- 1). Sweep and mop the floor and remove the base shoe or quarter-round molding at the bottom of your baseboards with a flat pry bar. Pull the nails through the back of the molding with locking pliers to prevent damage to the face and set it aside.
- 2). Lay a thickness of plastic sheeting vapor barrier on top of the old hardwood floors. This helps to prevent moisture from building up on the underside of your new floor. Overlap the rows of the underlay slightly for adequate coverage.
- 3). Install a layer of foam underlay over the vapor barrier to help level the floor and reduce noise. Do not overlap the rows of underlay, butt them up to each other. Cut the pieces to length with a utility knife.
- 4). Set spacers ½-inch thick every 12 to 16 inches along the longest wall. Lay the first row of flooring planks against these spacers, starting in one corner with the groove side of the tongue and groove toward the wall. Space the end ½ inch away from the wall as well.
- 5). Add boards end to end, fitting the locking channel together according to the packaged instructions that came with your flooring. In general the new plank will need to be tapped from the opposite end with a rubber mallet to seat it into the end of the first board. Some need to be inserted at a slight angle, consult the instructions from your packaging for details.
- 6). Install full boards as far you can. Measure and cut a piece to fit between the last full piece and the far wall. Leave ½-inch space to the wall. Install the final piece.
- 7). Start the second row with the piece you cut from the last board of the first row. This will stagger the end joints for the most appealing and strongest floor pattern. Tap the new row toward the first row to seat the groove over the tongue. Consult manufacturer's packaged instructions for specifics, some must be inserted at a slight angle as for ends.
- 8). Add full width rows as far as possible. Measure and cut enough pieces to width to fill the last row between the last full board and the wall, leave ½-inch gap to the wall.
- 9). Realign the base shoe or quarter round and nail it in place with one finish nail every 12 to 16 inches.
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