After excitedly announcing that “the hardwood floors are done!” just in time to move in, we received lots of requests for a follow-up with more detail about the tricky parts: transitions, cutting boards shorter or thinner, handling the top of the stairs, and how long everything took. Here’s a clear, practical breakdown of what we learned during installation. The entire job—from placing the first board to nailing on the final strip of quarter round—took about six days. Some days Sherry helped; other days I worked solo while Sherry stayed at the old house with Clara to keep her out of the sawdust.
Note: Some days were short and tackled solo, others were long with two of us working. Four hands are faster than two, but this timeline gives a useful ballpark.
Day 1 was a slow start while we found our rhythm. Even after that, laying hardwood is full of side tasks that take more time than you might expect. Even with prior experience, many of those non-install activities snuck up on us. Here’s a run-down of the most time-consuming and important tasks we encountered.
Getting the Subfloor Clean
A clean subfloor is essential. Before we started on Day 1 we swept and vacuumed every room carefully, and because the install generates a lot of debris we cleaned again as we moved from room to room. Skipping this can cause problems later, so don’t skimp on cleanliness.
Removing Baseboards
We removed our baseboards before installing. Use a utility knife to cut the paint seam first to reduce paint peeling, then pry them off with a crowbar. It’s straightforward but it adds up across four bedrooms and a long hallway.
Removing Old Nails
We planned to reinstall the original baseboards, so we removed old nails instead of driving them through and damaging the face. A Dremel with a metal cutting bit allowed us to saw the nails off flush, preserving the baseboard for reinstallation.
Cutting Door Jambs
To slide flooring under door trim and create a seamless look between rooms, we cut the door jambs. The Dremel was invaluable for this on all 12 jambs. To set the right depth we rested the blade on a scrap plank plus underlayment as a guide—and used a scrap of paper to protect the wood if needed.
Moving Heavy Boxes
Our flooring boxes were stored downstairs, so we frequently carried several up to the work area. Boxes weigh around 60 lbs, and since color can vary slightly between boxes we always pulled planks from three different boxes at a time to create a balanced appearance.
Cutting Boards to Length
At the end of each row we often had to cut the last board to fit. We used a miter saw for quick, straight cuts and, to save time, cut pieces for two or three rows at once when possible. Remember to leave the manufacturer’s recommended expansion gap behind the baseboard—cutting boards too short exposes the gap, but cutting too long risks buckling if the floor expands.
Ripping Boards to Make Them Thinner
When the last row required a narrower plank, we ripped boards lengthwise with a table saw. These strips sit behind baseboard and quarter round, so the key is maintaining the expansion gap while getting a clean fit.
Managing the Mess
Cutting produces lots of sawdust and scrap. We designated a spare room as our cutting room to avoid tracking dust through the whole house. That room was intentionally the lowest priority for finishing, but before installing flooring there we spent a good portion of a day cleaning it thoroughly so the subfloor was dust-free.
Reinstalling Trim and Adding Quarter Round
By Day 5 most rooms were finished and I started reinstalling the baseboard to clear clutter. A nail gun made reattaching the baseboard quick, but measuring and cutting new quarter round took longer than expected. It was satisfying to see rooms begin to feel complete once the trim was back in place.
Angles and Simple Math
We have an angled wall that required precise angled cuts for both boards and quarter round. A basic calculator, scrap paper, and patience helped a lot. If you hit an angled wall, don’t be intimidated—measure carefully, double-check angles, and cut slowly.
Touch-Up Work
Removing and reinstalling baseboards dented the paint in a few places. Fortunately, re-caulking seams and doing some touch-up painting was quick and easy. If your trim is already painted, the finishing steps aren’t nearly as time-consuming as the installation itself.
Transitions and the Top of the Stairs
Transitions are where the new hardwood meets another surface. We had one important transition at the top of the stairs. Following advice from the flooring store, we cut the end of the existing stair bullnose and glued a matching new bullnose piece, then added a couple of finish nails to hold it. It isn’t a perfect color match to the existing stair oak, but it blends well in person. Once the bullnose was installed the floors were officially complete.
After finishing the flooring we dove straight into packing and the rest of the move. The new floors made a huge visual difference and were well worth the effort. If you’re tackling a similar project, plan for all these small tasks—they add time, but they’re what make the final result look polished.
Did anything about installing floors surprise you? Or are you dealing with a project that includes “little” steps that take more time than expected?
PS: For more on how we laid the hardwoods, underlayment choices, and the board-by-board process, see the original post linked in our earlier announcement.