"I am my own installer, thank you, looking for advice.
A journeyman wood floor installer, accredited by The Wood Floor Conservancy is called a Floorwright. He or she:
- is referral only.
- is a floor joiner AND finisher which means he or she can service what they sell.
- offers limited lifetime guarantees of construction and wearthrough for qualifying residential customers.
without exception,
- utilizes The Wood Floor Conservancy's Shipping and Distribution Audit and Jobsite Audit which guarantee safe delivery of stable flooring into stable environments.
Nail down flooring must be installed perpendicular to joists. The only time this cardinal rule can be broken is MAYBE when the subfloor thickness exceed 1 inch. It must be proven with a straight edge that there's no flex between the joists.
A minimum expansion gap of ¼” will be maintained at your floor’s perimeter, as needed. Subflooring for a nail down installation must be sound and level ¾” thick plywood. NEVER particle board. OCCASIONALLY oriented strand board, IF
-the OSB is 3/4" tongue and groove
-the house is at least 5 years old
-and is stable, (no wet basement, for example.)
Both plywood and concrete substrates must be level to within 1/8” per 10’. Does this sound like the real world? Of course not. It is simply what we shoot for because most wood flooring is joined and each joint in a natural product like a wood floor will have its tolerance.
Guaranteed, over time, your wood floor will tell you if you short-cut the leveling process.
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