Are you prepared for your hardwood flooring installation? Whether you’re doing the job yourself or having a professional take care of it for you, there are a number of steps that must take place. The length of time that it takes to go through all of these steps depends on several important factors, such as the size of the room and the condition of the subfloor. We’ll go over all of these steps in some depth below.
Table of Contents
Clearing Out the Room
This is the very first thing that must be done. Before the old flooring can be removed, everything in that space needs to be taken out. After all, it’s hard to remove the flooring when there’s couch sitting on it. Start by taking out all of the small items – the knickknacks, lamps, and other small appliances. Don’t forget to remove everything hanging on the walls as well, lest something gets bumped into during the installation process. Then, place all of the furniture in a different room. Once this one is emptied, the real work can begin.
Removing the Old Floor
Before your new hardwood flooring installation can begin, you need to remove whatever is currently on the floor. If it’s carpeting, pull up the tacks at the ends near the walls and begin rolling it up. Things like hardwood and tile will take a bit more work and make a bit of a mess, but they need to be removed as well. Otherwise, your new hardwood floors won’t sit correctly.
Repairing and Prepping the Subfloor
Next, your subfloor needs to be examined. There’s a certain amount of prep work involved here, and that includes ensuring that your subfloor is in good enough shape to support your new hardwoods. If it isn’t, then repairs must be made and the joists must be strengthened. The new flooring can’t go in until this step is fully completed. After all, you want your new floor to look as nice as possible, right?
Installing the Flooring
Once the subfloor is ready, it’s time to bring in your new hardwood floor and begin the installation process. As you can imagine, this involves quite a few different tools, and it will take some time to get those boards cut down to the proper size. Any type of installation work, especially that of hardwood flooring, is quite messy. Be prepared to have a lot of cleanup work afterward (which we’ll get to in a minute.) However, just think of how nice your new flooring will look once it’s in!
Removing the Debris
By this point, your new flooring is in. It’s time to finish things up by cleaning up all of the debris, including the wood shavings, any errant nails, and other items that were left behind. Sweep it all into contractor bags and take them to the curb. Then, wash your new floor well before you start hauling your furniture and other items back in. It’s time to enjoy your new floor.