In this article, we will discuss the different products needed for hardwood floor installation. These include: compound, glue, special absorption Putty, and/or foam. While these materials are helpful in their own right, they can also be combined to create larger systems.
For instance, a flooring system could include a layer of glue to seal the pieces together, a layer of putty to fill any openings between the pieces, and/or a layer of foam to top off the space and provide some cushion.
When choosing which material you want for your floors, it is important to know how hard they need to be before trying anything harder. Many companies use very soft woods for their floors and only add harder ones when needed. This is not good enough! You should be able to use any type of wood on your home and get good results with it.
This article will talk about some different kinds of tools needed for hardwood floor installation.
Contents:
Nails
When installing a hardwood floor, you will need to use some nails or pilot holes to hold the floor down. These can be regular or specialized.
Regular pilot holes can be run along the length of the plank and then you place a block of wood under them to ensure they are set in. Specialized pilot holes can be run along the edge of the plank and then you place a piece of wood under that to ensure it is set in.
Either way, these must be installed from above so that any water that comes into contact with the floor does not cause those nails to collapse. This would not look good as there would be water visible on those blocks of wood!
Once these are placed, you are able to start installing your hardwood floor. First, one should determine which side will have the heaviest traffic such as from feet, hand-rail, etc. Then one should decide if they want two or four different thicknesses or if only one is needed.
Floor tape
When hardwood flooring is installed, there are several tape layers that need to be placed on. These include: wood glue, a distress dye, and a protective finish.
Depending on what style of wood you have, these can create some tricky areas to match up with the flooring. For instance, cherry is usually considered a soft wood, so it may not match well with heavy duty flooring like vinyl or synthetic.
Similarly, sanded oak may not fit well into someone’s home decor, as it is typically seen as a strong wood. Its natural resistance to stains and wear makes this an easy fit in this environment.
Tools needed: taping tools are key when hardwood flooring! Luckily, we have some tips here that can help you out. See if you can find all of the names for them below- these are the ones listed in order of top to bottom: tape knife, tape spreader tool, tape puller tool, and the last one- the putty knife.
Puck foam pad
A puck foam pad is a necessary part of hardwood floor installation. Without it, your floors will collapse under the weight of your furniture. A hockey rink is usually 15’–18’ in length, so that gives you some room to add a puck foam pad.
Parquet flooring is typically sold in 2” thick pieces, which make it difficult to add a puck foam pad. However, if the floor is only half an inch thick, then a softer foam like memory foam may work better.
When laying down the puck foam pad, be sure to spread it evenly and gently. If the floor looks solid enough for moving around, then do so! If not, just cover it with another layer of furniture or yourself!
Another piece of woodworking equipment needed is a jig. These are machine tools that are used to cut precise shapes quickly and accurately.
Floor stain
A floor stain is needed for accurate color match. A blue stain is very helpful to have as the flooring can be hard to see.
Many adhesives are used for the installation of the flooring. These include epoxies, glue, and tape. An adequate amount of each can be used for an entire house!
Epoxies are great for attaching the flooring to the sub-floor. This must be done correctly or it will come off in water or spot cleaning. Glue can be used where a sheet of material is needed to bond the flooring to the sub-floor.
Epoxies are nice because they do not need to be mixed and matched with other craft materials or decorations.
Sprayer
Ni-Cd or Ni-D batteries are becoming more common in technological devices. These batteries can be added to either a regular device or a device with a new function.
For example, your cell phone can now have a recharging function that requires a Ni-D battery. Your laptop can have its keyboard replaced with an anti-microbial material that requires a Ni-D battery. Or how electricityModern wood flooring technology is not new! This is what makes flooring so expensive!
The Ni-D battery has two functions. The first is as a power bank. When installing hardwood floors, one must take care to ensure that the installer has enough power to finish the job. Having power left over is the manufacturer’s fault!
The second function of the Ni-D battery is as an indicator for when it needs to be charged. Once it reaches its limit of charge, it needs to be plugged in to receive more energy.
Vacuum attachment
A vacuum attachment is a must for flooring. A vacuum with a low-tuft-and-broom style attachment is the best tool to use for flooring.
This type of vacuum has a rounded bottom that aids in holding the flooring in place. Theibiatoned attachments are typically used with most power vacuums, so there is no learning curve.
Some of these types of attachments include: a rotating disk, a hand-held device, and a drum style unit. An easy first attachment to use is the rotating disk; this saves time when switching from laying boards to rolling or rolling on edge.
Then, once you are comfortable with the initial set of tools, you can add the hand-held device or the rotating disk! Both of these save time when doing other things during the installation process.
Rollers
A roller is a device that is placed on top of a existing floor and placed under the weight of the wood particles. This allows the user to easily move the floor around and add more layers.
They are typically found in storages and closet systems. They are then rolled up and moved around to install new layers or change what is underneath.
These devices are very helpful as they do not have to be re-installed on each step of the removal and installation process. Instead, they are installed at one time, moved around, and installed on the new wood floor.
There are many brands of rollers available, but The Clawhammer Company is one of the most recognizable brands.
Adhesive spray
When doing hardwood flooring, it is important to use quality adhe-sonce. Unfortunately, there are certain brands that are very popular, but do not contain any wood vinegar or sand to aid in the installation. This can be dangerous!
We recommend using either Logwood or Redwood adhesive for hardwood floors. These products are legal and sold over the internet, in stores, and at very low cost. If you need help picking one out, we recommend checking out Woodcraft’s reviews and recommendations.
Another important tool for having at home is a orbital duster. This allows you to cover all of the hard-to-reach areas of the floor, such as under furniture or around decorations. An orbital duster can be purchased online or from a store, however they usually are not seen for sale due to their high cost-of-use factor.
Lastly, waxed paper should be used to protection the floor from damage such as water rings or marks from visitors.