Installing Wood Floors

Home-improvement stores carry parquet flooring and planks in cartons with installation instructions.

by Kathy Barberich
Scripps Howard News Service

There's plenty on the do-it-yourself market for people who want to install wood floors on their own.

Home-improvement stores carry parquet flooring and planks in cartons with installation instructions. Enough oak planks to cover 15-16 square feet costs $48-$63 a case.

Doug Mitchell of Renaissance Old World Flooring, in Fresno, Calif., says installing over a wood subfloor is easiest. Gluing is a little trickier because it must adhere properly to prevent moisture from getting underneath and causing the floor to buckle.

"Almost all hardwood flooring is sold pre-finished," Mitchell says, which makes it easier for the do-it-yourselfer, although he cautions that "laying a wood floor should probably be left to professionals." He concedes that the laminates--imitation wood flooring--are of higher quality than they used to be and easier to install. Repairing, however, can be tricky, Mitchell says.

On Lowe's Home Improvement Store website, www.lowes.com, information is posted on how to install and repair wood floors.

Resources
hand-planed solid hardwood floors
Featuring solid character-mark-grade flooring in cherry, mahogany, walnut, and alder. Handplaned to order, their 3/4" thick tongue-and-groove plank boards are offered in 4" and 5" widths and finished raw, stained, or in a handrubbed antique glaze.
Renaissance Old World Flooring Co.
Toll Free Phone: 888-736-2477