How To Install Tongue and Groove Flooring | Ask This Old House

In this video, Ask This Old House mason Mark McCullough teaches Kevin O’Connor how to patch holes in a tough surface.

Tom Silva shows Kevin O’Connor how to install tongue-and-groove hardwood flooring. Tom shows Kevin a prefinished flooring product that he chose and explains how the tongues and grooves line up for a proper installation. Tom explains that it’s important that the first row be as straight as possible and shows Kevin how to make that happen using a chalk line for reference.

Skill: Moderate
Cost: Around $5 to $6 per square foot
Time: A weekend

Shopping list:

Tools:

Steps for installing tongue and groove flooring
1. Mark the first row by placing the groove side of a board against the wall near a corner, leaving a gap of approximately 3/16 of an inch between the board and wall. Mark the subfloor on the tongue side and measure the distance between the mark and the wall. Transfer this mark to the other side of the room and snap a chalk line between these points.
2. Run a bead of construction adhesive between the chalk line and the wall. This is only necessary for the first row.
3. Lay a piece of flooring on the floor so the outside of the tongue lines up with the chalk line. Use a finish nailer to nail through the face of the board along the groove side of the board.
4. Place shims or spacers in the gap between the flooring and the walls to hold it firmly in place.
5. Holding the finish nailer at an angle, shoot nails through the tongue every 8 to 10 inches.
6. Install the next piece of flooring against the chalk line, aligning the tongue and groove between the two pieces. Use a rubber mallet to join the two pieces before nailing through the face and tongue of the board. Continue across the wall until you get to a corner.
7. Mark the end piece for cutting by keeping the tongue pointed toward the wall while also flipping it upside down. Maintaining a rough 3/16-inch gap at the wall, use a pencil to make a mark where it meets the previous board. Cut the board to length with a miter saw. Nail through the face and tongue to hold it in place.
8. Continue using this method until you’re far enough from the wall to use the flooring nailer. At that point, simply lay a new board and tap it into place with the rubber mallet before nailing through the tongue with the flooring nailer.
9. Continue laying the boards, tapping them in place, and nailing every 8 to 10 inches. Ensure that the seams where the boards meet between corresponding courses are at least 6 inches from each other.
10. Once you make it across the room, it won’t be possible to use the rubber mallet to jockey the board into position. Use a flooring jack pressed against the wall to position the boards properly.
11. Along the wall on the other side of the room, switch back to the finish nailer and nail through the face of the boards every 8 to 10 inches.
12. Fill the nail holes with wood putty, buff the surface, and install baseboard moldings.

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From the makers of This Old House, America’s first and most trusted home improvement show, Ask This Old House answers the steady stream of home improvement questions asked by viewers across the United States. Covering topics from landscaping to electrical to HVAC and plumbing to painting and more. Ask This Old House features the experts from This Old House, including general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, landscape contractor Jenn Nawada, master carpenter Norm Abram, and host Kevin O’Connor. Ask This Old House helps you protect and preserve your greatest investment—your home.

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How To Install Tongue and Groove Flooring | Ask This Old House

[MrEazyE]

It's so strange to be watching a show on a wireless, hand-held device that I can remember watching with my Dad on weekends before the world even had internet. Talk about longevity!

[alhirst]

Thank you, Mr. Silva! So many so-called YouTube "experts" show the tongue going toward the wall to start. I am so glad that this video steered me away from that misinformation. This Old House continues to be a professional and reliable source of information.

[Floortally]

I love the detailed walkthrough! Installing hardwood can be tricky, but those tips on expansion gaps and nailing techniques are super helpful. Can’t wait to try this on my next project!

[peterputnam]

I have installed many hardwood floors in my day one major issue is expansion in a large room. I measure from the straightest wall to the center of the room snap a line from end to end, glue in a homemade tonque, and nail from both sides back to the walls. This helps to even out any expansion . Also red rosin paper is laid down to help provide a surface that is uncoupled from the sub-floor.

[stevejensen]

I've done close to 30 floor jobs over the years and have always used unfinished oak which I sanded and then finished. Only way to go imho. Always good seeing ole Tom! Sure been many decades watching him and we're both alot grayer these days!

[Peter_Schiavo]

We moved to Spain and I miss my Saturday's watching new episodes. I don't even know if they're making new eps.

[salvadorsepulveda]

Beginning of a playhouse for Christmas !! Nice work 👏

[lembergnative]

absolutely perfect set of instructions.

[peep]

my old house has the old hard wood with no subfloor. Recently I replaced a floor joist and what "fun" that was. I taught myself a good technique, but there's just no easy way to trim off the dangling nails overhead except with elbow grease. I used a sawzall with a real bendy blade, but I've started shopping for some super flush cutting end nippers

[oldtwinsna]

They didn't show the last board pieces where often you have to cut it length wise.

[jeffrykwiat]

Nicely done, however, I came here to see how to match the different size boards when laying them down on a much longer run, like 20 feet. Is the idea to use most of the longest boards and just use the shorter boards to create the 4-6" staggering boards between rows where needed?

[sloan]

I feel like I owe this guy something. If Tom ends up in New Jersey, beeahs on me!

[uwillnevahno]

as a homeowner that had to deal w/the prior owners DIY'ing a poorly installed flooring they glued I cannot stress enough DO NOT GLUE IT.

[LearnEnglishWithMatta]

So helpful for our project; thank you for this! 🇺🇸💪🏽

[Guardducks]

I like that Jack Tommy used to pull the floor together .

[Just_Chuck_It]

I own my own remodeling and repair business. This is the only flooring I will install. This or tile. If the customer wants LVP or similar I sub the work out as I absolutely dislike how the LVP stuff looks and will not stand by it with my company name.

When I install tongue and grove flooring, I install ¼" underlayment and use no adhesives. I also do not use a flooring stapler. Reason being it turns into an uptown game. I just rock non-marring knee pads and use my DeWalt 20v 16 gauge stapler with 2" staples. I have a cut man who does all the cutting and another who keeps the sticks moving as I install. Just like in this video I take a measurement, snap a line, shim the starting line to the wall for the desired set back from the wall and it's off to the races. When I get to the finish side I use 16 gauge finish nails along the trim line and if any nails are not covered by the trim I fill with the flooring manufacturers recommend or sometimes even included putty.

So many color options for tongue and groove I really like the unfinished boards. Once down, use a floor sander, and and a palm sander for the ends and corners. Run the course to find treatment and then apply stain followed by choice of sealer.

These kinds of floors will last for hundreds of years. Just look at the houses made in the late 1800's early 1900's to the 1980's. Many of them still have the original hardwood flooring that you can refinish to this day.

[humboldtglitches]

Here's a note flooring guy here prefinished is nice for a diyre but if you really want the maximum nice look it is much better to get raw hardwood and then have somebody sand and finish it then to just go this route most places will turn out fine but you will have some spots there really could have used a little bit of leveling and or fill

[billbaillie]

There's a beveled side on the mallet / hammer that's quite effective for driving / tapping the pieces together.

[NickFunderburk]

Why would you glue the first row to the subfloor when you're leaving a gap to allow for to expansion and contraction? If the boards are glued down then they can't move...

[michaelganshirt]

It's nice to be able to install hardwood floors while standing. Does the floor stapler have some felt beneath to prevent scratches on the floor surface?