Hi, Everyone! I'm an experienced cabinetmaker but doing my first floor. I'm installing 4" unfinished red oak. I'm going to run two rows around the hall and a room like a picure frame and fill in accross the space. When I mitre a corner, do I just face nail the joint or use a biscuit and glue? There are a lot of 90 and 45 degree corners in the hall and the layout is beautiful but I need advice on how to join. Also, using this method means all the end matched tongue and groove has to go. Do I also just face nail this? Thanks!

Bobby

Typically if installing pre-finished I will not face nail the joint ,or bisquit. I feel o.k with blind nailing a 4" width, close to the joints , ( I'm sure I'll take a hit on that from some guys ). Since your installing unfinished, face nailing is a lot easier to hide, so it does no harm to face nail, wherever you like. You can also squirt some PL adhesive under the joint. But hey, no harm in bisquit & glue if it makes you feel better.
Most of the time on border work I will do a basketweave at the corners. Just a matter of taste.

My preference is to cut a slot using a router table then spline the miters. I guess a biscuit joiner would work , but I don't own one. Personally I never face nail. Like Floorologist stated I also prefer a log cabin turn and in the long run any gapping would be almost undetectable that way too.

What's going in first? The field or perimeter?

Well everyone has a preferred method to do this sort of install. Here's mine:

1: Snap chalklines along the perimeter of the space where the border will be.
2: Lay the field material completely, going over the chalk line an inch or two. Run a bead of PL inside the chalk line as you go, to help hold the ends of the field material.
3: Using a circular saw with a good blade, cut the field back to the now hidden chalk line.
4: Optional but recommended, using a hand held router and 1/4 inch slot cutter, cut a groove along the entire edge of the newly installed field.
5: Lay the border using spline (if #4 was done) and PL if not; using either "log cabin" joints at 90 degree turns, appropriate mitre joinery on angled turns. My own preference is mitred turns even at the 90 degree turns if there are other angled turns such as you describe for the hall space. If doing a rectangular space only, I mitre the corners.
6: Try to avoid anymore face nails than necessary cause "Susie" will see them from across the road. (Susie being my generic client)

Pretty much the same way I approach it Dennis. I'm fortunate to have the Festool saw/ guide system and their router for cutting on the floor. Best way I've found to do it.

Man I wish I could get a client to do some border work out here. Everyone wants plain Jane, or else they can't afford it.

90% of my border work is gluedown. I live in the concrete jungle

That Festool equip. sure looks nice. I need to bite the bullet and go for it.

Two out of my last three border jobs were glued to a slab. The most painful one was a prefinished 5/16 x 2 1/4 solid. I hope I never see another one.