If you're getting new wood flooring, it helps to understand what's involved with the installation process. There are a few ways to install wood floors, and your contractor will choose the best way according to the type of floor you have. Below are some points you may want to know about hardwood flooring installation.
The Contractor May Need To Build A Subfloor
If your home has a slab-on-grade foundation, the flooring contractor may need to build a plywood subfloor on it to provide a place to install the wood flooring. The plywood makes it possible to nail the boards to the floor to secure them in place. However, if you're buying engineered boards instead, your contractor might adhere the boards directly to the concrete.
The Installation Method Affects The Flooring You Buy
It's important to know how wood floors are installed. They can be nailed, glued, stapled, or click-locked and floated. If you want to float the floor, you'll need to buy boards made for that purpose since standard boards have to be glued, nailed, or stapled. Click-lock boards have grooves on the side that allow the boards to click together rather than being adhered to the floor or subfloor.
Click-lock wood flooring is sometimes preferred since it can go over old flooring as long as the old flooring is in good shape. This saves on the cost of tearing out the old floor and prepping the subfloor.
Wood Flooring Has To Acclimate
You'll probably be anxious to start the installation process as soon as your flooring is delivered. However, the flooring contractor will probably wait several days so the wood can acclimate to the humidity and temperature conditions in your house. Wood contracts and expands with different climate conditions, so it's important to let the boards get used to the conditions in your home before nailing or gluing them to the floor.
The Glue Used For Installation Might Outgas
If you're worried about outgassing, you may buy boards that are certified to have low outgassing so the air in your home isn't contaminated. However, if you plan to have the floor installed with glue, be aware that glue can outgas too. Talk to your flooring installer about their installation method to make sure all the flooring materials are nontoxic and not only the wood planks.
Professional Installation Is Recommended
Unless you have advanced home improvement skills, you probably want a professional to do hardwood flooring installation. Nailing boards to the floor is harder than it looks. Plus, you need to saw boards to fit in certain areas.
Even if you buy prefinished boards, you may still want a professional to install them. If you want to install the floor yourself, floating flooring is probably the easiest type to install.
For more information, contact a company such as Temple Johnson Flooring Co.
This is a blog about flooring. And no, we won't tread lightly here. We will assume we have a really strong, structural floor under our feet — like one made from concrete or tile. From that position, we will dive into all sorts of deep topics, like the nature of various flooring materials, the pros and cons of different installation methods, and ways to fix an ailing floor. if you're ready to tread heavily with us, then we encourage you to dig in and start reading. You might be surprised how interesting the topic of flooring becomes when you approach it from so many angles.