Oak Flooring Cleat Spacing

Wood is a completely natural product and as such when it heats up and cools down and when it takes in and lets out moisture it expands and contracts.

Oak flooring cleat spacing.

This is completely natural and normal but when expansion and contraction takes place in a restricted space it can cause problems. That s why we mention the need for more fasteners if the material is shorter than standard strip flooring. These sheets install directly over floor joists which cross the floor every 12 to 16 inches to provide the support necessary for the flooring surface. I am about to install 3 4 thick 3 1 4 wide oak flooring in 2nd floor bedrooms.

The floor joists beneath a plywood subfloor can be a range of heights but 6 inches is a standard. The manufacturer recommends 3 4 gap at walls. When i remove the baseboard there is a gap although usually less than the 3 4 thickness of the wood between the drywall and the subfloor. Do not try to mix widths within a row.

Always start installation with the widest plank and install in descending widths example 5 3 5 3. That amounts to 1 1 2 nails per foot. While 8 10 is the normal nailing pattern shorter pieces will be a different story. Keep away from ends joints at least 2 inches.

Start by using random length planks from the carton or by cutting four to five planks in random lengths differing by at least 6. If you re installing wider planks you ll need to reduce the spacing.