Methods to install a wood floor
Nailing down the floor to the sub floor - If the hardwood planks you are using are thin, then this would be a good method of installation. All you have to do is nail the planks down so as to fasten the wood floor to the sub floor.
Use staples instead of nails - You may use staples instead of using nails. This method is also usually used when the wooden planks being used are thin.
Use a strong adhesive to attach the wood floor to the sub floor - Used commonly with engineered wood floors, the wood may be attached to the underlying sub floor with a very strong adhesive.
Floating - By far the fastest and easiest method, the flooring boards are attached to each other and not to the sub floor. The floor just "floats" above the underlying sub floor. The boards are either simply snapped together, or an adhesive is used to attach them together. Usually a pad is placed between the sub floor and the wood floor to absorb moisture and dampen noise and vibrations.
Note - If very thin hardwood flooring is used, then the floor cannot be refinished at a later date. Refinishing takes layers of wood off the floor, and if the floor is very thin, then refinishing it may just make it too thin for further use.
Also, if the sub floor is a concrete slab, you ma have to make sure that it is completely dry before you install wood flooring over it. If the concrete floor is still releasing moisture when you install a wood flooring over it, then the wood flooring will absorb the moisture. Prolonged exposure to such moisture may cause parts of the wood to get damaged.
Install a wood floor part 2