood closer to the wall.

[@politicallywhat5630]

I wish someone had answered this. 🤔

[@trippdouglas5596]

@@politicallywhat5630 It just gives a cleaner and finished look

[@gunnerhm]

Great video! Try a long handle shovel for removing the tack strips. A lot quicker than a hammer and pry bar

[@samm1797]

Lov the vids keep them up!

[@craftedworkshop]

Thanks Sam!

[@stevenmccallan9202]

LOL. the hand held saw is much quieter than the oscillating saw. I'd say about a thousand times quieter and more accurate, too. Well done video!

[@thehostwiththemost5516]

Only thing I do different is using felt instead of vapor barrier. I like to use vapor barrier for laminate jobs. You didnt cut any corners, nice work.

[@HackerzModz]

Vapor barrier for naildown, plastic foam for laminate.

[@jerelmercurio4754]

Shingle scraper took our moulding and tack strips out a lot faster and easier. Long handle was nice.

[@BodyByKymXclusive]

Beautiful!

[@bmaclaps]

The Lumber Liquidators over in Arden has the floor jacks for pretty cheap. Had to get one myself when I couldn't get those close to the wall planks tight enough. Makes things a ton easier.

[@jaybutterfield.3389]

Got mine there as well along with the staple set, which works MUCH better than a nail set!

[@sherrys.2259]

Great job!

[@bragehadland1868]

Looks great, not sure what i feel about the huge trimmings. And if you want to be sure that the last piece is the same length as the first you should measure the length of the room snd divide it by the width of the room

[@rhdtv2002]

I would use const glue on the last rows as the braid nails alone used aren't sometimes strong enough..great floor

[@mattravera1096]

Great video!

[@AlexOliveGrove]

Good job!

[@joshmaddox5682]

Great video

[@stephenrolheiser6261]

Nicely done