Hard Maple Flooring Installation
Bob checks out Shaw's Chateau wood flooring, which contractor David LaFosse and his crew are about to install in the great room.
Clip Summary
Bob checks out Shaw's Chateau wood flooring, which contractor David LaFosse and his crew are about to install in the great room. It's solid rock maple from Canada, pre-finished with a clear, water-based finish.David starts the layout at the hearth, because it's the room's focal point. He makes a double border around the fireplace with a squared joint on the first row and a mitered one on the second. The first board of the field is placed up against the hearth border.
The boards are picked at random, based on their length, creating a continuous piece from one end of the room to the other. Adding a spline gives the first board a tongue on both sides making it possible to lay boards in either direction.
The crew lays out 100 boards at a time, making sure that the joints are staggered before they begin nailing. One of the advantages of a factory pre-finished floor is that it is very resistant to abrasion and requires less maintenance than a traditional hardwood floor finished on site.
