You may be surprised to learn how user-friendly the installation of hardwood floors has become. Instead of needing to hire a carpenter and pay high labor costs for the installation, almost anyone will be able to lay the flooring on their own. The easy-to-use flooring now comes with a solid, factory finish which eliminates the work involved with sanding and finishing the flooring.
In addition to red oak, which has always been a homeowner favorite, hardwood flooring materials are now available in a number of different colors and textures which will add to the beauty of your home. Selecting the type of flooring you want may actually be the hardest part of the process, because there are so many to choose from. Try looking at numerous types of flooring online, or make a trip to a home improvement store, to get a feel for the different choices on the market today.
Pre-finished flooring can be purchased online or from a trustworthy store. After the flooring has been delivered, you need to pile it in the room where you’ll be installing it for a few days so that it can adjust to the humidity level in the room. Since moisture will make the flooring expand, this step is extremely important for a good fit. Also because of the possible expansion, you need to leave a half inch gap between the flooring and the walls. You’ll cover the gap with baseboard or decorative molding later.
When you install the flooring, you’ll want to carefully follow the manufacturer’s instructions. They will give you a step-by-step procedure that needs to be followed exactly if you want your floor to look like it has been professionally installed. You won’t even have to worry about spacing and summer expansion of the wood, because it comes already micro-beveled to take care of the problem.
If you already have hardwood flooring in your home, but it looks old and worn, you can try refinishing it which will be much more economical than replacing the floor altogether. It will take you about 3 days to have your refinished floor ready to be used again. During the process, keep all doors and windows closed to prevent as much dust as possible from settling on the floor. Remove everything from the floor before you start. Once you’ve actually finished the job, you should wait an extra day before moving furniture back onto the floor.
Probably the simplest thing you can do to refurbish the floors in your home is to install laminate flooring. These floors resist scratches and stains, require little maintenance, and are great if you have heavy traffic areas or kids and pets. Laminate flooring is tongue-and-groove so it can be laid to interlock very easily.
Give yourself plenty of time to explore the different flooring options available to you before making your final decision. Whether you decide to refinish existing floors or replace them with new hardwoods or laminates, you’ll find that the newest technology in flooring has made them much easier to install without having to hire professional help. Make sure you understand the instructions that come with the product. If you aren’t clear on something, be sure to ask before you get started, and your floor will end up looking like a custom job.
