How to Lay Hardwood Floors on Sealed Concrete

Place an 8-foot straight edge on the floor. Check the bottom of the straight edge for low spots in the floor that do not touch. Apply floor filler, available from flooring stores, into the low spots with a putty knife.

Place a piece of the hardwood, set on top of the 1/4-inch underlayment by the door jamb. Cut the door jamb with an undercut saw and remove the wood so the hardwood flooring and underlayment fit beneath the jamb.

Unroll the underlayment on the floor. Apply masking tape to the sides to hold it in place flush against the wall. Seal the seams of the underlayment with the underlayment seal tape provided from the manufacturer, using the company's instructions.

Lay 1/2-inch spacers, available from most hardware stores, against the wall. Place your first run of boards on the far wall of the room, against the spacers, snapping the tongues together. Place the first row of boards with the "tongue" out so the next row will snap on.

Hold the boards for the second row at a 45-degree angle and snap together the groove to the tongue of the first row. Cut the boards so that the joints are staggered like brickwork.

Place a wood block at the end of rows and tap it gently with a rubber mallet to secure the boards together.

Place a last board puller, available from hardware stores or with your flooring kit, between the wall and the end of your rows in the room. Hit the end of the puller away from the wall to tighten up the flooring.