DIY Floating Timber Floors
- 1). Pry off the floor trim from the perimeter of the room with a pry bar and hammer. Keep the trim intact as you remove it.
- 2). Lay a strip of moisture barrier on the floor along the edge where you're going to start the flooring.
- 3). Set a floating timber floorboard at one end of the floor, on the barrier, along the wall. Put shims between the board and the wall to hold it slightly out and create an expansion gap that will allow floor movement.
- 4). Set the rest of the boards of the first course off the end of the starting board, snapping them together at the ends, lining them up along the wall and putting shims between the boards and the wall to hold them slightly out. Cut the last board in the line so it fits along the side wall.
- 5). Lay a second course alongside the first, snapping the boards together at their long edges. Stagger the positions of the boards so they don't line up between the courses. Repeat for each course, working your way across the floor and cutting the end pieces on a miter saw. Lay more moisture barrier as needed.
- 6). Use a table saw to cut boards for the final course along their lengths, to fit along the far wall with a small space there (1/4 inch to 3/8 inch).
- 7). Use a finish nailer to re-install the floor trim around the edges of the room. The trim will hide the spaces.