Things You’ll Need:

• Measuring tape
• Dovetail saw
• Underlayment
• Utility knife
• Duct tape
• Flooring
• Spacers
• Glue
• Wood block
• Hammer
• Rags
• Painter's tape
• Jigsaw
• Pry bar
• Threshold
• Molding

Step 1:
Choose the flooring materials. Consider your budget, how much foot traffic the floor will get and the type and tone of wood that appeals to you.

Step 2:
Measure the room including closets. Purchase enough flooring to allow for an extra 20 percent of coverage.

Step 3:
Trim the door casings with a dovetail saw. Gauge the amount that needs to be trimmed by laying a piece of underlayment and a floor plank next to the door frame and marking a cut line.

Step 4:
Vacuum the room.

Step 5:
Unroll the foam underlayment and cover the room with a single layer of the material. Trim the foam with a utility knife as needed and seal the seams with duct tape. Lay out the planks to ensure you have enough floating floor planks for the job.

Step 6:
Place spacers along the starting wall. They are used to account for floor expansion. Lay down the first plank in a corner against a spacer. Always keep the tongues facing out and cut ends against a wall.

Step 7:
Fill in the pieces in the first row. For the last plank in the row, place a spacer against the wall and measure to the last plank installed. Mark the measurement on a new plank and cut it to length. Install the final plank. Join the pieces together with a pry bar.

Step 8:
Install the rest of the flooring. Start each row with the piece of plank left over from the previous cut, provided it is more than eight inches long. Place spacers against side walls before putting down pieces.

Step 9:
Apply glue into the groove of each plank in one continuous bead, then slide it up against the previous row. Place a wood block against the outside of the planks and tap gently with a hammer. Remove excess glue with a damp cloth.

Step 10:
Apply painter's tape every four to six rows to keep the joints tight.

Step 11:
Measure the width needed for the last planks when you reach the final row. A plank that runs across a door must be notched to fit inside the doorway. Measure it to the closer edge of the doorstop molding to determine its width.

Step 12:
Use a jigsaw to rip the planks to the proper width and to cut doorway notches if necessary.

Step 13:
Pull the pieces of the last row tight against the previous course using a pry bar. Slide the planks into place with a block and hammer if necessary.

Step 14:
Let the glue cure at least 12 hours then remove the painter's tape and spacers.

Step 15:
Install doorstop thresholds, transition and perimeter molding.