Of all the flooring options, hardwood is arguably the most coveted among homeowners. Sleek, durable and breathable, hardwood flooring makes a statement in any room. Unfortunately, one peek at the costs of professional installation might make you push hardwood flooring to the bottom of your home improvement wish list – but it doesn’t have to. 

If you’re tired of letting installation prices scare you away from your glossy, hardwood dreams, it’s time to take the nail gun into your own hands. Read on to learn how to save money by going the DIY route for buying and installing hardwood floors.

Types of Hardwood Flooring

Before starting your project, it’s important to be familiar with the different types of hardwood flooring, solid and engineered hardwood. While similar in look, these types vary by composition, price and moisture resistance. 

Solid Hardwood

As the name implies, solid hardwood flooring is made of pure, solid wood. Each board is a single piece of wood that is about three quarters of an inch thick. “Solid hardwood floors are very durable,” says Tom Ory, owner of Enterprise Wood Products. 

“Solid hardwood pricing varies depending on species and finishes, but when you factor in their durability, they are definitely a great purchase,” says Ory. “It is also known that having solid hardwood flooring in your home will increase its value, making it an investment as well.” 

With good maintenance, solid hardwood can last for over 100 years, and should be sanded and refinished about once every ten years.

Engineered Hardwood

Engineered hardwood boards are made up of layered wood and plywood. The top and bottom of the boards are thin layers of solid wood, but between them lies a high-quality plywood base. 

Engineered wood is typically less expensive than solid hardwood. Some premium engineered flooring can have added durability finishes or higher quality core layers, which can cost more than lower-end solid hardwood options.

The benefit of engineered hardwood is that it is less sensitive to moisture and easy to use in a DIY hardwood installation, saving you money on labor costs.

Types of Hardwood Flooring Installation

While there are many methods of hardwood floor installation to choose from, simplicity is key if you’re installing the flooring yourself. These are the two most popular DIY installation designs for hardwood flooring:

Click-Lock: This design is incredibly easy to install, relative to other options. As its name suggests, the end joints are designed to click and lock together without the help of adhesives, which helps your flooring joints hold tightly together. 

Tongue and Groove: While this style is designed the same as click-lock, the end joints for tongue and groove flooring do not lock, so you’ll need to nail them down and/or use adhesive to glue the pieces together. 

Hardwood Floor Installation Costs

Hardwood flooring costs can vary depending on a wide variety of factors, including wood type, finish, board thickness, grain quality, demand and design type. In addition, homeowners going the DIY route should take into consideration the cost of tools they’ll need to buy or rent when budgeting for the project. We’ve broken down the average costs of materials and installation by types of hardwood flooring:

Tips for Buying Hardwood Flooring:

• On average, engineered hardwood is less expensive than solid hardwood.
• Although solid wood can be refinished more over its lifespan, engineered is much less sensitive to moisture.
• For installations in your basement or over concrete, you cannot use solid hardwood – you must use engineered wood.
• Tongue and groove flooring is more time-consuming to install, but tends to be less expensive than click-lock.
• Click-lock flooring is really easy to install, making it ideal for low-budget hardwood floor DIY projects.
• Engineered hardwood is often preferred for DIY installations due to its design and durability.
• Solid hardwood is usually not recommended for DIY installations due to its tendency to move and expand.
• Installing hardwood floors yourself takes preparation and time, but is a great way to cut hardwood flooring costs. 

Engineered oak hardwood is a relatively inexpensive yet durable hardwood flooring option for a DIY installation. Choosing prefinished engineered oak hardwood eliminates the cost and effort of finishing the floors once they’re installed. You can save even more money by choosing tongue and groove planks, or you can save yourself some time and effort by choosing a click-lock design. 

Whichever design you choose, you’ll be well on your way to installing beautiful, budget-friendly hardwood floors – and we’ll show you how to do it.

Part 1: Prep Your Workspace

Before you start working, we recommend removing all items from the room you’ll be working in, including any hanging pictures or decorations, as they will collect dust during the installation process. 

1. Remove Existing Flooring

Before installing your new hardwood floors, you’ll need to remove the existing flooring. Whether you’re removing carpet, laminate or tile, we have step-by-step guides to walk you through the process.

• How to Remove Carpet
• How to Remove Tile Flooring
• How to Remove Laminate Flooring

2. Prepare Your Subfloor

Without a proper base, your new flooring won’t have the support it needs. Make sure the area is moisture-free, level and clean before you dive into your project. Remember that it's best to run your boards perpendicular to the floor joists beneath your subfloor. If you have to run them parallel, you can install another layer of plywood for added strength. “Also, be very conscious about the subfloor you install on,” says Kristin Warner of Floor Critics. “Never install over heated floors or fresh concrete.”

You’ll also want to prepare any doorways ahead of time. If your hardwood flooring will sit higher than the bottom of your door jamb, you’ll need to cut it so the planks can sit underneath.

3. Bring In Your Flooring Materials

Measure the square footage of the room by multiplying the length by the width. Purchase about 10 percent more material than needed to account for warped or flawed boards. Let the boxes sit for 72 hours to allow the material to acclimate to moisture in the room. Some experts say it’s best to take the boards out of the boxes, as it allows the air to hit all sides.

This is also the time to make sure you’re prepared with some essential DIY tools before proceeding to the installation steps.

4. Map Out Your Flooring 

For a seamless look all the way through, you’ll want a strategy laid out beforehand.

Here are a few tips for a strong hardwood floor setup:

Mark a Starting Line: For flooring that’s square to your room, you’ll need to create a starting line for reference. First, measure and mark the center of each wall. Next, snap a chalk line between both sets of walls to find the center of the room – it should look like a set of crosshairs on your subfloor. Then, measure from the middle of the crosshairs to the wall you want to start with. Subtract the space for your expansion gap, and mark a line from this distance parallel to your starting wall using a chalk line. This will give you a straight, square starting line.

Make Cuts for Your End Rows: Plan for your first and last rows ahead of time to prevent awkward gaps or skinny partial boards at the end of your installation. To do this, measure the width of your room, subtracting your expansion gap. Then, divide this measurement by the width of your flooring planks. This will tell you how many full boards will fit and how much space will be left over. Divide this leftover space by two to find the proper width of your first and last boards.

Example: Your room is 12 feet wide (after subtracting both expansion gaps), and your planks are 5 inches wide. You can fit 28 full planks, with 4 inches to spare. This means your first and last boards should be 2 inches wide. 

Keep in mind that the minimum width for a hardwood plank is 2 inches. Wait to cut your final row until it's time to install it – this will ensure you get the most accurate measurement. Lastly, when cutting your end boards, be sure to use the tongue end for your starting row and the groove end for your ending row.

Rack Your Boards: Racking, or laying out your boards beforehand, will give you a good idea of your layout when you’re finally ready for installation. Use the longest, straightest pieces for the starting line, with the tongue side facing the wall. Remember, you’ll need to lay your boards perpendicular to your floor joists, or otherwise install another layer of plywood subfloor. Mix and match boards from different boxes for a more natural, varied look, and view the layout in good lighting to make sure you like it before installation.

Avoid Bad Racking: When racking hardwood boards, it’s important to line your end joints - also known as seams - correctly for a structurally sound, beautiful floor pattern. It’s recommended that end joints be spaced at a distance three times the width of the plank – so if your planks are 5 inches wide, the joints should be spaced about 15 inches apart, especially for your first and last four rows.

However, if your room is smaller, it may limit your joint spacing capabilities, so at the very least, make sure the joints are spaced a minimum of 6 inches apart.

"H" seams are unsightly and structurally unsound. To avoid an "H" seam, do not line up end joints unless there are at least two rows of boards between them. For the same reasons, avoid "lightning bolt" or "stair-step" seams as well.

5. Remove Your Baseboards

This step is optional, depending on the look you’re going for, the condition of your baseboards and your project’s timeline. If you’d like your hardwood flooring to sit flush underneath your baseboards, you’ll have to remove the baseboards before installation and adjust their height accordingly. However, if your baseboards are old or you don’t have the time to remove them, you can install trim or quarter round molding directly to your baseboards to hide the expansion gap.

Part 2: Install Your Floorboards

Now that your room is prepped, it’s time to get started on your DIY hardwood floor installation. The method you use to install the floors will depend on your subfloor and the type of product you’ve chosen for your project.

There are three methods to install engineered hardwood: floating, nail-down and glue. We’ll walk you through how to install hardwood floors using each method.

The Floating Method

This is the simplest of the three methods, making it an ideal choice for a DIY install. Floating hardwood floors require no nails, and they can easily be installed over vinyl surfaces. This method is only recommended for engineered hardwood products.

Floating Hardwood Floor Installation Tools:

• Tape measure
• Miter saw 
• Hand saw
• Tongue and groove adhesive
• Pull bar
• Hammer
• Installation spacers
• Mallet and tapping block
• Painter's tape

1. Lay your first row of boards, tongue side against the starting wall.

To maintain the expansion gap, place spacers between your first row and the wall. If using click-lock, simply click the boards into place. For tongue and groove planks, run a bead of wood glue along the groove side of the end joints and long sides before linking each piece.

2. Working your way left to right, lock each plank into one another tightly.

If you’re using tongue and groove flooring, you can use painter’s tape to secure your planks while the wood glue sets. For either type, you can use a mallet and tapping block to tap the pieces together without damaging your new flooring.

3. Make the final plank fit in the first row.

At the end of row one, you may need to cut a piece with your miter saw to make it fit. When cutting hardwood planks, remember to keep your wood face up, and to cut the correct end joint – you don’t want to cut for a groove joint when you really need a tongue joint.

4. Continue locking or gluing your pieces.

As you keep working, remember to stagger your end joints appropriately. Cut around permanent obstacles in the room such as radiators or floor vents, including an expansion gap around them as well. 

5. Cut your plank to width for the final row.

To measure, lay your final plank face up on top of the last board installed. Make sure the tongue is facing the end wall. Place a scrap piece on top of your plank, pressed against your wall spacers. Use a pencil to trace a line down your final plank. With your saw, cut along this line while your plank is face up. Repeat for all end planks.

6. Use a pull bar and hammer to lock your last row into place.

You’re in the home stretch. For tongue and groove flooring, keep your painter’s tape and spacers in place, and stay off it for 24 hours so the glue can set.

The Nail-Down Method

The staple or nail method is the most common way to install hardwood flooring and can be used both for engineered and solid hardwood installations. It works best for 3/8-inch to 5/8-inch flooring. Nailing hardwood floors improperly can damage your floor planks and potentially ruin your entire layout, which is why it’s important to understand how it’s done before getting started.

Nail-Down Hardwood Floor Installation Tools:

• Pneumatic flooring stapler
• Air nailer (used for face nailing)
• Hammer, nail setter and handheld drill (if not using pneumatic stapler and air nailer)
• Installation spacers
• Mallet and tapping block
• Wood glue
• Pull bar
• Jigsaw
• Wood putty

Tips for Nailing Hardwood Floors

Choose a Fastener Type 

Staples, regular nails and cleat nails are all commonly used in hardwood flooring installations. Staples are much cheaper than cleat nails, and work well in woods like oak. 

Choose the Right Nail or Staple Size

Typically, 1 ½ inch nails or 1 to 1 ½ inch staples are used on engineered hardwood, depending on its thickness. 

Rent the Right Tools

Whichever fastener you choose, you’ll need to rent or buy the right machine and a compressor to install it – unless you’re nailing by hand. 

Pneumatic flooring nailers are designed to make DIY hardwood installations faster and easier.

Blind Nailing Hardwood Floors

Blind Nailing Hardwood Floors

Blind nailing is driving your nails into the tongue of your plank at a 45-degree angle. Pneumatic flooring nailers are designed to do this easily, but you’ll have to do your first and last boards by hand, as your nailer won’t be able to reach the planks that are closest to your wall.

Hand Nailing Hardwood Floors

Because flooring nailers can't fit in tight spaces, you'll have to blind nail by hand as you get closer to the wall.

Hand Nailing Hardwood Floors

If you’re taking on the task of hand nailing your hardwood floors, you’ll need a drill and nail setter for a proper install.

Face Nailing Hardwood Floors

Face Nailing Hardwood Floors

Because you won’t be able to blind nail plank tongues against the wall, you’ll have to nail directly into the surface of those planks – this is called face nailing.  Any face nails in your hardwood flooring will need to be countersunk (learn how to countersink nails below) and filled with wood putty.

Now that you know the basics, it’s time to start your installation.

1. Start with your straightest boards, groove side to the wall on your starting line.

Make sure your spacers are in place to maintain your expansion gap.

2. Using the air nailer, begin face nailing your first row.

Face nail your first row about half an inch from the edge and 1 to 2 inches from the ends. Space your nails about 6 inches apart.

3. Tap your next row into place with your tapping block and mallet.

Using the air nailer, blind nail your second-row planks, making sure to countersink the nail heads so they sit evenly with the rest of the surface.

4. Use a pneumatic flooring stapler or nailer for the third row and beyond.

These devices are designed to make nail-down hardwood installations much faster and easier. To nail the plank, simply line up the tongue with the arrow on the baseplate, and hit the trigger - or buffer.

5. Use a pull bar to pull your boards in the last few rows into place.

Your last few rows will be too close to the wall to use the pneumatic stapler, so you can use a pull bar to pull these boards into place and face nail them down. If your final board is a tight fit, you can glue it to the last board installed. Allow the glue to dry at least 24 hours before allowing foot traffic.

The Glue Method

This method is the best choice for existing concrete floors, such as in your basement. Engineered hardwood is the only type of hardwood flooring that can be installed over concrete. 

Glue Hardwood Floor Installation Tools:

• Plastic gloves
• Moisture resistant flooring adhesive
• Sponge and wood-friendly cleaner
• V-notch trowel 
• Weights
• Painter's tape
• Tapping block and mallet
• Installation spacers
• Scraper
• Pull bar

1. Prepare the area for gluing.

Before beginning, be sure to scrub, grind and vacuum away any substances that might prevent the glue from sticking. 

2. Spread the flooring adhesive with your trowel.

Only apply enough for a few rows at a time – you have to be able to reach the first row you’re working with.

3. Install the first row along your starting line and up against your spacers.

Use your tapping block and mallet to tap the second row into place. Avoid smearing the pieces through the glue too much, as this can reduce its adhesiveness. Wipe away excess glue as you go, using a lightly dampened sponge and wood-friendly cleaner.

4. Continue installing the remaining boards.

Keeping your end joints spaced properly and the planks tight, repeat the previous step for each row to install the remaining boards. 

5. Install the final row using a pull bar and hammer.

Once the final row is in place, allow the glue to finish drying for 24 hours. Avoid foot traffic during this time. 

Part 3: Add the Finishing Touches and Clean Up

Once your installation is completed and your glue is dry, it’s time to put the finishing touches on your brand-new flooring. 

Reinstall Baseboards

If you chose to remove your baseboards, now’s the time to reinstall them. Reusing your original baseboards is a great way to save money on hardwood flooring installations.

Install Molding

If you chose to keep your baseboards on during installation, you can use molding to cover your expansion gaps. Nail the trim directly to the baseboard – not the flooring. 

Install Transitions

If your hardwood floors butt up against another room that’s a different material or height, you’ll need to install “T” molding transitions to create a smooth surface.

Sweep and Clean Your New Floors

Once your trim is installed, sweep away the dust and mop with a wood-friendly floor cleaner. Congratulations – you’re finished installing your hardwood floors!

Day-to-Day Hardwood Floor Maintenance

There are a few things you can do every day to make sure you’re being kind to your new engineered hardwood floors:

• Close the blinds during peak daylight to prevent sun damage to your new floors. 
• Sweep and dust regularly.
• Clean only with a damp cloth or mop – no steel wool or scrubbers.
• Avoid wax or oil-based cleaners on engineered hardwood, as they can cause buildup.

Protecting Your Hardwood Flooring

Keep your new hardwood scratch-free for the long run with these tips for protecting hardwood floors:

• Use felt pads on the base of any furniture in the room.
• When moving large appliances, use sheets of plywood to create a path to push them across. 
• Avoid vacuuming directly on the wood – use a soft bristle attachment or broom instead.
• Use runner rugs in high traffic areas, especially if you have pets.
• Have a “no-shoes” policy for hardwood areas of your home. 
• If you have a mudroom, direct outside traffic through it during rainy or snowy weather. 

Refinishing Engineered Hardwood Floors

Part of knowing how to maintain hardwood floors is understanding how to refinish them – and when to ask for help. Engineered hardwood is made of a thin layer of solid wood on top of a plywood core. Because of this, sanding and refinishing engineered hardwood floors is a delicate, tricky process - sand too much and you could remove the entire top layer, ruining your floor. 

Therefore, it’s almost always best to hire a professional to refinish engineered flooring. Be sure to fill in your contractor on the flooring’s specs, including the width of the top layer and the number of times it’s been refinished previously. Engineered hardwood can be finished about one to three times, depending on the width of the top layer and the floor's wear and tear.

For Your First DIY Hardwood Floor Installation, Take Your Time

With the right preparation, anyone can budget hardwood floors into their home improvement plans. But if this is your first time completing an engineered hardwood floor installation, give yourself plenty of time to work. Installing hardwood floors can be a fairly involved process, even with the simpler designs and installation methods, so it’s best to work at your own pace to avoid major mistakes down the line. 

If you have questions about your flooring materials or how to install it properly, call or email the manufacturer of your engineered hardwood flooring. They’ll be happy to let you know the specifics about your product and the best way to install it.

Installing hardwood floors as part of a larger home remodel? Be sure to check out some of our other helpful DIY guides:

• How to Remodel a Kitchen
• How to Remodel Your Bathroom
• How to Finish a Basement
• How to Set Up a Home Office on a Budget
• The Comprehensive DIY Home Improvement Guide