Wood Floors Flow Into Other Rooms
Flowing Into Other Rooms
When the installation falls into other rooms without any breaks, or the flooring flows from one room to another it gets a little tricky. We'll need to transfer a referenced chalk line into the other area so the flooring remains aligned with the area completed. Without keeping a straight alignment your boards will start to gap.
The magnified illustration shows we've installed up to and into the doorway. If the original control line is still square we could run our measurements from that, but let's establish a new line measuring from the tongue facing in the doorway. Make two marks on the outer edges of the door way 3 1/4 inches from the tongue and snap a chalk line (blue color) across the room.
Notice we will not have a full board width going into the next area. It will have to be measured for the correct width while still allowing for the expansion needed against the wall in the new area. Instead of trying to mess with a tape measure, simply place the boards to be used on the edge of the chalk line. With the groove side on the line, tongue facing out, grab a straight two foot piece (dotted line), lay on top of the boards to be cut and slide snug to the wall.
Keep an eye out for the boards on the chalk line so they don't move. Once everything is set correctly take a pencil and scribe a line in front of the tongue of the boards that sit on the chalk line. Transfer the scrap down the wall line and repeat. Using shorter pieces for this will transfer any waves in the wall itself. Once all the lines are scribed, it's off to the table saw or jig saw, but don't cut the area that falls in the door opening.
When cutting the scribed line, add another eighth of an inch (may be more with larger layouts) off the line to provide extra material cut off for our expansion area against the drywall.
Nailing Wall Pieces
This procedure works the same as starting the installation. After the boards are cut, line the tongue along the chalk line (now hidden), blind nail with pneumatic nailer and top nail close to the drywall. Don't forget those wedges discussed on previous pages. If you've followed the procedure without a hitch, continue racking and fastening the rest of the area with a flooring nailer.
Special Note
When installing from one room to another, the control line may run off a little. When entering those areas always check the progress of the alignment against parallel walls. Some minor adjustments can be made by bending the line of the first row that falls into the room.