- 1). Analyze the types of installation and what will suit you and your home. In a floating installation, the floor floats on top of the subfloor. It connects to itself via an interlocking system and snaps in one plank to the next, which makes for an easier installation. Glue-down installation requires an adhesive to bond the flooring to the subfloor. It works well over concrete or wood floors. Nail-down installation requires securing the boards with nails to a wooden subfloor.
- 2). Measure your room, using a tape measure. Know the square footage so you'll know how much underlayment, sheet plastic, and flooring you'll need. Follow the manufacturer's guidelines on coverage.
- 3). Remove baseboards with a pry bar and save them for later use. Lay down a thin layer of plastic sheeting if you're using the floating installation or nail-down method. Overlap the seams by about 6 inches and seal them, using clear plastic tape or whatever adhesive the manufacturer provides. Lay the underlayment according to the manufacturer's instructions. Use neither sheeting nor underlayment in the glue-down installation as the glue will bond to the underlayment instead of the flooring. With the glue-down and nailing installations, you'll also have to measure the width of two boards (and one ¼-inch spacer) away from the wall and snap a straight chalk line across the room at that measurement. That will be your starting point.
- 4). Calculate the width of the last row of flooring you'll put down. All methods require a ¼-inch spacer around the edges of the room, so take this into account. If the last row measures less than 1 1/2 inch, use a hand saw to cut the first row down to bring the measurement up to 1 1/2 inch or more. The last row probably will need to be cut to fit, and if your walls are not entirely square you'll need to sand some pieces down.
- 5). Install the first row. In all methods, put ¼-inch spacers between the board and the wall to allow for expansion. For a floating floor, point the groove side at the wall. Use moistureproof wood glue to join the end edges of the flooring. Use this glue along the lower lips of the groove and the upper lips of the tongues of each row, also gluing the joints between planks, to ensure a snug fit. After you've laid two or three rows, give the glue a few hours to dry before continuing. For the glue-down installation, use a notched trowel to spread the glue from the chalk line out about the width of two boards. Follow the manufacturer's directions on how long to let the glue set. When laying the boards in either the glue installation or the nailing method, make certain that the tongues of the planks face the starter wall. In the nailing installation, secure each board to the subfloor with a nail gun. Follow the manufacturer's guidelines for the distance between and the type of nail.
- 6). Stagger the joints, either by using the remains of boards you cut to fit earlier, or by cutting a new board no less than 12 inches. Staggering the joints increases the strength of the flooring.
- 7). Fit each tongue into each groove and tamp them down with a rubber mallet if you need to. With the glue-down method, work with about 3 feet of glue at a time, so it doesn't dry before you're ready. In the nailing method, shoot the nails into the top, inside the tongue edge at a 45-degree angle.
- 8). Cut the last row with the hand saw, taking the 1/4-inch spacers into account. You may have to remove the tongue of the last board to get it to fit. Once the flooring is finished, put the baseboards back on, nailing these to the wall and not to the floor.
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