Extremely valuable but agree with those who would like it updated to include pre-finished flooring, which is the major portion of flooring now being installed

Very helpful

This a good book - 20 years ago. It barely mentions prefinished options. Good resource if you want to down un-finished flooring.

It has been just over 3 years since we ripped out carpet and linoleum and installed red oak floors in most of our home to match the existing floors in the bedrooms (circa 1961). My wife and I did all of the demo work and the install and we brought in a professional for the sand and finish. While researching this major project I purchased several books but this one quickly became my #1 resource as it focused on just what is needed for a typical home and didn't waste chapters and huge glossy photos on advanced marquetry and high end jobs done in mansions like some of my books did.

Of the most help to me were the sections showing trimming around the fireplace, trimming around the floor vents, trimming around exterior doors, and how to remove underlayment the ran underneath the kitchen cabinets. The other books touched briefly on some of these topics, but Don just lays out simple and effective ways to address these common issues in the typical home which is what most of us live in.

Also try to get the companion DVD. Seeing the techniques in action is very helpful and he walks through a complete install in a typical home like you or I would need to do.

I recently bought two books on flooring to tackle a pine flooring project. I found this book to be far less helpful than the other, Wood Flooring: A Complete Guide to Layout, Installation & Finishing]]. I had the same issue with both books but found the photos in this one to be less illuminating. That might simply be because these were b&w.

Anyhow, my problem with the book is that the section on laying out flooring is so short. It is not hard to figure our how to lay-out a rectangle, but this is what this book (and the other) does. I wanted to figure out how to lay out an odd-shaped room -- I have 4 of them to floor. My rooms have many, many, angles -- one has 26 different corners.

I know everyone will have different needs and expectations, but I found some of the information overkill-- like what kind of wood to buy. Let's face it, that decision will be dictated by the money you have to spend. I would have loved a nice, expensive hardwood, but what I can afford is good old pine. I did not need a primer on wood types, I needed help with lay out.

I would recommend this book to somebody in the shopping phase and also if you have concerns about your subfloor and what is acceptable.