Steps to install hardwood flooring around the fireplace
When we talk about laying hardwood flooring, it is relatively simple. All you need to do is place the boards on the subfloor, fit their grooves and ends together, tap them a bit to fit the subfloor. However, there’s no simplicity, and it goes out of the window when you reach an obstacle, like a fireplace.
Prior planning is one of the wisest choices you can make as it will give you a professional finish without any gaps. You can start laying the hardwood flooring from the fireplace instead of winding it up at the fireplace.
Can you have a hardwood floor near the fireplace?
Any wood floor close to the fireplace has the potential to burn from the embers and sparks. Typically, a wood-burning fireplace comes with the potential to have sparks instead of a gas-log fireplace. If you want to minimize the hazards, remember to use a metal screen. It helps prevent popping embers from flying out and landing on the floor installed near me.
The primary protection for wood floors from fire damage is distance, and it is the purpose of a hearth extension. It is a flat area that extends out from the front of the fireplace and meets the floor. It is always a non-combustible material like stone, tile, or concrete.
Here are the steps you need to follow while installing flooring around the fireplace:
Tape the board
When you install a floor, there may be times when there’s a fireplace in the living room. The floor needs to be custom fit. Right next to the fireplace, you may find some in-floor heating fires that stick up from the subfloor.
All you need to do is put some markings on the underside of the board where the wires hit. Put the tape on top of the board that shows where to cut.
Cut out thickness
You can use a dado blade on the table saw and remove the thickness. The other trick is to make a few shallow passes, so you need to make sure to raise the blade about 1/8” for each pass.
Now hold the square edge of the board against the guide and push with even pressure. If the cut is wider than the dado blade, make a few additional passes. Lay up the dadoed strip of wood over the wires and connections. Make sure you avoid the wires while you nail the hardwood.
Lay up the cork around the fireplace base
If the place you are installing the flooring is a curved fireplace hearth, lay a strip of cork around the perimeter of the brick base of the fireplace. It will fill the space, yet it still allows the floor to contract and expand.
Mark the board for cut
If you want to cut a board that fits the arc of the brick, double up the height of the cork. You can lay in another board up to the cork. When you get the space fit in as close as possible, take less scrap of flooring. You need to hold it against the cork and hold the marker on the inside edge. Slide the board around the cork, arc, and all the boards marked to cut.
Cut the boards
You need to cut the boards with a band saw as it is easy to cut down the curved cuts. While using a band saw, set the guide as close to the work as possible. It will prevent the blade from binding and flexing. You need to work slowly and maintain the blade speed.
Fit the boards
Slide the boards back in place, and it must fit the arc perfectly.
Conclusion
Hardwood flooring makes the stone fireplace makes the room look classy. For a hearth that sits above the floor, you can use the technique of undercutting brick or stone. It provides the best look, and it will fit in seamlessly. When we talk about hearth extensions that are almost flush, the picture frame method gives a classical appearance for any wood floor in front of the fireplace. If cost and time are more crucial than the finished look, you can use shoe molding. It helps to hide the opening between the hearthstones and floor. For best services, you can get the best floor installers near me.
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