Hardwood Floor Installation

What's the Right Type of Hardwood Flooring for Me?

The most important decision to make is the type of flooring that will work best for your space, environmental conditions and the look you want. Please don't let a sales person at the local flooring store help you make that decision.

Get a trusted opinion from someone who comes out to your home, looks at your space and gives you recommendations based on your needs and wants. Are you starting to look at flooring and want some honest, valuable information? Please contact us for a no-cost evaluation of your space, recommendations of flooring that will work best for you, and an estimate to install the flooring you ultimately choose.

Steps to Install a Hardwood Floor

Here is a general overview of the steps involved in installing engineered or solid pre-finished hardwood floors.

Acclimate the wood: The hardwood planks, whether solid or engineered, need to acclimate to the room's temperature and humidity levels for a few days before installation to prevent warping and buckling. Red and White Oak only take a few days while harder woods like Cherry, Hickory and Walnut need about 10-14 days of acclimation time.

Prepare the subfloor: Remove prior flooring materials, if needed. This could be carpet, laminate, tile, etc. The subfloor needs to be clean, dry, and level. If there are any high spots or low spots, they need to be sanded down or filled with leveling compound.

Lay the vapor barrier: A vapor barrier is necessary if the floor does not have a basement below. It should be laid down over the subfloor to prevent moisture from seeping up from below.

Nail or glue the planks: Depending on the type of installation method, the planks may be nailed down, glue assisted or glued entirely to the subfloor. Nails or staples are typically used for a nail-down installation, while a glue adhesive is used for a glue-down installation. We are the foremost experts on glue-down installations. We prefer this type of install to a nail-down because a nail-down or glue assist installation still has the potential to move, buckle or gap in our dry desert weather.

Install trim and molding: After the planks are installed, baseboards, shoe molding, and other trim will be installed to cover any expansion gaps and create a finished look.

Solid hardwood installation is the same if the floor is pre-finished. If the flooring is raw and unfinished, the planks will also need to be sanded, stained (optional) and finished applied.

Hardwood Flooring Tips

There are a number of ways to lay the hardwood planks. The most popular way is running them lengthwise following the longest side of the room. This makes the room look longer and larger than it actually is. If you have multiple rooms being installed, you also have the option of changing the direction of the planks at the doorways. Other options include laying the planks at a 45 degree angle or a herringbone design.

The most affordable hardwood has a thinner wear layer, but remember the adage: You get what you pay for. The thinner the wear layer material, the less likely it will be to sand it down the road. We recommend at the minimum 7/16th inch of wear layer. If you have it in the budget, splurge for the 9/16th inch wear layer. This will allow you to sand the floor a few times down the road to keep it looking fresh or even change the color.

More Hardwood Tips

If you are doing a full remodel, we love being the last project. Flooring tends to get beat up during remodels and installing the floor is the last step. However, there is some leeway with regards to when we can install. If you want us to install hardwood under kitchen cabinets, we are happy to do the install prior to the cabinets. Just make sure your cabinet installers are very careful not to drop anything on the floor. We can replace planks, if needed, but it's not fun or cost-effective for the homeowner.

Floors and the finishes on them get worn down, especially in the traffic areas if you have kids and/or large pets. Keep an eye on those traffic areas and when you start to see the finish get dull, this is the time to do a non-sanding restoration. A non-sanding restoration, or recoat, will extend the life and look of your floor. Read more about non-sanding restoration.

If you are interested in installing new hardwood in your home in or around St. George, Utah, give us a call.

More Hardwood Tips

If you are doing a full remodel, we love being the last project. Flooring tends to get beat up during remodels and installing the floor is the last step. However, there is some leeway with regards to when we can install. If you want us to install hardwood under kitchen cabinets, we are happy to do the install prior to the cabinets. Just make sure your cabinet installers are very careful not to drop anything on the floor. We can replace planks, if needed, but it's not fun or cost-effective for the homeowner.

Floors and the finishes on them get worn down, especially in the traffic areas if you have kids and/or large pets. Keep an eye on those traffic areas and when you start to see the finish get dull, this is the time to do a non-sanding restoration. A non-sanding restoration, or recoat, will extend the life and look of your floor. Read more about non-sanding restoration.

If you are interested in installing new hardwood in your home in or around St. George, Utah, give us a call.