I am going to be installing prestained hardwood flooring in living room, hallway and 3 bedrooms (not in the kitchen). I thought i would start from the longest wall that runs down the hallway. But there is a slight problem with that because there is a bedroom behind where im starting from (bedroom 1) here is a pic i drew of the floor plan in paint.



If i start in the bedroom im affriad once i get to the hall it might be crooked. I wanted to start in the hall... but if i start there how do i do bedroom 1?

Start along the hall as you wanted to do.
Across the doorway into bedroom one, you will have a groove edge exposed. Insert a spline into this groove and reverse the direction of your install. A spline is simply a piece of wood approx 1/4 inch thick and 1/2 inch wide, essentially making that first board into one with a tongue on both edges. once inserted, just nail through it as you would any board. You can glue it as well, but try to get glue only in one groove, to avoid planking two boards together.

Thanks for the help dennis

Another Question... This is pre finished 3/4" hardwood.... I have read about top nailing the first few rows where a nailer/stapler wont fit. So what do i do when it comes to the first row that runs down my hall.. The area that leads to the kitchen. Do i top nail down the hall and switch to tongue nailing the area that leads into the kitchen? Or should i top nail and staple it in that area?

Well, on your starting wall, you only top nail the first board, not the first few. Subsequent boards are "toe-nailed" along the tongue at 45%.
Your top nails should be near the back edge of the board, and countersunk and filled with matching putty if they wont be covered by the base moulding.
At the opening to kitchen, I would try to avoid top nails since they will be unsightly, even if filled. Use a temporary piece behind the board if possible to hold the line straight, and glue and toe nail that first board. Use a urethane glue that will retain a degree of flexibility, and remove your temporary backer board after installing the first few rows.
Hope this is understandable, but if not, just ask for more detailed explanation, there are lots of experts in this forum with a willingness to help.

Pop a line out from the wall a few rows. Dry fit the boards to get your mark. Then dry fit to find where the board along the wall will be. Pop a top nail in it along the wall so the trim hides the nail. Now, remove the dry fitted boards and use your stick nailer(finish nailer), to drive a nail in at a 45º into the top of the tongue. Continue down the wall doing this to set the baord along the wall. Now the next few rows out, will need to be blind nailed with your stick nailer, until the flooring nailer will fit.

Thanks for your help Dennis and AustinFloorguy!

Im going to buy the flooring tomorrow I have been looking around on the forums and learning a lot. This flooring will be going down on 3/4" plywood. I have read a lot of back and forth about what fasteners to use to hold the boards down. Cleats or Staples... It seems like Staples seem to be the favorite here so i guess ill go with them. And i read that the 1-3/4" staples hold better than the 2" because they dont blow through the back of the plywood.

So correct me if im doing something wrong but i should pick up the following 1-3/4" staples, urethane glue, what size nails should i buy to do the top nailing and what kind of felt should i get? Right now the bedrooms are above the garage (house is built into the side of a hill) and there is a clothes dryer in it that cant be vented out so sometimes it gets humid in there when the garage door is closed. The house has carpet now but never noticed any dampness problems in the house due to the dryer. I know this is not the ideal place for the dryer but you think i could get by with some kind of moisture barrier felt underlayment the garage is insulated and has drywall if that matters. Thanks

I use 1¾ staples exclusively, as I rarely see 33/32 flooring.

For top nailing, you have ¾ of flooring, then ¾ of subfloor, 1¼" nails for top nailing, allows the head to be set in and still not poke through the subfloor.