Have you recently decided that you are tired of the old flooring in your house and want to try something new? Perhaps you have decided to try hardwood flooring since this is one of the most popular flooring types and provides a high ROI (return on investment).
Installing hardwood floors in your home is well worth the hassle and investment.
While hardwood flooring may be an excellent choice for your home flooring, some things may surprise you during installation that you should be aware of. Here is what to expect during hardwood flooring installation that you may not experience with other types of flooring installation.
Installation Takes More Than a Day
If you want hardwood flooring in your home, it may be a good idea to prepare to devote a lot of time to this project. It could take up to a week or more to complete the process. Actual installation time may take one to three days. However, depending on the type of wood you have installed, the acclimation time could take nearly a week.
Acclimation is a process that wood has to go through to adjust to the temperatures in your home before the installation crew can lay the flooring. Wood stretches or shrinks according to the moisture levels in the air. If the wood isn’t acclimated, this can lead to problems with the flooring in the long term, such as buckling, cupping, or more.
The harder the wood is, the longer it may take to acclimate. So, keep in mind that the acclimation process may prolong your hardwood flooring installation.
Wood Flooring Will Arrive Before Work Starts
As a part of the acclimation process, your floor installation team will arrive days before the work starts to sit the wood flooring out in the area where the team will install it. So, if they will install it in your living room, be prepared not to use that room for a week or more.
This is because the wood will need to adjust to the temperature in your living room, and they will need to spread the wood out throughout the room so that the wood can acclimate adequately. So, don’t be surprised when wood arrives at your door several days before the workers start to work on your flooring project.
Subfloors May Have To Be Replaced
Do your current floors make noise as you or the people in your household walk across them? Chances are, there could be problems with your subfloors. If you currently have wood floors and they make a lot of noise when walking on them, this could mean that the subfloor beneath the wood floors doesn’t support the weight of the current flooring.
If this is the case, the entire subfloor may need replacement to ensure that it supports the weight of the new flooring. This is especially true if it is a heavier wood type than your current flooring, such as Brazilian cherry wood or oak. If your wood flooring is in good shape and the moisture levels are ideal, you don’t have to worry about subfloor replacement. But keep in mind that this may be one of those issues that may come up when you want new hardwood flooring.
Baseboards Will Need to Be Removed and Doors Resized
If these prior things mentioned above didn’t catch you off guard, this one really will. Hardwood flooring is a thick flooring type. It can add a substantial amount of height to your floors. Therefore, there is a possibility that your current baseboards may not accommodate this height change. So, you may have to remove them and replace them with new ones.
Additionally, the height difference may affect your ability to open and close interior and entry doors freely. To avoid getting scuffed wood floors right after installing new floors, it is a good idea to have your doors resized or get new doors entirely to accommodate this change.
Let the Professionals Handle It
Getting hardwood flooring is an excellent investment that can improve the value of your home, especially if you want to sell or refinance it. But installation could come with these drawbacks mentioned above. However, if you are aware of these issues before you get hardwood floors installed, you will be more prepared to deal with them should they happen. Using a reputable and professional hardwood flooring company will make all the difference. They know how to manage all aspects of a wood floor installation for an impeccable result.
Cameron the Sandman is a family-owned hardwood flooring company that has been providing hardwood flooring services throughout Michigan for over 80 years. Our installation team is highly skilled and knowledgeable and provides the highest quality workmanship in the wood flooring industry. If you need to install new wood floors, refinish existing flooring you have or need restoration services, we are here and happy to help. Contact us today!