Wood & Engineered Wood

Removal

Getting the old floor, adhesive, and fasteners out without damaging the substrate.

• Removing Nail-Down Hardwood and Staples

  Pulling nailed and stapled hardwood by hand or with a scraper shank, cutting boards out, clearing fasteners from the subfloor, and the lead rules for older h...

• Removing Glue-Down Hardwood

  Scraping glue-down wood off concrete with carbide shanks, what to do about old cutback, and cleaning the slab for a new urethane adhesive.

• Walk-Behind vs Ride-On Scrapers: Choosing by Job Size

  How to choose between a walk-behind and a ride-on floor scraper by job size, access, material and power source, with the models that fit each case.

Surface Prep

Patching, leveling, and testing so the new floor has something to bond to.

• Underlayment for Floating Floors

  When a floating floor needs separate underlayment, when it doesn't, the 6-mil poly question over concrete, and thickness limits, by manufacturer.

• Sanding Wood Floors: Machines and Grit Sequence

  Sanding angles, grit sequences, drum and edger technique, and dust, fire and lead rules for sanding wood floors, from Lägler, Bona, NWFA and EPA.

• Self-Leveling Underlayment: When and How

  Profile, primer, water, depth and cure time for self-leveling underlayment, including metal lath over wood subfloors.

• Silica Dust & Respiratory Safety (OSHA Table 1)

  What OSHA's construction silica standard requires for floor grinding, tile cutting and dust cleanup, including the Table 1 controls for the tools flooring cr...

• Subfloor Flatness Standards (ASTM F710)

  Flatness tolerances for resilient, tile and wood, how to check them with a straightedge, and how to fix highs and lows before you install.

• Subfloor Moisture Testing: Calcium Chloride vs RH Probes

  In-situ RH probes (ASTM F2170) vs calcium chloride (ASTM F1869): what each measures, how to run them, and why you can't convert one to the other.

• Acclimating Wood Flooring and Checking Subfloor Moisture

  NWFA-based guidance on conditioning the jobsite, how many moisture readings to take, and the allowed difference between flooring and subfloor.

Installation

Layout, cutting, adhesives, seaming, and the install itself.

• Glue-Down Engineered Wood: Trowel and Adhesive

  Trowel notch, coverage, moisture limits and transfer checks for gluing engineered wood to concrete, using Bostik and Sika data as examples.

• Tapping Blocks, Pull Bars and Spacers

  How to use tapping blocks, pull bars, spacers and mallets on click and tongue-and-groove floors without breaking the locking profile.

• Toe-Kick Saws: Cutting Flooring Out Under Cabinets

  Using a toe-kick saw to cut flooring out under cabinets: depth settings, guard and kickback rules from Crain's manual, and finishing corners.

• Undercutting Door Jambs and Casings

  Undercutting door jambs and casings so new flooring slides underneath: setting blade height, choosing a jamb saw, and avoiding the cuts that show.

Finishing

Transitions, wall base, stairs, and edge details.

• Cutting Base Shoe and Quarter Round Miters

  Cutting and fastening quarter round and base shoe: 45-degree corners, returns and splices, and why trim is nailed to the wall, never the floor.

• Transition Strips & Thresholds by Height Difference

  How to pick a transition by the height difference between floors, what the ADA allows on accessible routes, and the mistakes that cause trip edges and failed...

• Installing Wood and LVP Stair Nosing

  Installing wood and LVP on stairs: full-adhesion rules from Shaw and Mohawk, nosing types, and checking riser heights against code.

Maintenance

Keeping machines and tools running between jobs.

• Undercut and Jamb Saw Blade Changes

  Changing blades on Crain and Roberts undercut, jamb and toe-kick saws: unplugging, spindle locks, blade direction, height and depth settings, and brushes.

Shop the tools

• Jamb Saws & Toe Kick Saws
• Jamb Saw & Undercut Saw Blades
• Pry Bars & Molding Lifters
• Tapping Blocks, Spacers & Straps
• Moisture Meters
• Miter Boxes & Miter Shears
• LVP & Wood Stair Tools
• Trowels