Hard Maple Flooring Installation

Project: Vermont Farmhouse, Episode 6, Part 2



Bob tours the interior, looking at the finished drywall and insulation. In the living room, a new Shaw pre-finished hardwood floor is being put down. David LaFosse (from LaFosse & Co.) is on hand to talk to Bob about the process. In the kitchen Ryley and Pat Cloutier are busy putting up trim around the windows.
Part 1: Drywall Installation
Part 2: 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. 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.
Part 3: Trimming Out Double-Hung Windows
The wooded New England setting, with quaint towns and covered bridges, provides the perfect backdrop for building a traditional Vermont-style farmhouse.

Bob works with the Quechee Lakes Development Company to build a residence that hearkens back to the past yet satisfies the needs of a family in the new millennium.

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