In this final installment of the series and with the majority of the flooring now in place, it may seem like the project completion is now merely minutes away – this is, unfortunately, not true at all.
Once more, I can write a lot – but best to watch this video first, and then I’ll elaborate on some of the additional details that warrant further calling-out. This particular video, I think, conveys quite a bit regarding some of the nuances of the finish trim work:
Now, to bring pointed focus to some of the areas from above, additional photos and description that may be helpful:
The Tile to Hardwood Transition & Nearby Plinth Blocks
As you saw in the video, the transition to the tile floor in the kitchen required some special accommodation, and what made it even a little trickier were the plinth blocks on both sides (on the dining roon side), plus the base moldings as well.
Breaking this down a bit – you can see in the photo just below that I took a “sliver” of the transition and used it for spacing as I was installing the bulk of the hardwood flooring. Also note, though it’s somewhat more subtle, that where the plinth blocks were removed – I brought the hardwood in much tighter. This is because there would be no cap molding (quarter round) in front of the plinth blocks.
This must all be thought out carefully before nailing—just remember; there’s no rush with this project. Go slowly; take your time!
In the next shot, note the transition, now ready to be installed. Note the scrap wood that I’ve inserted into the channel below. While this surely isn’t necessarily imperative, it seems another nice way to maximize stability. This transition will get a LOT of foot traffic.
And here’s a final shot of the hardwood side. Note the chamfering (45-degree miter cuts) of the cap moldings on both sides of the plinth blocks; I did this to maximize the aesthetics. Also note the caulk between the white cap molding and the “T-Transition” between the kitchen and the hardwood flooring; here again – striving for the best look possible.
Using a Band Saw for Tricky Hardwood Cuts
I’ve had my band saw for over 15 years now, and I use it all the time. In the shots below, you can see two uses for this hardwood flooring project. In the first shot, I’m making cuts for the one of the final hardwood plans at the end of the room. The edges that will be under the cap molding don’t need to be perfectly straight – and they’re not.
Nevertheless, this is a cut that truly makes good use of a band saw…
Furthermore, for accommodation of the carpet interface into the next room – I chose to reverse the direction of the tongue and grove, and thus needed to remove the tongue from some of the planks. Here again, a band saw is extremely helpful:
Using a Putty Stick to Fill the Face Nailing Holes
Your hardwood flooring manufacturer can be quite helpful if they provide a matching “putty stick” that you can use to fill those annoying (but necessary) face nailing holes. One trick I find quite helpful is heating the putty stick before trying to break off a small piece.
I apologize for the terrible quality of the photo below, but you can get the idea. Fire, it seems, does not photograph well!
The Hardwood to Carpet Interface
I’m going to include one more video below, showing the final true carpeting to hardwood interface – but before getting to that, I really needed to maximize stability at this edge before the carpeting was installed.
I used liquid nails and created a “rock solid” bond to the subfloor a couple of days before the carpeting was slated for installation. This worked quite well.
And finally – here’s that one last video that follows shows the finished hardwood-to-carpet interface, plus one more tip involving pre-staining that I thought of the day before the carpet arrived, and I’m glad I did as it turned out this was quite important:
Hardwood Flooring Installation: In Summary
Hardwood floors, in my opinion, add massive appeal to any home – I think they’re gorgeous, and I don’t think they’ll be going “out of style” anytime soon. The project, as you’ve seen outlined here, is surely a bit involved (even with the pre-finished tongue and groove material that I used) – but it’s incredibly gratifying and fun to do if you can make the time for it, and you surely need to have the right tools as well.
And On A Personal Note…
I want to thank each of you for reading and watching the video installments of my project journal as well as the folks at Lumberjocks for providing the platform and support to share as we do here. I would invite everyone to please comment – with questions of any kind and with additional suggestions, tips and photos of your own conquests on this front. This is, afterall, the most capable, experienced and talented carpentry community I’ve ever come across on the web!
And beyond carpentry in general, I’d also invite everyone with a home to visit my Home Improvement and Repair site (link below), where I’m constantly trying to resolve some of life’s other deep questions such as “Did my bathroom sink really just explode?” and “Why is there now a lake in my backyard... and are those actually ducks?”
Thanks everyone – and best of luck with your flooring project!