Month: September 2022

Hardwood floors are beautiful and durable, lasting many years. It is always a worthwhile investment to have these installed in your home.

The benefits of getting professionals to install your hardwood flooring are clear. It is hard work to put them in yourself. Using equipment like a flooring nailer, if you aren’t experienced with it, can be dangerous and result in damaged flooring. A wood floor simply looks better when a professional does it. However, you may wonder if there are any jobs you can do before the floor installers arrive.

Some preparations will need to be done by the flooring company, but some simple tasks are easy to do and make for a smoother process. In particular, dust proofing your house will make a big difference in keeping dust from getting all over the house, so it is well worth investing some time into.

Remove Doors and Obstructions for the Hardwood Floors to Go In

The easiest job you can do to prepare for your new solid hardwood floor is to remove all furniture and other obstacles out of the area. Taking doors out, as well, makes the process easier.

Start opening up your home areas to give access to the floor space with no obstructions, so your new hardwood flooring can be installed evenly, right to the walls. Remove any baseboards, and trim to make room for the expansion gap for the new hardwood floor to expand into.

Removing Doors

Removing doors is fairly easy. You will leave the hinges in place, and just remove the doors from the hinges. Tap the hinge pins from the bottom end with a nail and hammer. Get someone to hold the door for you, and then remove the hinge pins. Together, slide the door off. Save the pins in a plastic bag so they don’t get lost.

Removing Baseboards

Use a pry bar close to any baseboard nails, to pry baseboards away without breaking them. You can dispose of them or carefully store them to reuse if you haven’t broken them. Be cautious of the little nails. This is another easy job.

Door Frame and Door Trim

Frames and trims are more difficult to remove, but can also be taken off with a pry bar. If you don’t do this step, during the hardwood floor installation, the installers usually cut the bottoms off of them to slide the hardwood floor under.

However, if you do this, during the hardwood flooring installation, the boards can be fitted in more tightly, and you can either trim and replace the old frames, or get new ones, and have a more perfect fit. You will have a more professional end result if you do take the time.

Prepare for Dust

Dust is a major problem when you install hardwood floors. Wood floors need sanding after being nailed down.

Floor installers will generally take some precautions when completing the wood floor installation, but doing this yourself will save them time and you can ensure that it is done really well. If you have anyone with asthma or a similar concern, this is even more critical.

Close all unnecessary doors and cover the doorways completely with plastic sheets. Tape them down securely with masking tape.

Put plastic all around the area that is being worked on. To keep dust out of your air ducts, so it doesn’t end up all over your house, seal plastic over heating ducts and vents with tape. It is essential after you have done this to turn off your HVAC.

Create a Separate Workspace

If possible, create or clear a separate workspace for the flooring installer, such as a garage. If the flooring installers can do jobs like cutting wood outside the house, it will help to cut down on dust and cleanup.

If the weather is good, a patio will work as well as a garage or better, if there is more space. The flooring installers will need a solid floor, GFCI outlet, and adequate lighting.

Prepare the Subfloor Ready for Installing Hardwood Flooring

Check with your flooring installers before starting this job, as they may want to do this themselves, as the quality of their work depends on the subfloor. Also, they may be able to lay the floor on top of an existing flooring, if it is in good condition and is a laminate flooring or another similar type. Also, if you think your old flooring may have asbestos, get a professional in.

If you have carpeting, it will definitely need to be pulled up and is something you can do on your own to prepare.

If you are removing the original flooring materials, be sure to completely pull up the carpeting or flooring, as well as any residue, and vacuum or sweep well.

If you discover your plywood subfloor had moisture damage and mould, you should contact a professional about removal.

Otherwise, you can do work on the subfloor to make it smooth and even for a better installation surface for the new wood flooring.

Contact Us for All Your Wood Flooring Needs

Supreme Flooring specializes in hardwood and laminate floors. We are experts in installing wood flooring, taking time, and paying attention to all the details for a perfect installation. We always provide superior quality, including trim work for a complete, professional look.