I am installing a 3/4 solid floor this weekend.
Previously, I've always face-nailed the first/last row or two.

However this time I am starting at a fireplace and will have 4/5 rows to "back lay".
I *could* spline and do a couple rows , and then face nail the last two,
but I'm wondering if I could just glue down the rows and save some time
and not have any face nailing.

What glue would you reccommend?
Bostik's best seems to be popular.
These rows will not see any traffic, just a table or flowerpot.

This is over subfloor with conditioned basement, no moisture issues.

Thanks!

This may be hard to explain without pictures?


What I do is, Take some scrap cut offs or shorts and put them together to reach back around the fireplace. Get it all pulled tight and get your good board next to the wall. Face nail along the wall, and blind nailing with my trim gun, real good working my way down both sides, staying on my line. That makes me come out perfect where I want to be in front of the fireplace. I blind nail the next few rows out with my trim gun, until my floor gun will work.

This works great when your starting rows have lots of doorcasings to get under.

OH man.

So you build up your "U" tips and work down to the bottom connecting board(s)?

I'll have to think about that one. I KNOW I"m not that accurate with my measurements
and I don't want to have any crooked boards.
I think I see a spline in my future.

I can see my spending 1/2 a day trying to line that all up and getting the curve cut
around the fireplace to look good. It's undercut so it won't be terrible, but still.

Thanks.

Have you ever considered buying some string and a couple of nails? Measuring back is not very brain intensive. My tape measure reads the same every time I use it. No need to calibrate.

Why dry line? Here is why. Say your start wall has a radiused fireplace on the right and a 45degree closet door on the left. You will either have to start blind and turn around twice OR.... you could dry line. With a dry line in place, I can lay out all of my starts regardless of distance from my control line and know that everything will be balls on when it meets. The cost for entry into this level of precision costs you a length of string commensurate with your needs, 2 nails and a tape measure.

Best,
Chuck.

p.s. A hammer would help.

Yeah, perhaps you need to understand who it is you're talking to....

I'm the guy that measures 33-1/2" several times and comes back from the saw with a 29" piece of wood.
You can't even find a board stretcher on the internet.

In theory, I see how that works.
In practice, I know I'd pick up the wrong string for my last mark.

The spline is gonna work for me.

Thanks.