Hardwood Floor Installation — Nail-Down Solid and Engineered
Real wood floors, installed the way they stay flat in a Minnesota house — acclimated, nailed tight on a checked subfloor, and trimmed out by the same crew.
Hardwood floor installation from JMB Builders: solid or engineered planks, prefinished, nailed or stapled over a wood subfloor on underlayment paper, or glued or floated over a slab. We check the subfloor for flat and moisture, let the wood acclimate, rack the boards so joints stagger and the colors mix, undercut the jambs and finish with base and shoe. Priced per project across the Twin Cities metro, quoted from your photos within one business day.
- Priced per project
- Solid nail-down or engineered, glued or floated
- Subfloor checked for flat and moisture first
- Quote from photos in 1 business day
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
Hardwood is the floor that moves. It swells in a humid August and shrinks in a dry January, and a Minnesota house sees both. A hardwood floor that lasts is one that was installed with that in mind: wood brought into the house ahead of time to acclimate, a subfloor checked for moisture and flatness, nails on the right schedule, and a gap at the walls hidden by the base.
We install prefinished solid hardwood nailed or stapled down over plywood or OSB, and engineered hardwood nailed, glued or floated depending on the product and the subfloor. Engineered is the answer over concrete and in a basement; solid stays above grade over a wood subfloor. We rack the boards out of several boxes at once so the color variation spreads across the room instead of landing in one strip.
Doors get undercut so the planks run under the jambs. Vents get flush wood registers if you want them. The baseboard and shoe go back on or new shoe goes down, and painting or staining that trim is its own line on the quote. If you want unfinished wood sanded and finished on site, ask; we will tell you whether we take it on or bring in a floor finisher.
What you supply
- The flooring, delivered to the house a week ahead to acclimate, with about ten percent extra
- Matching transitions, stair nose and flush vents if the maker sells them
- Rooms cleared, or tell us and we will quote moving furniture
- Your choice on shoe mould vs. new base, and whether we paint or stain it
What JMB supplies
- Old floor removal and haul-away
- Subfloor check: moisture meter on the subfloor and the wood, straightedge for flat, screws for squeaks
- Underlayment paper for nail-down, adhesive for glue-down, or pad for a floating engineered floor
- Cleats or staples on the maker's schedule, face nails filled where the last rows go in
- Jamb and casing undercuts, transitions and stair nose
- Base and shoe reset or new shoe, ready for paint
- Photos of the finished floor in your job folder
- Painting or staining of new trim when you want it, quoted as its own line
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Square footage and how many rooms, closets and doorways the floor runs through
- Solid nail-down vs. engineered glue-down vs. floating — glue-down takes the longest
- Plank width: wide planks need a flatter subfloor and sometimes glue plus nails
- Pattern — straight lay vs. herringbone or a border, which multiplies the cuts
- What comes out first and what the subfloor needs to get flat
- Stairs, stair noses and flush vents
- Whether the flooring direction has to change at a hallway or an open floor plan
Send a photo of each room, the subfloor if any is exposed, and the flooring box label. Tell us if any of the floor is over concrete or in a basement.
How long it takes
A couple of bedrooms nailed down: one to two days. A main floor with a kitchen and open living area: three to four days including trim. Engineered glue-down runs a day longer for the same area.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Solid prefinished, nail-down
Three-quarter-inch solid oak, maple or hickory, cleated or stapled through the tongue over underlayment paper on a wood subfloor. Above grade only. The floor that can be refinished for decades.
Engineered, nail or staple
A real wood face on a plywood core, nailed like solid over a wood subfloor. More stable through Minnesota's humidity swing, and the choice for wide planks.
Engineered, glue-down over concrete
Engineered planks set in a full spread of flooring adhesive over a tested, flattened slab. The only way to put real wood on a slab-on-grade main floor or a basement.
Engineered, floating
Click-together engineered planks over a pad, no nails or glue. Fastest install and the easiest to take back up, at the cost of a slightly hollow feel underfoot.
Hardwood Floor Installation — Nail-Down Solid and Engineered: questions, answered
Solid or engineered hardwood — which should I buy for a Minnesota house?
Engineered handles our humidity swing better and is the only option over concrete or below grade. Solid can be refinished more times and is fine above grade over a plywood subfloor in a house with humidity control. For planks wider than a standard strip, engineered is the safer choice. Either way, the finish on top is the same real wood.
Can hardwood be installed in a basement?
Engineered hardwood can, glued down or floated over a slab that passes a moisture test, with a vapor barrier under it. Solid hardwood cannot go below grade; it will cup. If the slab is damp, LVP is the better floor for that basement and we will say so.
How long does hardwood need to acclimate before installation?
Usually about a week in the rooms where it is going, with the house at normal living temperature and humidity. In winter with the furnace drying the air, that week matters more, not less. We check the moisture content of the wood and the subfloor with a meter on install day and do not start until they are close.
Do you install hardwood I bought myself?
Yes. Buy it from a flooring store, a lumberyard, Menards or online and have it delivered ahead of us to acclimate. Send us the box label with your photos so we can check the maker's subfloor and fastening requirements and quote it right. Order the transitions and stair nose from the same line at the same time.
Can new hardwood be nailed over an existing wood floor?
Sometimes. If the old floor is solid strip flooring that is tight, flat and not too thick, new flooring can be nailed over it, run perpendicular or at an angle to the old boards. The floor height at the doors and at any stairs goes up, so we check that first. If the old floor is loose or cupped, it comes out.
Which direction should the hardwood planks run?
Perpendicular to the floor joists when nailing down, so the fasteners hit solid framing and the floor stays stiff. That usually also means running the length of the room or toward the main window, which is how most people want it to look. When the joist direction and the look you want disagree, a layer of plywood or a glue-assist lets us run it either way.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed September 24, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All flooring pages
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