An apparatus for applying adhesive and a protective release paper to successive elongate wooden flooring strips having a top decorative side, and a bottom adhesive side for being adhered to a supporting subfloor. The apparatus includes an infeed conveyor for receiving successive wooden flooring strips top side-up from an upstream processing station in parallel lengthwise alignment to each other and moving the flooring strips in a direction of movement perpendicular to the length of the flooring strips. An accumulator equally spaces the flooring strips apart on the infeed conveyor. An inverter receives successive flooring strips from the infeed conveyor and inverts the flooring strips from top decorative side-up to bottom adhesive side-up. An applicator conveyor receives the inverted flooring strips from the inverter and moves the flooring strips end-to-end in a direction of movement parallel to the length of the flooring strips. An adhesive applicator is positioned above the applicator conveyor for applying adhesive to the bottom adhesive side of the flooring strips as they move beneath the adhesive application means. Release paper is perforated to match the joint between strips and is applied to the adhesive on the flooring strip. The perforation is thereafter broken and the flooring strips are ready for inspection and packaging.