Renovations are a daunting task to some people, but they don’t have to be. In fact, anyone can install hardwood flooring with the right materials, tools, and mindset. Invision Hardwood & Décor is here to simplify the renovation process and help you outfit your house with a beautiful set of hardwood flooring.
Before you can start installing your new prefinished hardwood flooring, there are several tools and materials, and steps that you will need to take.
• Hammer
• Drill
• Staple gun
• Chalk line
• Various nails and a set of finishing nails
• Pry bar
• Measuring tape
• Miter saw
• Chisel
• Hardwood flooring
• Stain and finish repair kit
Most of these tools are pretty self-explanatory. If you are working with prefinished hardwood flooring, you won’t have to manually sand and stain your floors before installation. The stain and finish repair kit is recommended in case you damage pieces of your floor during installation.
How Long Will Installation Take?
This is a difficult question to answer. Depending on your experience and available time, hardwood flooring will take a minimum of two days to install. Most installation experts would recommend that you have experience operating the tools required and understand the basic concepts of installation. Hardwood flooring is expensive and making mistakes can be costly. If you are uncomfortable doing your own installation, we offer installations to all of our customers.
One to two weeks before installation, you must place your hardwood flooring in the room that you will be installing it in. This allows the wood to properly acclimatize and will help it appropriately adjust to the temperature and moisture levels of the room that it will be installed in.
Getting Started
At this point, you’ve chosen your hardwood flooring, have all your materials, and are ready to start. Take your measuring tape and measure the length and width of your room and multiply the numbers to calculate the square footage of your room. Add a ten percent buffer to account for cutting and mistakes. If your wood is already acclimatized, you are nearly ready to go. If you forgot to acclimatize your wood, take a step back because it’s going to be another one to two weeks before you can start.
Prepping the Subfloor
Sub-floor is the layer of flooring that sits underneath your hardwood flooring. Most subfloors are 3/4 of an inch thick and made of plywood. You can get away with using a single layer of plywood, but adding a second layer of 1/4 to 1/2 inch plywood is beneficial and will help protect your floor. The easiest way to attach your subfloor to your floor joists is with wood or drywall screws. Walk on the subfloor and listen for squeaks. If you detect any, drill a long screw into the floor joist to eliminate it. Clean the subfloor and ensure that it is completely debris free. The smallest piece of debris can damage your floor and cause you headaches. Lastly, install a vapor barrier overtop of the subfloor.
The Installation
The first step is to map out your installation path. Most experts suggest that you run your hardwood flooring perpendicular to your floor joists, but most homeowners prefer to lay it along the longest dimension of the room for the added style it provides. After this step is completed and you have a plan of action, you are ready to install your flooring.
Invision Hardwood & Décor specializes in hardwood flooring. We offer our products and services to customers in Toronto, Thornhill, Richmond Hill, Woodbridge, Vaughan, and the entire GTA. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us today. We would be more than happy to help you out.
