THE PROCESS

Hardwood floors add warmth and elegance to your home. Their rich colors, striking grain patterns, and natural feel provide a unique accent to any room and give a sense of durability. Choosing hardwood floors will greatly enhance the rest of your interior design choices in each room. If you are building a new home, this is the best time to choose hardwood flooring to add tremendous value and longevity to your residence.

We have multiple trusted suppliers that we work with to ensure you can find the perfect set of characteristics – species, color, grain pattern, plank size, etc. – for your new floors. We even have alternatives to hardwood floors such as luxury vinyl plank flooring (LVP) products to choose from that offer durability, low maintenance, and affordable prices.

Can I install them myself?

Sure! But it’s important to consider what that entails and the alternatives you have available.

Technically speaking, you are able to install hardwood floors yourself. But the process is complex and labor intensive, and there are many opportunities for errors. Some errors will be immediate and obvious, causing headaches and delays, especially if it's your first time. Other errors will not be obvious and will take time to show up, potentially forcing you to incur costly repairs down the road or even start over. That is why many people choose to have seasoned experts walk you through the process and take care of most or all of the most difficult steps for you.

What steps are involved?

The process of installing hardwood floors in a new home involves some key steps and considerations, but our expert team will work alongside you from start to finish, ensuring 100% satisfaction when the project is finished.

Below are the steps that you can expect in the process of installing hardwood floors for new construction. The process for an existing home is similar but has additional steps. If you are replacing hardwood floors rather than installing them in a new home, you can learn more here.

Measure the Area

Determine the square footage of the room in order to calculate the right amount of materials to purchase. We can assist with the measuring and can translate the measurements to the materials needed.

Acclimate the Wood

Every home has a different temperature and humidity level from hour to hour, day to day. This environment can impact the wood, as these materials naturally expand and contract in different temperatures and moisture levels. The hardwood planks must be stored in the room where they'll be installed for a few days in order to stabilize and acclimate, avoiding problems after installation.

Install the Subfloor

While the hardwood is acclimating, our expert installers can get the right subfloor in place for you. We use quality materials and employ seasoned craftsmen so as to minimize warping, creaking, dips, and other irregularities over time.

We also install the underlayment between the subfloor and the hardwood floors. This layer provides additional stability and a smooth, even surface for the final material. It reduces minor imperfections and protects against moisture damage, whether from below or above. Lastly, the underlayment adds a slight amount of cushion and reduces noise transmission.

Layout design – where do we start?

The layout of hardwood floors can be designed in a nearly infinite number of ways. This can be overwhelming for the homeowner! But our many years of experience, including designing and installing amidst a wide variety of settings and homeowner tastes, have resulted in a helpful catalog of choices for you to browse.

The most basic decision is to choose the orientation of the majority of the planks. After that, you can choose the simplest design where there is one orientation from wall to wall with no variations or detailing. Even with the simplest design, it will be a stunning result! You can also work with our designers to add decorative elements like borders, inlays, and medallions. Designing transitions to doorways and adjacent floors is also part of the layout planning process.

Installing the floor

Our goal is for you to be just as satisfied with the process of installation as you are with the finished product. You’ll see that our expert installers are very precise and detail oriented as they prep the room and carefully lay each board down. Nearly any contractor can throw materials down and make it look half-decent. But high-quality installation techniques are what minimize or even eliminate future problems, giving you a worry-free foundation for each room in your home. You’ll see the difference in our work by examining the finer details such as joints, intersections, edges, and cut-outs around obstacles (e.g. vents, door frames) in the room.

Once installed, our team will complete the job with sanding (as needed) and sealing the floor with a durable finish that will enliven the grain and provide a long-lasting surface. We promise a speedy cleanup of all of our equipment and materials so the curing time can start as soon as possible. Depending on the materials used, we recommend between 24 and 48 hours for full curing before allowing foot traffic or furniture to be placed.

Now you’re ready to furnish! You will love the look that hardwood flooring contributes to the signature furniture and decor that you choose for each room.

Please note that while the finish will be cured enough for light usage, it will continue to cure for a few weeks. So be sure to limit any intensive activities that could scratch or damage the finish. We’ll be sure to firm up these estimated time frames once the room setting is evaluated and finish product is chosen.

Now let’s get moving on this exciting project!