Installing Hardwood Flooring with Screws and Plugs

Clip Summary

Wood floor expert Howard Brickman is on the job site installing White Oak hardwood floors from Carlisle Restoration Lumber. Instead of blind nailing the floors to conceal the fasteners, Brickman is using a screw-and-plug method.

After locating the joists beneath the subfloor, the floorboards are pre-drilled about halfway through their thickness. Flooring screws are then driven into the pre-drilled holes in the floor, passing through the subfloor and into the joists. The result is a very secure installation.

Finally, plugs, which were made from scrap flooring pieces, are inserted into the holes to conceal the screw heads. The plugs are tapped into place with a hammer, then cut flush with the finish floor using a Japanese-style pull saw.