I'm looking to replace the flooring in a room of my house because my cat (who refuses to use a litter box) has completely wrecked the LVP. I really dislike the LVP - it's cold and hard, and I suspect it wasn't installed correctly. I want to switch to hardwood when the time comes to replace it. Growing up, our hardwood floors were face nailed, which meant that when one needed replacing, you could easily pull it up and swap it out. However, everything I see online these days talks about tongue and groove (T&G) flooring. Is face nailed hardwood completely out of style now? Have I missed the memo on that?
4 Answers
I haven't seen face nailed flooring in homes that were built in the last 60 years, but that doesn’t mean you can't do it! Given your situation, going for face nailed could work well. You might want to replace the underlayment and go with 1/2" quartersawn oak on top of that.
You rarely see square-edge planks anymore since homeowners don’t like the look of exposed subfloor when the wood shrinks in dry seasons. Also, without blind nailing, you might end up with loose nails unless you use special screws.
To prevent future damage to your new floors, consider laying down some vinyl flooring as a protective layer. It’s cheap, waterproof, and requires no glue or staples—just place it over your new floor. This was a lifesaver for me after my cats wrecked my carpet; their area remained perfect underneath!
Face nailed floors were common in the 1700s to 1800s, typically using wider planks of pine or spruce. Using hardwood would be trickier, though. First, you have to consider what type of hardwood you want, how wide, how long, and where to source it from. Pre-drilling for face nailing is essential to withstand the wear over time. I installed wide plank maple floors back in the 80s from a mill going out of business, and that was a costly venture. If you can find quality wood and nails (be cautious about the imports), it could be worth it, but be ready for a slow and expensive process.
If I went this route, I'd do a full replacement with plywood subfloor, some cork underlayment, and definitely oak planks. I know a local mill with great wood at amazing prices, so I'd reach out to them first.