Solid Wood Flooring from Hackworth Sawmill

Fitting Wooden Floors

Step by Step. Please note that this should not be seen as a definitive guide. It is based on my own experiences of fitting hardwood floors over a number of years, i.e. this is how I do it.
Assuming that all moisture checks etc have been carried out, the floorboards have been checked and evaluated, picking out any with particular features which you would like in a prominent position, those which might look better at the edge of the room or under the settee or bed, you have checked that the room is square, and decided how the boards are going to fit if it isn't, you have fitted a damp-proof membrane if one is required, and that you are ready to fit the floor, the first step is to fit the first row. The most important thing is to ensure that this first row (and the boards in it) is perfectly straight. If it isn't, it will throw every subsequent row out and lead to gaps between boards. It also has to be fixed firmly since subsequent rows will be pushed against it. The best way to achieve this is to cut wooden pegs approximately 15 mm thick and place these between the wall and the first row of flooring, trimming them as necessary to ensure that the row is straight. Check this with a chalk or builder's line. You may have to cut the first row to shape if the wall is uneven or the room not square. Do take your time over this. Your hardwood floor could be down for over a hundred years, so a few more minutes at this stage is a drop in the ocean. Working with the tongue towards you, put the boards which make up the first row into position making sure that you leave a 10 to 15 mm gap between the wall and the end of the first board. Fit subsequent boards, finally cutting the last one to length, allowing a 10 to 15 mm gap against the wall (Remember that if you are fitting your wooden floor to joists or battens, provided the floor is ends matched, i.e. has a tongue and groove in the ends, then you do not have to cut the boards so that they meet on a joist - they will be self-supporting). Once you have checked that the row is perfectly straight, nail or screw it into place with fixings at every joist or batten, or at every 350 mm. if fixing to an existing wooden floor. Note that some people put surface fixings in the floor against the wall to ensure that the edge of the floor is held down.
Now for the second row. Assuming that you had to cut the last board in the first row, go back to where you started the first row, and use the piece which you cut off to start the second row, provided that it does not end close to a longitudinal join in the first row (always make sure that these joins are staggered). If it is too close, put the piece of flooring to one side for use later, and select (or cut) a fresh board. Once this second row is cut to length, work your way along it pushing the boards firmly into place against the first row. You may have to tap the boards to achieve a tight fit and the best way to avoid damage to the edge of the board is to use a block with a groove in it, cut from a scrap piece of wood. In difficult cases, you might have to use more pressure, and assuming you do not have flooring clamps (you can hire them from tool hire companies), one way of doing this is to hammer a chisel into the joist at the back edge of the scrap block and use this as a lever. Sometimes there are extreme cases,for example where a long board has bent along its length, which make it difficult to achieve a tight fit without any gaps. You might be able to find a way of exerting sufficient pressure to straighten the board. Personally I have achieved this by using a car jack which I have braced against the opposite wall or against blocks of wood which I have screwed into the joist. Another solution is to cut the offending board into shorter pieces and use these to start and end rows. Once the second row is in place, and again check that it is straight, nail or screw into place.
All that remains is to work your way sytematically across the room. Take your time, and remember that what you might see as a slight imperfection as you are fitting the floor will not be an issue once the room is full of furniture.
See also gluing wood flooring to concrete and finishing hardwood flooring