Install Solid Hardwood Floor (Nail-Down)

Category: Flooring · Difficulty: Advanced · Time: 12h · Estimated cost: $1800

Tools needed

Acclimate the wood
Stack the boards in the room they'll go in for 5 to 7 days with the AC running. Check moisture with the meter — subfloor and flooring should be within 4 percent of each other.
Duration: 1h
Prep the subfloor
Subfloor must be 3/4" plywood, screwed down tight, flat to within 3/16" over 10 ft. Re-screw any squeaks. Sweep clean. Roll out felt rosin paper, overlap seams 4".
Duration: 1h 30m
Snap the starter line
Measure 1/2" off the longest straight wall and snap a chalk line — this is your expansion gap. Pick the straightest boards for the first row.
Duration: 30 min
Face-nail the first 2 rows
The nailer can't reach the wall. Drill pilot holes, face-nail the first 2 rows through the top, then countersink. Use 1/2" spacers against the wall.
Duration: 1h
Nail the field with the flooring nailer
From row 3 on, load the pneumatic nailer with cleats, set it on the tongue at 45 degrees, and strike the rubber pad. Nail every 8" along each board, within 2" of each end. Stagger end joints at least 6".
Duration: 6h
Last rows: rip and pull bar
Final 2 rows the nailer won't fit. Rip the last row to width (leave 1/2" gap), then pull it tight with a pull bar and face-nail.
Duration: 1h
Trim and base
Install shoe molding or baseboard to cover the 1/2" expansion gap. Nail trim into the wall, NEVER into the floor — the floor must move.
Duration: 1h

Hearing and eye protection — the nailer is loud and kicks chips.
Never glue or nail trim to the floor itself or seasonal movement will crack the boards.
Always check for plumbing and electrical in the joist bay BEFORE driving nails into the subfloor.

Concrete subfloors, second-story installs over engineered joists, or rooms over 400 sq ft — the rental costs and skill curve usually beat DIY.