House was built in 1930 and has plastered, uneven walls. I did a search cause I know this has been brought up before but I didn't find anything really describing how to approach this in detail. Any help?!

Also, where should I start? In the middle or at a wall? I am hardwooding two rooms (each share the same outside wall on one side) and there is a wall that seperates them in the middle that has a large archway connecting both of them. The flooring will be run through the archway (perpendicular to it). Does it matter if I start the starter row in the middle or if just start at any wall?

I just want to get the first couple rows square so then I can start banging this out without crooked boards down the line! Thanks

Nick

Pop your line out into the rooms, through the archway, squared up to the walls, start there and spline / lip-tonge and go both ways.

Or pop a line 2 or 3 boards rows out and dry lay to the wall. with it dry laid and tight, top nail next to the wall to hold that row, then remove the spacer boards to your line, and blind nail with your trim gun, until your flooring nail will fit without hitting the wall.

How do I get the line straight if I can't measure off the walls because they are uneven and the room is not square?

Nick

is the outside wall that off also? If the two rooms are ajoining (Im thinking they are) go off the outside wall. But I would measure the ends of each of the rooms to see how un square the rooms are, the last thing you want is one wall that appears to be square, and then the other side of the room is off by 3 inches. SO you would adjust the line and split the difference that it is off.

This is a little hard for me to judge without a drawing or something

The outside wall is probably straight but the problem is is that it has wood lathe and plaster all the way down to the floor...and this lathe and plaster is ridiculously uneven....I thought about it some more and figured I could cut back the plaster and lathe in a few spots to expose the bottom plate and go off that.

When I measured the room, i think it was out of square by an inch or so....at that point do I even bother adjusting the line or is that so small you won't notice?

Nick

Since all of your walls are uneven and rooms are out of square, your flooring that is square will highlight the unevenness somewhere. If possible, you will want to minimize the visual impact of the unevenness by having the most out of square flooring in an area that is either hidden by large furniture or in a low-traffic area. I would think that you would want to keep as square to the door between the rooms as possible with some unevenness along each wall.

I would snap a straight line through the middle of the doorway as square to that doorway as possible and then measure to each opposing wall from the line to see where you are most out of square. Adjust your line to minimize the visual impact and then work each direction from there.

No square walls... 45º the installation. Hides all that stuff.