- 1). Lay paper underlayment over the whole floor in slightly overlapping courses. Staple them down.
- 2). Set the first floorboard next to your starting wall, with the grooved side facing the wall and sitting 3/8 inch out from it. Secure the board with your floor nailer, shooting the nails straight down through the surface in pairs, every foot or so.
- 3). Lay the next board against the end of the first one, connecting them by their tongue and groove edges. Keep it 3/8 inch out from the wall. Secure it with the nail as before. Repeat, laying boards end to end all along the edge of the floor. Cut the final board on a miter saw to fit.
- 4). Lay the next row of boards by connected them along their long sides to the first row, making sure they're tight. Secure the second and subsequent courses by shooting nails through the sides (not the top) of the boards, just above the tongue, at an inward angle.
- 5). Build across the floor course by course, staggering the boards at the ends so they don't line up between courses. Do the whole floor.
- 6). Cut the final course on a table saw so it fits against the ending wall with a 3/8 inch space there. The spaces will be hidden by floor trim later.
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