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Install: Now that you have made the decision
to install heart pine, you are ready to go. Some suggestions
we feel might come in handy throughout the process are included
in this section. Please click on any of the headings for useful
information on everything from site preparation to sanding
and finishing your new hardwood floor.
The subfloor: Your wood floor's foundation
Nearly all squeaks and cracks can be directly traced
to an inadequate subfloor. A sound subfloor is the crux of
a sturdy floor. A plank subfloor should be at least 6"
wide boards installed diagonally to the joists. When installing
a plywood subfloor, 3/4" exterior grade is recommended
if your finished flooring is 3/4" thick. If wood flooring
is installed over concrete, check for wetness by taping down
a square yard of plastic for 72 hours to see if condensation
forms. Once dry, you can install a joist system or just a
grid of pressure-treated lumber (screed system) over the concrete.
Align the edges with the joists for strength and stagger adjacent
rows four feet. You can even cut the plywood into 4' squares
to create a smaller area over which each panel can move. Nail
every six inches along each joist with 8D or larger nails.
You can use adhesive before nailing to further reduce movement
and possible squeaks.
If you choose to put in a sleeper (or screed) system over
a concrete slab, dry pressure treated 2x4s are preferred.
These should be 18" to 4' in length and staggered on
centers with an air gap on all overlap joints. Lay them perpendicular
to the direction of the finished flooring and secure them
with T-nails staggered side-to-side 4” to 6” apart.
Leave expansion joints of at least 1/8 inch between each
panel, section, or board of the subfloor. Research has shown
that two or three years after the floor is installed the subfloor
will measure 2-3% higher moisture content than the floor.
The subfloor has less access to heating and air conditioning
than the floor, and will expand slightly from the additional
moisture.
Use a 6' to 10' straightedge to check the subfloor for high
areas, and sand any high spot so the subfloor is as flat as
possible. Next put down 30 pound felt paper carefully butt-edged,
not overlapped. The felt reduces the chance of squeaks and
helps circulation around the floorboards. 
Humidity
First of all, heart pine, like any wood, is a natural
product. It is made up of tiny cells, which take on or give
off water with moisture in the air, and will therefore shrink
or expand somewhat with changes in relative humidity. The
humidity levels inside a building will vary with heating or
air conditioning seasons. As the humidity varies the dimensions
of floorboards and any wood products will also change slightly.
Relative humidity in the dwelling should be stabilized at
40-60 percent. Be sure the drywall and sub-floor of the house
are dry prior to installation. If the newly installed floor
absorbs moisture from its surroundings it will expand and
compress, but it will not decompress to the full dimension
once the site dries.
Here's how to best preserve your wood floor and all fine wood:
- Turn the thermostat to your typical setting about three
weeks before the flooring is due to arrive with all outside
doors and windows in place. This will help to stabilize
humidity levels between 40% and 60%, and establish an ambient
temperature of between 50 degrees and 90 degrees Fahrenheit.
It's ideal to maintain these humidity and temperature conditions
as much of the time as possible throughout the life of the
building.
- Some buildings may need a humidifier to maintain a healthy
humidity level and prevent excess shrinking of the building
materials.
- Beware of leaving a house closed up with the air conditioning
off during summer months when excess humidity may get trapped
inside the house.
- Season all concrete, mortar, and plaster areas a minimum
of 60 days. You can check if concrete is dry by using a
few drops of phenylthalene (available at most drugstores).
Or you can use a vapor barrier test. Tape a 3’ x 3’
piece of 6 millimeter poly-film securely to the slab. Allow
this barrier to remain secured for 72 hours, then remove
and check for moisture under the film.
- Check that crawl spaces are dry and well cross-ventilated.
Even an old house can have moisture in the slab or water
under the house. All that is required for these conditions
to occur is for dirt to be piled up around the slab for
landscaping or for the ground under the house to be lower
than the ground around the house.
- Direct rainfall or excessive moisture away from the structure
with surface drainage. Good drainage is a 3" or greater
slope per every 10 feet. Build up the ground level under
the house so that it is higher than ground level around
the outside of the foundation of the foundation.
- If you do have the potential for moisture intrusion from
underneath the flooring, the treatment may be as simple
as a layer of plastic taped under the building or between
the slab and subfloor. Tape the plastic anywhere there are
seams. Be sure not to pierce this vapor barrier with nails
or staples when installing the floor.
There are many, many solutions to moisture intrusion depending
on the type of construction and area of the country. For example,
some of the oldest houses in southern Florida were built without
any subfloor to provide maximum circulation for the floor.
This is an extreme example and requires the best drainage
and planning. We do not recommend it, but it serves to demonstrate
the diversity of options that are available if you investigate
the natural construction techniques for your location.
Acclimation
Ideal acclimation time is two to four weeks, with
a seven to ten day minimum. Air temperature and humidity conditions
that will exist throughout the life of the structure should
be established well before the flooring arrives and left on
during the entire acclimation time.
When delivering wood flooring to the site, do not unload
in the rain, drizzle, snow, or extremely moist weather. While
the wood is acclimating, it should be stacked so that air
can circulate around each board. Use a good quality moisture
meter to check your floor. Be sure the floor and subfloor
are within 2% of each other's moisture content at installation.
The moisture content should be consistent board to board and
section to section within 1-2%. If there is a variation of
more than 2% in the moisture content of the more dense boards
from the lighter boards, this is one sign that the floor may
not be fully acclimated.
Moisture
Check moisture content with a high quality, accurate
moisture meter. The floor should measure 8 to 14 percent in
most conditions and the floor and subfloor should be no more
than 2 percent difference at installation. However, the moisture
content of the floor should match the relative humidity of
the environment in which it will be installed. If your indoor
living areas are outside the range of 8 to 14 percent, you
may want to consider special measures: additional acclimation
time, a vapor barrier, or perhaps a humidifier or dehumidifier.
Site Preparation
All concrete, plaster and mortar projects should
be seasoned at least 60 days before delivery of flooring materials.
Always test concrete for moisture regardless of how long it
has been poured. Check basements and crawl spaces to be sure
they have good cross-ventilation. Wood floors require 1 1/2
square feet of ventilation per 100 square feet of floor. Surface
drainage should direct rainfall or excessive moisture away
from the structure. Keep sprinklers from spraying on the house
around wood floors.
Plan the Layout
Take time to plan the layout of your wood floor so that the
last few boards don't have to accommodate all of the difference
for an out-of-square room. Maintain a 3/4" gap around
the edge of the room. Never "zero-fit" the floorboards
to the room. The floor must be able to expand in all directions
without any pressure.
You can often hide any differences in dimensions around the
room gaps around the edges of the room. Or you may be able
to hide a tapered floorboard under a counter or along a wall
that is not immediately noticeable when you first walk into
the room.
Consider any special treatments such as "framing"
doorways, fireplaces, masonry, or other protrusions into the
room with wider boards and decorative effects. You can turn
decorative boards perpendicular to the floor, screw and peg
them, and join them at the corners with a 45-degree angle
instead of a butt joint.
Board Selection
Select several straight boards for the first and last few
rows. Some boards are naturally more crooked than others,
and you can pull them into place easily when working in the
middle of the room. The simplest way to get a crooked board
into place before nailing is to drive a screwdriver into the
subfloor for leverage. However, it's easier to work with a
straight board while you're pulling up near the wall.
Laying the Floor
Lay the floor perpendicular to the joists if possible. If
you decide to lay it parallel to the joists you'll need an
especially strong subfloor. Small marks at the base of the
wall help locate the joists during installation. Stagger flooring
during installation so that the end joints are at least 4"
to 6", or farther, apart in any direction.
It is not necessary to end-match heart pine. Oak is often
end-matched because the average board is only 2-4' long. A
heart pine floor usually averages 6-10' boards. There will
be some shorter pieces, but these can be mixed in or used
at the walls.
Many professionals suggest that installation begin in the
middle of the room. Flooring expands in the direction of the
tongue, so any movement as humidity levels change will be
from the center out instead of across the entire width of
the floor. Use a center spline between the two facing grooves
of the center boards. Others suggest that you install from
one wall to the other, left to right if you are right handed.
All agree that power nailers are faster and diminish the chance
of hammer marks on the floor.
Always maintain a 1/2" to 3/4" air gap around all
walls or protrusions. The floor must be allowed to expand
without any pressure. You can cover the gaps easily with base
and matching shoe moulding. Base and shoe moulding is usually
nailed to the wall instead of the floor. Leave room for a
business card (a very slight air gap) to slide on top of the
floor and under the moulding. Undercut doorjambs for flooring
to slide under.
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