A while back I threatened to post about my home renovation experiences. Well, I am going to make good on my threat promise to let you know how that went. I needed to replace the carpet, I went of course to Stovers to look over our vast hardwood collection. My wife and I chose a Beech wood 3/8” x 3”. The subfloor necessitated that we glue instead of staple. Our room is basically a rectangle with little in the of cut outs, the only difficulty would be in the entrance, there is a diagonal cut that required skill that I do not possess.
Prep is a big key. Removing the carpet and pad as well as the staples tack strip and dirt that accumulates. Once the floor is ready I was told by our staff at the store that because I was gluing it would be best to run a few rows and let them dry before tackling the rest of the floor. After snapping a chalk line I started with the first row. The wood was easy to work with and it went fairly quickly. My only slowdown was a duct register that had to be cut around. It pays to take time and think out how the cut is going to work before wasting to much wood. After I put down the rows I wanted I retired for the evening.
I have great friends who know a lot more than me about how to do home improvements. Always know your limits and work within them; it saves time and money in the long run. There were cuts and some areas that I knew I would not be able to finish on my own. We had around 350sf to finish and were able to make steady progress through the day. My two friends J.D. and Jeremy were a huge part of that working out so smoothly. Thanks again guys. Now the fun parts.
Glue is messy. There is no other way to say it. You are going to have glue in places you don’t want it. If you have a cement slab or certain subfloors you have no choice. There are several ways to remove the glue residue from the wood, you can ask us of course or if you purchase wood locally you can certainly ask the location that you purchase from. The proper tools are a must, you need a chop saw, a skill saw rubber mallet , the proper trowel and various hand tools that will help speed things along. We also used a finish nailer to top nail certain pieces that wouldn’t cooperate otherwise.

Overall I am pleased with the floor, it was a lot of work. A lot. But the difference between the carpet and the hardwood is night and day. It certainly is a home DIY project, don’t underestimate how much time it will take though.
Next, the bathroom……
But not for a while, I have to recover from this first.