Solid prefinished hardwood is sold as ready to install wood strips that are already sanded, stained, and finished with multiple coats of polyurethane and aluminum oxide protective finish.
A range of grades, colors, sizes and sheens are available to blend with any décor.

Installation Tips!

Surface Preparation

• All sub floors must be clean, level, absolutely flat and dry. Scrape and smooth any debris off of the surface. Sand high areas or joints. Fill low areas and cracks with proper compounds.
• The sub floor surface must be structurally sound
• Prepare all doorways and walls. Undercut all door casings. Remove all moldings.
• Concrete sub-floor must be completely cured and dried (8-12 weeks old) with minimum surface temperature of 60ºF (15ºC) and maximum moisture content of 2% dry-weight basis. The ideal relative humidity in the room should be 55%.
• Wood sub floors need to be well secured with counter sunk screws on ring shank nails. It should not exceed 14% moisture prior to installation.

Irregularities on the sub floor flatness must not exceed 1/8” every 8 feet.

Nail Down Instalaltion

This method of flooring installation may give some advantages over the other methods such as speed, reduced labor materials and more immediate “use” of the floor. However, the process is more difficult and some professional assistance may be required. It is necessary to use a ¾” (18mm) minimum thickness pay-wood sub floor with this method of installation of installation to reach the decree of surface flatness as specified in “SURFACE PREPARATION”. Gap for expansion space between pay-wood boards and around the perimeter of the installed ply-wood sub floor must be provided in accordance with the manufacturers specifications. The moisture content of the ply-wood must be ensured to meet what is specified under “INSPECTION & PREPARATION”.

Step 1 – Locate the longest wall in the room by which the direction of the flooring should follow. Depending on the type of flooring used, draw a starting line on the ply-wood sub floor parallel to that wall, by a distance equaling the width of the floorboard chosen + ½”). For instance, when installing flooring with 3.5” (90mm) width, the distance from the wall should be 4” (3.5” +0.5”). The additional ½” space is meant to create space for expansions. It is vital to ensure the line is totally straight and that installation begins with a perfectly straight and square start.

Step 2 – Pick the first floorboard and aligning it along the start line, with the groove side facing the wall. The installation should ideally begin from the right side of the room. Alignment must be done between the outer edge of the floorboard and the start line. NOT between the tip of the tongue and the start line. Use spacing wedge, if necessary, to create the ½” (12mm) expansion gap. Once the floorboard is aligned perfectly, face nail the board with the nail perpendicular to the surface.  Place nails as close as possible to the wall, so that after completion, when the base molding is fixed, the head of the nail will be concealed under the base molding. Nailing the other long side of the floorboard on the tongue for this first row has to be done with the nail slightly inclined and the nail head driven flush with a nail punch. Care must be taken on the placement of the nail. The nails should be spaced every 10-12 cm (every 4-5”) apart, and should be more than 2” (5cm) from either end of the floorboards. Use 1 – 1.5” finishing nails depending on the thickness of the floorboards installed. Continue the same step until the first row is completed. Remember to cut the last floorboard in the row to create the needed expansion gap of ½” (12mm) from the wall. Start the second row in the same manner. Use the remaining board from the first row or use fresh floorboard. Cut the board if necessary to crate staggered joints that are at least 20” (480mm) apart. From the second row on, nailing is done on the tongue side only. The first and last rows must be nailed down by hand because they are closer to the wall. Continue to install all the remaining rows. (Use a nailing machine if necessary to speed up the job). If nailing machine must be used, it is important to sacrifice some floorboards to test & adjust the machine. Hardwood varies in its density between one species and the next. The machined has to be adjusted from time to time to suit each particular job. The base plate of the machine must be clean, smooth ad free from any nicks and scratches to avoid damages to the flooring surface. Do not put machine directly on floor surface; always use protective cardboard or mats. Do not hesitate to seek professional assistance whenever required.

Step 3 – The final row of flooring is usually narrow and it will likely be necessary to rip floorboards lengthwise to fill in the row. Measure the remaining space and cut the boards accordingly, ensuring a ½” (12mm) gap at all sides. Nail down this last row in the same manner as the nailing of the first row, and complete the installation. Once the nail down work is completed, install all the skirting and moldings. Make sure that all skirting/molding are fixed onto the adjacent wall only, NOT directly to the floor. Clean the surface and refer to “CARE & MAINTENTANCE” for additional information.