Thanks again to all who've helped me on this project! I am now about halfway done in the living room having started on the blue line in the first drawing below and working in both directions toward my undercut fireplace hearth and the red line along the long interior wall where I've undercut all the drywall and jambs. Everything seems to be lining up nicely.



As I approach the long wall, I'd like some advice on the best / nicest way to handle going through the doorways and cased openings. In the second drawing below I've tried to show what I am thinking about. As I reach the wall, the last row will be ripped down from 3-1/4" to about 2-1/2". I am wondering about the full width pieces that will extend through the doorways.



Option 1 would be to select or crosscut (and router a new groove in the cut end) a full width piece to fit only the doorway opening and extending under the undercut jambs This would make the last row end joints right at the sides of each doorway / opening where shown with the dotted lines.

or,

Option 2 would be to select a piece somewhat wider than the opening and hand cut a notch at each end to match the doorway width and the width of the ripped last row outboard of the opening. This would move the last row end joints down the wall somewhat outboard of the opening where shown with the solid lines.

Your advice and any suggestions would be appreciated. ZT

notch out the ends ..

Thanks Nick! Do you cut the notches entirely by hand or cut what you can on the table / chop saw and then finish up in the corner with a hand saw?

I cut the ends on the chop saw then cut the length on the table saw .. Make sure your jams are under cut so the boards slide underneath the jam ..

Good luck getting that full board across that opening, and under the doorjambs.

If you were starting there it would be esay, but that previous row of installed wood, is going to jack with you.

Thanks again Nick!

Thanks to you too AFG! The limited space after laying the last full width row is actually what got me thinking on this and considering option #1 above. I thought option #2 would look nicer and might be possible by tucking the notched piece back into the expansion space under the undercut drywall befor installing the last full width row. Do you think this might work out?

ZT

Use two small boards that make it across the jam .. you will now have two L cuts ,and the boards will have the tongues and groves in them ..

Yep, that is what I always do. Keep the integrity of the floor.

Thanks Nick & AFG for your replies. Neither option above involved eliminating any tongue and groove joints or the integrity of the floor. If I had gone with option #1 above, I was going to use a router to cut a new groove in the crosscut end of the doorway board.

I did opt for option #2, as I thought it would present a much nicer look. And yes AFG, putting in boards wider than the opening did indeed "jack with me!" I found though, that by carefully racking out the last full width row and then the ripped row, I was able to slide the ripped row and notched doorway boards in under the undercut drywall BEFORE installing the last full width row. Then after installing the last full width row, I could then slide the ripped row and doorway boards back out to engage the last full width boards.

I am almost done along the long wall now using full width boards in the all openings except for the wide dining room opening where I just couldn't find a board long enough and straight enough to use there.

I am hoping to use this same "slide in & slide back out" method as I next work toward and approach the undercut fireplace hearth.

Thanks again for your replies and advice! ZT

Its a good idea to save some small straight boards for the wall seeing how it will be faced nailed as to using the floornailer ..

Hi Nick, Thanks again for your replies!

Yep! That's what I've found works best along the wall. I actually had to face nail the last two rows along the wall; except for the doorway boards where I could use the stapler again. I should finish up along the wall this evening and start off toward the other side of the room and the fireplace tomorrow.

I appreciate your help! ZT

My pleasure .. Someone posted a trick awhile back that i have adopted , and that is to cut a slit in the felt maube a 1/2 " wide enough to put a bead of PL 400 in .. Better then leaving no felt there for the last two boards for a few reasons .. If you get a board that doesn't quite want to get tight enough i put a wedge behind it and remove it the next day after the glue cures ..

Hi Nick,

Do you routinely glue down the last two rows to the floor and/or to each other at the tongue/groove joint where you have face nailed?

I've read that such gluing is a good practice if the last ripped row is only an inch or so wide. I did not use any glue at all on the wall I'm working on as the last ripped row was about 2-1/2" wide. Is this an Uh-Oh? Should I have been using glue here?

I routinely glue the last board .. You should be ok .. Some times no matter how you lay the floor out the last board will only be 1/2 ' to 1" wide .. when that happen i will glue the tongue on the board and shoot the back of the board with a 18 ga brad to hold it and put the two boards in at the same time leaving at least a 8 " over hang on the ripped board so you don't have a wide butt joint , then tap the next one into it and just face nail the last board .. that is the only time i glue the tongue ..

Once again Nick, thanks for the info.

I will keep all that in mind when I reach the other wall on the other side of the room.

ZT