We have 330 sqft of bare plywood floors in our family room as a result of a snowballing renovation of the kitchen. I would like to DIY the installation of solid unfinished 5" wide red or white oak 3/4" flooring and if that goes well, do the rest of the first floor (an additional 600 ft).

4 years ago, I helped my husband's mom (70 years old) install 1400 sq ft of engineered hickory hardwood flooring that was purchased locally but made in China. The only research she did was to bring a sample home from a local discount carpet dealer to check against her paint color. She bought a table saw and DH showed us how to use it. Together, with the "help" of my 4 year old, we screwed down the subfloor to minimize flexing, chalked a line, and began laying the floor. We used some sort of adhesive that the dealer recommended, something like liquid nails, but made for that application. When the wood arrived we let it acclimate for 14 days. She was shocked that the hickory had so much variation in the wood color, but we took our time and matched the patterns in the wood well, so that in places the floor kind of looks like a big slab of wood. We did let the places where we started a new plank get too regular, but that was the only esthetic problem. 4 years later it still looks great and she has had no performance issues with it.

I mention this because it means I have used up every ounce of beginner's luck I might have ever been entitled to!

So I have nothing more than careful planning to keep me safe his time!

1. I've found a local source for unfinished mullican white or red oak. Our house has a lot of oak stained a medium walnut colored doors and trim (think 1970s). Do you think the white or red would be a better match? We ultimately want a medium toned brown that is not pinkish or orangey. I don't know if the rest of the house is red or white oak under that stain.

2. I don't want a rustic look, but I need to keep the cost as low as I can, If i am to have any hope of doing the whole first floor. What grade of wood is the lowest that would still give me a fairly clean look?

3. What do I look for when inspecting the oak flooring before installation?

4. Do you guys have a thread somewhere on how to check a floor for level, how many places the floor should be screwed to the joists before starting?

5. Also, what do I do since the builders spaced my floor joists kind of weirdly? They are roughly 14" on center, but it varies, and I'm afraid of missing when I nail!

And I should mention that the reasons I want unfinished wood -
I dislike the feel of plasticky poly finishes, so I'm hoping to use a tung oil or waterlox type finish.
I also really want flooring that is flush, instead of having a stamped out microbevel looking edge.
And just as an aside I strongly dislike the whole handscraped floor thing. Funny, I have a small handscraped walnut table, and I always thought the whole point of handscraping was to close the grain, and also to be as close to smooth as was possible!


6. What else should I be reading about in order to not be making dumb mistakes?

I wish I could afford to have someone professional do this for me, but it is just not possible, since I am a stay at home mom, my free time is very cheap sweat equity!

thanks for any help or ideas!
k

5" Oak will need to be acclimated to within 2-3% range of the subfloor moisture content. You'll need a moisture meter to properly measure and monitor moisture levels. It needs to be checked from the bottom side of subfloor, floor joists, and top side of subfloor, as well as the oak flooring.Don't install until all these wood surfaces are within 2-3% of each other in moisture content. Sometimes acclimation is prolonged during fall months, depending on the region and humidity conditions.We use Hygrometers to check humidity levels inside home and in crawl space.So, moisture content, humidity, and temps. must be stable at the time of installation, and maintained after to prevent cupping or shrinking of your flooring.

As for the color you say you don't want any pinkish or orangey? Pinkish can show up in Red Oak, orangey usually shows up in aged oil finishes, unless stained that color. I'd go with White Oak if you want a strictly brown tone. # 1 common grade has some grain character, very few knots, and the occasional dark streak here and there. # 2 common has more knots, maybe even small knot holes, and you will see several dark streaks. Here in TN there's about a 15 cent/ft price difference from #1 to #2.

Are you asking about nailing the hardwood floor to the joists?? If so, You can use a stud finder, or follow previous nails to locate joists. We find the joists, make a small mark at the bottom of the wall at the center of each joist, lay the vapor retarder( felt or other underlayment) then strike lines following the marks on the walls. Typically we only do this with planks wider than 6". Less than that, we just use 2" staples about 6" apart. I'm assuming your subfloor is sufficient material. The only screwing you should do is in the subfloor if it's moving or squeaky. Use a finish nailer and flooring stapler for the installation. Be prepared to labor about twice as hard as you did with that engineered, just being honest. Alot of preparation, time , and planning is involved, as I'm sure you can see.

Once the flooring has been installed, it will need sanding before staining or finishing. For this I definitely recommend calling a professional. it requires a much higher level of expertise than installing, and this process is what defines the look of your floors.

Thank you for the very clear and informative answers! If you have time for a couple of questions about your answers -

What is it that non pros do wrong with the sanding?

What are the factors that will make installing the hardwood laboring twice as hard? I understand that it might be different but just wondering in what way?

Also, the family room is on the floor above the garage. The drywall and insulation in the garage was pulled down this spring to do some repair of the garage trusses. So under the plywood of the floor is just garage, no insulation. We are going to do spray insulation and new drywall in the spring. Do you think this is an issue for the flooring as far as temperature changes and humidity changes? The garage is not heated.

There are many ways to mess up sanding. We use 250-300 lb drum sanders which can leave streaks, dips, waves, and chatters in floors. Additionally, most rental stores don't properly maintain the sanders, so they're almost guaranteed to leave chatters or other marks. The edger for around edges can leave dips and swirl marks. These two machines are very aggressive and can easily damage the floors if not operated properly. You'll also need a random orbital sander and a buffer for the final sanding.Then you have the staining and finishing phases- also a bit tricky.
Honestly, I've fixed several floors after home owners attempted sanding. It requires alot of practice for the typical DIYer. Occasionally, we see a floor finished by a novice that's up to par, very rarely though.

Unfinished hardwood installation is more physically demanding than most other applications. You'll need a pneumatic floor stapler for the majority of the fastening.( 16 gauge finish nailer around the edges) These nailers are a bit heavy and very awkward at first. Also, oak flooring is not easy to put together tightly, often requires a swift lick with a rubber mallet( will come with the stapler). So, you'll be lugging the nailer back and forth, nailing about every 6-8", with an air hose attached, after kicking the wood together and driving it tight with the mallet. Not saying you're not up to it, but it's no walk in the park.

About the subfloor, as long as there's no moisture problems in the basement, you'll be fine. Again, take moisture readings from underneath and on top of the subfloor, as well as the flooring to be installed. If everything is in the 2-3% range, for example- if the subfloor under reads 12% moisture , and the top reads 8%, then you have unstable conditions, and will need to try to dry the underside to within 3% of the top side and maintain suitable moisture levels. Same in the wood flooring. Sometimes a dehumidifier is necessary, other times it takes a humidifier. That's something you have to check, monitor, and correct if needed before hardwood installation.It's also important to keep the same or close RH levels on top and bottom.

Thank you, I'll be sure to check on pricing for having someone else do the sanding.
Appreciate the help, may have more questions soon!