Reclaimed Wood Floor Installation

Reclaimed wood flooring is much more than simply a current trend that will come and go within a decade. Reclaimed wood flooring is more than what is trendy and on the cover of every home interior magazine. Reclaimed wood flooring is the preservation of history and past, a unique piece of art everyone can have in their home and enjoy for decades, a statement piece and focal point of every room.

Ensuring Optimal Conditions Before Installation

Reclaimed wood flooring is unique, one-of-a-kind, creates a very specific atmosphere and adds a lot of character and charm wherever it is installed. In case you are interested in reclaimed wood flooring as a great option to enjoy a unique flooring style and look in your home, but also a great opportunity to make a sustainable and eco-friendly choice and give a second chance to something that has been previously used and now can serve a new purpose, you are probably interested in how you can have a reclaimed wood flooring efficiently installed in your home. Here is your comprehensive guide to reclaimed wood floor installation and everything you need to know for the process.

Different Materials Require Different Installation Techniques

When it comes to reclaimed wood, the most important thing that should be taken into account, especially by the person installing the floor, is that every reclaimed wood floorboard is different and unique. Therefore, there is no grading standard for reclaimed wood due to the wide array of origins of the reclaimed wood materials and locations where reclaimed wood materials have been sourced.

Since it comes to an open-grading definition, it is very important that this specific reclaimed wood is addressed by the manufacturer and discussed with the potential customer. Of course, you as a customer should be prepared for the fact that reclaimed wood floorboards, more often than not, come with a significant variation in colour, texture, and natural patterns such as knots, even nail holes, stains, milling, etc. In fact, the presence of this variation is the reason why reclaimed wood floors are so unique, one-of-a-kind and have their very own, very amazing character. Besides the fact that the variation in the appearance of reclaimed wood floorboards will affect your final choice as a customer, it may also affect the way the floor is installed.

Different reclaimed wood materials may require different approaches to installation. Therefore, when it comes to the installation of reclaimed wood materials, it is really important to leave it in the hands of experienced and very reliable installation specialists who have real experience and knowledge of how to work with different types of wood materials. This is the best way to ensure you will be able to get not just a beautiful floor but also one that is extra durable, hard-wearing, and lasting.

Considerations and Obligations

Just like it is with every other wooden floor, new or old, it is important to pay attention to both the flooring materials and the environment on-site before the installation process continues. The reclaimed wood materials should be acclimatised and prepared in a way that will be able to withstand changes in their environment. Of course, it is important to ensure the environment and the subfloor should also prepared in a way that sustains a consistent year-round temperature and relative humidity and moisture content that coincides with the flooring. If these precautions are not taken care of, there is a very high risk of getting the floor damaged, affecting the structural integrity and stability of the floor, etc. Prior to delivery of the reclaimed wood materials, make sure to check and record the job site ambient conditions and the subfloor moisture content so you are able to ensure they coincide with the flooring materials.

The type of installation of the floor, more specifically whether the floorboards will be glued down or nailed down, depends on a number of factors, most importantly the manufacturer's recommendations with keeping the specifics of the reclaimed wood materials in mind, as well as the type of subfloor and its condition. If the manufacturers provide you with specific instructions and recommendations for installation, make sure to follow them as this will provide you with the best installation results.

Remember, all reclaimed wood floorboards are different and they may require different approaches to installation and maintenance. Some reclaimed wood floorboards and some wood species are so hard and brittle that it is almost impossible to have them nailed down to the subfloor. Other reclaimed wood materials may be incompatible with the commonly used wood floor adhesives. Therefore, it is important to get the right instructions and recommendations from the manufacturer.

Keep in mind that reclaimed wood is a bit different from solid wood flooring, for example, therefore some specific obstacles and issues may be experienced in the process of installation of reclaimed wood that will not happen with solid wood or engineered wood. Some of these specific scenarios include material milled without tongue and groove, material milled without end-matching, warped reclaimed wood material, milling tolerances and discrepancies, etc. Therefore, it is very important to know where your product is coming from. If you choose a reliable and reputable manufacturer, it is less likely for you to experience such issues.

Once the reclaimed wood floor is installed, it may be in need of slight wood floor sanding and then the application of sealing products and staining, if this is what you opt for. This is part of the entire process that must be considered and taken into account by every customer and end-user.