Solid & Engineered Installation Specifications & Guidelines; Naildown Over Wood Sub Floors.

Jobsite Inspection - Insuring proper conditions to install any hardwood floor begins with a
thorough jobsite examination. Visit this link for a detailed analysis of what should be looked at.

Moisture Testing Meters - Meters come in a variety of flavors. Some are better than others.
Moisture testing has become an extremely important element in any successful hardwood
installation from start to finish. See more on moisture meters.

Acclimation - Acclimation is not a time thing. It’s more about what the acceptable moisture
conditions are in relation to the actual product, sub floor and all areas of the home. More at this link.

Sub Floor Types - There have been a number of sub floor types used in residential
construction over the years. For nailing down any Uptown products, a minimum 5/8 inch
plywood must be used. Oriented strand board (OSB) must be ¾ inch in thickness. Any
questionable sub floor material that appears to have lost its structural capabilities should be
replaced. More on sub floors here.

Floor Preparation - One of the most important parts of any successful installation. Hardwood
flooring needs a flat surface prior to installation. See more on wood sub floor prep here.

How To Install A ¾” Hardwood Floor - Our products are not intended for the do it yourselfer. I would suggest you to consider a member of the National Wood Flooring Association. You can use their member locator service at this link.

Useful Tips - I know some will try to install our products for themselves. Visit this link for an
analysis of installing a solid ¾” hardwood floor.

Wider Plank - We do not offer any solid hardwoods over 5 ¼” width for reasons they do not
perform as well as our high quality engineered floor. For optimum performance when installing our 5 ¼” solid product, we recommend the addition of adhesives. Adhesives can mitigate potential cupping but is not a cure all.

Engineered Wide Plank - Our specifications do not call for glue assist with our ¾” engineered plank. The general purpose of this method recommended by other manufacturers, has more to do with loose milling on both side and end joints. This is not the case with our precision milled engineered hardwoods, providing a flat and sound subfloor is achieved.

Fasteners - We do not recommend the use of crown staples, as they have been
known to prevent the natural expansion and contraction of solid hardwoods. Instead, 15.5, 16 or 18 gauge cleat nails offered by Power Nail or Porta-Nail are recommended. For typical wood sub floors over a floor joist system, two inch lengths are recommended. For plywood over concrete 1 ¾ inch is preferred but 1 ½ inch can be used.

See more on fastener spacing and quantity needed.

Compressor Settings - 70 - 90 PSI. Always test, analyze and monitor pressure settings. Lower settings can create nails not extending far enough that can create dimpling on adjacent boards when they are installed. Settings too high can crack board tongues and cause squeaking floors.

Underlayment - Standard #15 roofing felt paper or Aquabar B.

Racking - Racking allows for a better distribution of color, lengths and proper board staggering. Racking should be performed before areas are laid. See more on racking here.

Avoid Problems - By avoiding the most often causes of problems with hardwood floors your
new floor from Uptown will perform as expected. See more on avoiding problems.