[pjstock]

roofing, tiling, plumbing, deck building already conquered, I am about to move on to my next challenge - hardwood flooring installation.

but it didn't take long for me to get stuck.

Plan was to start at the doorway and install across the room to the back wall (which would allow me to better match the new bedroom flooring to the existing hardwood flooring in the hallway.
but the closet in the corner poses a problem. I have to start that section up against the wall of the closet aligned with the entrance door.
I guess if I just start installing out from that wall (D) and from the entrance door (A) , as long as they are aligned, the rows should meet up out in the middle of the room, where they exit the closet.
but that is not a sure thing.
should I instead build out from the doorway (A) to the level of the closet entrance , mark that line (B) somehow, dryfit the pieces I need to reach back to the back of the closet and then start naililng the closet pieces from there (D)?

Or should I be starting from the far wall working back towards the entrance and the closet? measuring carefully so that I wind up with a full (or mostly full) piece across the entrance threshold? It seems it would be a cleaner look to start at the doorway.

 

[3onthetree]

should I instead build out from the doorway (A) to the level of the closet entrance , mark that line (B) somehow, dryfit the pieces I need to reach back to the back of the closet and then start naililng the closet pieces from there (D)?

^^this one.

Marking the B line is not critical for the closet if you do it this way (put a couple more dryfit rows to guarantee it's not angled in front of the closet), but I would place the B line anyway just to square it with how I want it with the room, because the front door wall may not be parallel with the interior opposite wall.

 

[Nealtw]

Leave the closet for later, use a spline so the direction changes and you work into the closet.

 

[pjstock]

Leave the closet for later, use a spline so the direction changes and you work into the closet.

clever. thank you.

 

[3onthetree]

Works great for 3/4, not so much with engineered.

 

[pjstock]

I should have been explicit. This is for 3/4" hardwood.

 

[Missouri Bound]

I should have been explicit. This is for 3/4" hardwood.

Then Nealtw has your answer.

 

[Old Thomas]

Leave the closet for later, use a spline so the direction changes and you work into the closet.

That’s how it is done!

 

[pjstock]

Final question. there are two Shoe Plates with my pneumatic nailer (I haven't used it yet.\) but no manual. How do I know which plate to use (with 3/4" flooring)?

 

[udraft]

You should be able to find that info on the interweb. Here is a line from a random Amazon ad:
1/4" shoe plate for 3/4" thick hardwood flooring; 5/16" shoe plate for 1/2" thick hardwood flooring
There may even be some small print on the shoes themselves. Also, fitting each one may provide an obvious fit.