What to Expect When You Hire a Company to Install Your Hardwood Floor
The beauty of hardwood floors and the fact that they are allergen-free make them popular among homeowners. Indeed, potential homebuyers will pay more for your home if you've installed striking wood flooring. If you'd like to replace your old floors with this option, you should engage a residential flooring installation company to make sure they are installed correctly.
Adding hardwood floors to your home requires a complex installation process, which requires precision, patience, and time. Many variables determine the time it takes to install wood flooring, which can take anywhere between a few days and several weeks. If you know the key steps involved, you'll be able to prepare accordingly when you go to hire a floor installation company.
Here are steps that residential flooring installation companies follow during the installation:
Free Consultation
Hardwood floor installation starts with an in-home floor inspection. Here, a residential flooring installer takes you through the process to understand your current floor's condition and your preferences. A reliable installation service will explain the different hardwood floor options available and their suitability for your home. During the consultation, the company will help you visualize hardwood species, stains, or patterns to show you how they'll look, so you can predict what they'll look like with your home's accessories and existing decor.
Acclimation
Acclimation is a process used to ensure that the moisture levels in the incoming hardwood planks match the humidity levels in your home. Essentially, this step allows the wood to adapt to the environment to make the installation go smoothly. With proper acclimation time, your hardwood floors won't shrink, crack or split.
Acclimation consists of the hardwood floor installer laying the planks bare in the specific room, allowing the room's environment to affect the planks before they are installed. Indeed, this step requires adequate time since rushing leads to flooring problems as soon as it's installed.
Subfloor Preparation
Preparing the subfloor is a critical step when installing hardwood floors. The visible base must be inspected to eliminate any issues that will affect the incoming wood planks. Before the hardwood floor is set, a residential flooring installation service will evaluate the integrity of the subfloor.
Floor Installation
The installation process can take days or weeks, depending on many variables. To reduce the time it takes, you can hire a larger crew and allot a bigger budget for the installation. While the installation will be finished more quickly, it will also come with more disruptions to your daily life and noise when the installers start ripping the older floor.
After the floor has been installed and sanded, the installer will apply durable and safe sealants to maintain the floor's sheen.
