Prep Work

• 1). Rip up the existing flooring and any underlaid materials, using a pry bar and hammer. Most newer houses have a solid plywood subfloor under the finished floor.
  
  
• 2). Run a piece of scrap wood against the exposed sub-floor surface to find any stray nails or staples left over from the previous floor. Verify that the subfloor is completely clean and flat. Smooth out any noticeably high, uneven areas with a floor sander.
  
  
• 3). Walk around on the subfloor and check for squeaks. Nail down any loose, noisy spots with 8d nails and a hammer.
  
  
• 4). Sweep the floor with a broom to get rid of all debris.
  
  
• 5). Cover the subfloor with rosin paper, overlapping the sheets by a few inches. Cut the sheets to fit and attach them with a staple gun.
  
  

Laying the Floor

• 1). Measure the width of the room from multiple points to find an accurate center line. Mark the center line with a chalk line. Find the floor joists and mark their locations along the walls. Snap a chalk line across the room to mark the locations of the supporting members.
  
  
• 2). Make a chalk line parallel to the center line, 1 1/2 inch from the starting wall. This is where the edge of the first floor boards will go.
  
  
• 3). Place the longest boards along the starting line. Drill nail holes into the boards. Hammer flooring nails through the holes, into the subfloor and joist. Drill and nail the next three rows by hand. After that, use an air-assisted floor nailer to attach the boards. Continue across the room until you reach the last row.
  
  
• 4). Tighten up the last row's joint with a pry bar. Drill and nail the final row by hand, as you did the first row.
  
  
• 5). Install a beveled reducer strip to adjust for a change of floor height between adjacent rooms and the new floor.