By now you’ve likely seen our finished and furnished bonus room above the garage, but here’s a clear, step-by-step account of how we installed the oak hardwood flooring in that space. We mentioned the installation briefly in our first post about the room and promised more details since this was our first time doing a traditional nail-down hardwood installation (we had previously installed floating hardwood). It wasn’t overly difficult, but there were a few challenges and lessons learned. If you’re planning a similar project, this walkthrough covers what we did and why.

Choosing Our Floors

Originally we planned to carpet the bonus room—carpet felt like a cozy, simple solution and we thought it would be easier since we were low on extra hardwood from an earlier project. In the end we decided to extend the hardwood that runs down the hall into the bonus room so the floors would feel continuous throughout the second floor. That decision made the space feel more cohesive and we’re glad we went that route.

Matching the existing Lono Oak flooring was our first challenge. The finish had been discontinued, but fortunately some stores still had small quantities left in various warehouses. We ordered from multiple locations to assemble enough material. It wasn’t the fastest or cheapest route due to shipping from different states, but the material was on final closeout so the savings per square foot offset the freight costs.

Once the boxes arrived, we staged them in the room to acclimate for several days. Acclimation allows the wood to adjust to the home’s humidity and temperature so the boards expand or contract before installation.

Preparation

After about five days of acclimation (three days is usually the minimum recommendation), we rolled out underlayment across the plywood subfloor. The underlayment acts as a vapor barrier and helps prevent squeaks. Many installers use black roofing felt, but we chose a white silicone underlayment that’s cleaner to work with. Each strip was overlapped slightly and trimmed at the walls with a utility knife.

Laying The First Rows

Layout is where the most careful planning happens. Nail-down hardwood requires an expansion gap around the perimeter to accommodate seasonal movement. We used a 3/4″ gap to match the thickness of the wood and marked the outside edge of the first row accordingly. Marks were placed at both ends of the wall and a chalk line snapped between them—this ensured the first row stayed parallel to the wall, which is more reliable than relying solely on spacers if your wall isn’t perfectly straight.

We used small finish nails along the top inside edge of the first row to hold boards in place until they could be fully secured. The first few rows must be face-nailed by hand because the power nailer is too large to reach close to the wall. For those rows we drilled pilot holes roughly every 10–12 inches, drove in the nail, and used a nail punch to sink the head flush. It’s a tedious process but necessary for a clean finish.

After installing three full rows by hand, we had enough clearance to use the floor nailer, which sped up the installation significantly.

Using the Floor Nailer

We rented an air-powered floor nailer and used our air compressor. Renting made sense for a single project and was a cost-effective choice. The floor nailer drives cleats into the tongue of each board, pulling boards tight together and securing them to the subfloor. Cleats are loaded in strips into the nailer and the tool drives them so they sit recessed in the tongue and do not interfere with adjacent boards.

To operate the nailer you position it over the board edge, squeeze the trigger, and strike the back plunger with a mallet. It doesn’t require a very hard hit, but you need enough force to drive each cleat cleanly. Using the nailer is less physically demanding than hand nailing, but repetitive mallet strikes and bending can still be tiring. Over the two days we worked on this room we used more than a thousand cleats in total.

One person fed and arranged boards while the other operated the nailer. We staggered plank ends to create a natural, random pattern and pulled boards from multiple boxes to mix any color variation evenly across the floor rather than concentrating it in one area.

Cutting Boards

Nearly every row requires at least one cut. We kept a pile of boards with minor flaws—cracks, knots, or cosmetic imperfections—to use as end pieces where we could trim out the defective portion and still use the remainder of the board. When approaching the wall, we rotated the board 180 degrees, pressed it against the end wall, and marked the cut line about 1/2″ from the end of the board that would meet the wall. That distance plus the 1/4″ tongue created the 3/4″ expansion gap we needed.

We ran the marked boards to the miter saw in batches to reduce trips and improve efficiency. Cutting and fitting end pieces isn’t glamorous, but it’s essential to get a neat perimeter and consistent gap for trim to cover later.

The Last Rows

Like the first rows, the final rows had to be hand-nailed because the nailer could not reach close to the wall. We used the drill, hammer, and nail punch to secure these last boards. This step is slower and more tedious than using the nailer, but it’s necessary to achieve a finished edge that’s flush with the wall. After all boards were installed, we cleaned the floor thoroughly and proceeded to install baseboards, quarter round, and window trim.

After trim installation we added built-ins and shelving around a window niche, then furnished the room. The completed space feels intentional and cohesive, with the hardwood flowing from the hallway into the bonus room for a seamless look.

If you’re preparing for a nail-down hardwood floor installation, expect heavy lifting when moving boxes, some tedious hand-nailing at the start and finish, and a lot of mallet work while using the nailer. Proper planning, acclimation, and alternating tasks between installers will make the process smoother and more efficient.

In the end, the room has become one of our favorite spots to use every day. The upgraded flooring transformed the space and tied it into the rest of the upstairs for a finished, cohesive look.

More Flooring Projects

If you’re interested in additional flooring projects we’ve completed, the following posts cover refinishing, selection, and alternate installation methods:

• Refinishing Hardwood Floors 101
• How To Select Hardwood Flooring
• How To Install Hardwood Floors Without Nails
• How To Install Click-And-Lock Cork Flooring
• How To Paint A Floor
• How To Stain A Concrete Floor
• How To Remove Carpet

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