How to Install Brazilian Teak
- 1). Buy enough wood for the room, then keep it inside for up to two weeks so it becomes acclimated to the inside space and will not swell or shrink later.
- 2). Lay down 3/4-inch CDX. This will provide a good base for the Brazilian teak.
- 3). Lay down two layers of rosin paper on top of the CDX plywood. Do not secure it, as its purpose is to cut down on squeaks. Securing it will defeat this purpose.
- 4). Lay the Brazilian teak floorboard down, snugging it against the wall. Make sure it runs perpendicularly across the floor joists.
- 5). Secure the floor board to the CDX by driving a cleat through the tongue into the CDX and the joist with a pneumatic nail gun, capable of 70 to 100 PSI. Drive a cleat at an angle into the tongue at 8-inch intervals. (Cleats are recommended instead of nails because nails fasten the wood too tightly to the floor. The wood will swell and shrink seasonally, and cleats allow for more of this movement.)
- 6). Snug the next Brazilian teak board tightly against the first, and drive the cleats through the tongue in the same fashion. Remember to stagger the boards so that the ends do not line up. Continue installing the Brazilian teak in the same fashion for the rest of the floor.
