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

[@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..

[@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.

[@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." 😉

[@juansimo4097]

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

[@Brodyp317]

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

[@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 !!

[@hopLight2322]

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

[@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!

[@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!

[@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!

[@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.

[@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

[@Vince-jj8qs]

Thank you. I am so happy I found this. { yes I see it is 5 years old but new to me = } You really did a great job explaining everything. I can build cars in my sleep but this is my first hardwood floor install and it is far from cheap to make mistakes with. God Bless.

[@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!

[@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.

[@rand49er]

I'm just now thinking about doing this in our home. Your video was very helpful in giving a heads up to potential problems I might encounter. Thanks!

[@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!

[@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.

[@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.

[@dulichion]

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

[@Roaming_Wolf]

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

[@joshuatatum8519]

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

[@piecetoyou8285]

Hi sir, looks a great job, I am a little confused could you quickly explain please, when nailing the floor down how can this allow the floor to expand? also if it expands how can it retract back, ?surely the staples are preventing this as its not a floating floor,

[@milbertyouidiot]

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

[@tmichael39]

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

[@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

[@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.

[@capmidnite]

5:28 Interesting bit about having to get the wood pieces acclimated to your house's environment (humidity, etc), a process which can take several weeks. But that means if you contract a commercial floorer to do the job, they're just coming and installing wood pieces that haven't been acclimated (since their best interest is to just come in and get the job done in a couple days).

[@nevinkuser9892]

Yeah but they probably do a killer job.

[@Danielfucks69]

2 days is plenty

[@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.

[@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.

[@quant-trader-010]

How many man hours are spent to convert this room? What is the sqft of it?

[@TehBlue1]

Last couple rows to the wall you need to use a big flat head demo screw driver to pound into the subfloor right up against the piece of flooring you want to staple and pull it towards the previous row. No need for a fancy tool. Great video! Thanks for sharing!

[@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!

[@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.

[@norbertorozon4104]

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

[@stoneyswolf]

This video was good but twice as long as it needed to be. Also liked how you hit the flooring with the metal end of the hammer instead of using the safer plastic end.

[@foreignflava9666]

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

[@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.

[@hzluqili]

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

[@EarMaster55]

I find it quite interesting how different this is to how wooden floors are installed here in Germany.

[@craftedworkshop]

How do you guys do them? That is interesting!

[@EarMaster55]

@@craftedworkshop It is uncommon to nail a hardwood floor, as most newer houses have screed floors (not sure if this is the correct term) and no blind floor to nail or screw into. Most hardwood floors are laid floating or maybe glued if there is an underfloor heating.

[@Affordablebath_remodel]

@@EarMaster55 we glue down engineered flooring (basements or slab homes)

[@parkerniernstein2337]

Steve Varga we do the same in the states using sika adhesive or bostic We do full spread on concrete subfloors I havent done a sleeper syatem in a long time , some architects still try

[@mybeatmhz]

@@EarMaster55 every company have variations in chicago . A few things he did are wrong in my company , but the video states for beginners not pros

[@sophiag9032]

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

[@MuadDib_]

Is it industry standard to level the slab/foundation after total reconstruction before putting in a new floor?

[@cubinlinks3683]

As a 10 year installer we put plastic then felt paper to reduce all moisture

[@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.

[@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!

[@gunnerhm]

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

[@Vision000]

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

[@TheSouthernTriker]

So what’s the process if you don’t have a subfloor I have an old home and it’s just concrete foundation under my padding underneath the carpet, I’d like to do some hardwood floors instead of carpet in a room?

[@AD-nn7vh]

Great video right to the point, no crazy music or slogans. Very easy to understand. Why did you not tape the joints with the plastic vapor barrier? Should it be done, why or why not? Im am planing a 16x18 room build over an old garage slab that has about 12 inches between the new floor joist and old slab. One more question, should there be insulation shoved between the joist or none? It is there but no sure it will "breathe" correctly. Anyway great video thanks.

[@deandremattison9183]

Great looking floor. Thanks for the video

[@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.

[@sunilshukla72]

Thanks for video, Great guidance for wood flooring.

[@HD-cb7wq]

Thanks for the video. Have completed installation of about 1000 sq. ft of my home with beautiful California hardwood bamboo flooring. Two tips of advice ... #1 DO NOT NAIL boards. Boards interlock with themselves and should be floating due to expansion and contraction. I used nails on half of my house and now every time I walk on them the nailed boards screech while the non-nailed boards are silent to walk on. #2 Lay boards DIAGONALLY since no room is perfectly square. This will necessitate you buy 5-10% more hardwood flooring but the fit and esthetics are superb. Except for the screeching nailed boards, love my hardwood flooring!

[@kturn5953]

Is the bamboo holding up well (scratches, warping, etc)? Considering that instead of oak. What company did you buy from? Thanks!

[@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.

[@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.

[@dtango8345]

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

[@Crown-and-Down]

Dude, did 1600 sqft of 7 inch engineered hardwood recently. It was stapled and glued. The glue was my first time. It was an easy clean up but added an extra minute or so per board. Supposed to be squeak free. But it was a bear.

[@Louayhashem]

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

[@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

[@FD-dh2fu]

Great JOB! I think one added step could have been to screw down the subfloor before putting on the plastic.

[@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”.

[@maurolimaok]

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

[@betuinseattle7532]

I enjoy watching your video. I subscribed to watch more videos. Thanks for sharing your technique.

[@craftedworkshop]

Awesome, thank you!

[@thomasarussellsr]

Nicely done. Another "cure" the trim on non-straight walls is quarter round trim nailed to the bottom of the baseboards. (Do not nail to the floor as it will restrict the expansion/contraction of the flooring) this also gives an extra aesthetic to the otherwise blocky look of plain square-faced baseboards. Additionally, routing the top edge with some sort of profile will add character to the room and reduce the ledge that collects dust on top of the baseboards.

[@craftedworkshop]

Thanks! I personally am not a fan of quarter round and wanted a clean, square profile, but those are great options.

[@InnovationTree]

The younger generation of house owners don’t like the extra quarter round as it’s looks outdated and frankly annoying to push furniture up against as it’s just the little more room you could have. It is a solution to cover up the gaps for sure though

[@EmanualAvery]

Nice explanation video.Super duper job.👍👌

[@Vlex24]

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

[@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!

[@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.

[@heathriley3692]

Fencing pliers are great for staples and a ton of other uses. I always have a pair in a toolbag.

[@craftedworkshop]

Yea, I need to pick some up!

[@badnbourgeoisie6480]

As a carpet fitter in the UK, we always use a small hand scraper to get the staples up, by far the quickest way

[@whitmorestrains]

I slide my pry bar on the floor. It’s heavy enough to pull the staple out very easily.

[@dillydave13]

I had a room that had a similar problem with electronics. I made and installed a temporary shelf as I was going to paint the room later.

[@bemckinn1985]

You can drive a nail set into the subfloor and use it to pry the pieces together. Ive never used a jack personally

[@frankalvareziii8289]

Nailed it! appreciate the information, Thanks

[@firstname7769]

Is the stapler machine necessary? Or can it be done with a finish nail gun like you did for the row closest to the wall? I only have to do an 18 sqr ft area.

[@zekegold]

Nice tutorials. I have a question. Now my hardwood floor have a little gap between them because of the very cold temperature. What do I do? I know humidifier will help and what else to get rid of the gap?

[@ghostkiller6215]

You will jus af to fill it whit kokin that matches it

[@BenLeclerc]

Insulated underlayment

[@davidv3518]

How did u make sure your first row is straight if your wall is not? Thanks

[@Brentcolo]

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

[@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!

[@Hippyhair5213]

Very well explained video. 👍🏼

[@loveyou211ful]

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

[@chrisdyer232]

what type of saw is that again you used to cut around the trim of the door?

[@debieeo]

Hello 👋 how many hardwood flooring boxes did you get?

[@161mfd]

A flat headed shovel makes really quick work of tack strips. Plus it keeps you off your knees.

[@craftedworkshop]

Good tip!

[@dlove118]

Yeah, grind an edge on it and you can pop out Staples fast too

[@hisnewlife3543]

What do you do about all of the little gaps between the boards?

[@Christin5554]

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

[@larrycarr6372]

Awesome video I've never did hardwood floors and I am about to thanks for the video

[@craftedworkshop]

Glad to help!

[@Steelviper61]

Great video, in Florida we def have to use quarter round and sealant or u lose a lot of AC and we can't have that!

[@jakobnance5277]

Their is trick to closing up the gaps when finish nailing if you don’t have a jack. You can use a flat head or chisel hammer the screwdriver into the subfloor then pull back on the screwdriver up against the board hold into place then nail and it should close the gap it works pretty well

[@k2_tech745]

Use a magnet to find missed staples and nails - a cheap neodymium works best (This is especially important when refinishing hardwood floors before sanding) Gloves help reduce the abrasion that causes blisters as do rubber gripped tools.

[@sarahlacorte1364]

I don’t even own a house yet but now I am kinda eager to lay some flooring!

[@jimrock4214]

I’m just curious why you put the door jam going a different direction and not have the boards continue in the same direction as the bonus room going through the door way and into the hallway

[@jakobnance5277]

Dude you got badass tools

[@petersatzer3010]

A question for those familiar with this kind of flooring: I'm used to flooring that's "free floating" (interconnected boards, with no mechanical connection to the subfloor). These typically need quarter of an inch or a little more on the sides for them to expand and shrink, depending on the size of the room. If the boards for this solid hardwood flooring are nailed individuall to the subfloor, how do they expand and contract without pulling out the fasteners? And why do you need a space at the wall, if you nail the boards right next to the wall to the subfloor? They can't really move without pulling out the fasteners? Maybe I didn't quite understand what's nailed to what and the boards are just fastened together, and not to the subfloor, but if they are connected individually to the subfloor, the floor as a whole should be unable to contract and expand without pulling the staples out.

[@Dannyboy0507]

I have the same question.... doesnt wood expand and shrink? Would nailing affect in some way?

[@SargentandGreenLeaf]

It doesn't expand or contract as much as you think, and you hold the wood back from the edge the quarter inch so that the slight expansion won't push into wall or cause creaking

[@petersatzer3010]

@@SargentandGreenLeaf Thanks for your answer, but I'm still confused by the extend of the gap. How could that wood expand even more than a 16th of an inch. It can only be the expansion of that one floor board you nailed down right next to the wall. And actually only the part of the wood from the nails to the wall. I know that a whole "free floating" floor can contract and expand around a quarter of an inch. So the expansion of one floor board should surely only necessitate a minute gap of a 16th or 32th.

[@Spittin_Bars]

The expansion gap is really necessary, the wood swells mainly with moisture and that is what the expansion gap is for, if the product swells with no expansion gap it creates insane pressure and can actually cause the floor to buckle or cradle where it rises the middle of the room and pushes the walls out.

[@flawlessvic]

1/2 in

[@samahdy]

Just a great video. Only question I have would be how to tackle old time (125 yo) floor radiators? The only solution I have is to do it during summer (Michigan) and disconnect and remove them. Since this was your first go at this, this might be more for the community, so fire away. 750 sqft dining & living room oa and 4 floor radiators. And yeah, from what I can see, the floors have been refinished maybe twice and deeply gouged so that's not a viable option.

[@Homestead925]

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

[@jerelmercurio4754]

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

[@DaphneGsell]

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

[@shellyloch711]

What about any higher lip to other rooms, how can you deal with that. After I put my flooring down, I know it's going to sit a good half inch higher than my living room flooring.. what would I do at that ledge? And how in the world can I easily cut/ measure rounded edges for kitchen?

[@kojoalmighty]

Did you end up completing the other rooms? i wanted to see how you tied them together.