Installation
How to lay the flooring
The traditional method of laying the floor is in a random pattern. We ship you approximately equal amounts of all three widths.
When installing in dry or wintertime season, lay the boards snuggly one to another, but not so tightly that the boards cannot expand in warmer, more humid weather when windows are open.
If laying the boards in warm, humid weather, reverse the procedure and lay the boards more tightly to reduce the potential for wintertime shrinkage. Hairline gaps, however are a natural and expected part of the traditional appearance of a wide pine floor.
Face-nailing
By using the traditional method of face-nailing, we believe that this
flooring can be installed in a fraction of the time required to
toe-nail narrow-strip hardwood flooring. The saving in labor is
significant. We suggest face nailing every other joist, presuming the
joists are 16 inches on center. Nail no closer than 2 inches from the
end of a board to prevent splitting.The traditional nail used in face-nailing is a cut nail which is cut from a sheet of steel, Thus the shank of the nail is rectangular unlike the round shank of the standard wire nail. Cut nails do not drive quite like wire nails. We have listed several online sources of cut nails for your convenience.
Pre-drilling technique
To be
safe and eliminate the possibility of denting the flooring with an
errant blow, consider pre-drilling a hole in which to set the nail.
With a battery-powered hand drill, this is a procedure of seconds. If
you are still uneasy about your expertise with a hammer, drill a small
hole in a piece of heavy stock (linoleum, heavy cardboard, etc.) and
nail through that as a protection against a glancing blow that would
leave a dent.
