Preparing Your Home For Wood Floor Installation

The beauty of the wooden floor is the comfort that provides, that natural feeling of warmth and relaxation that is so appealing to every person. But before feeling that satisfied with the final result, some preparations need to be done in your home.

Preparation Is The Key

It may sound a bit like a cliché, but good preparation is the key to achieving optimal results in everything and this applies to wood floor fitting too. You may think that your role as a homeowner, who will soon enjoy a beautiful wooden floor installed in your home is done by choosing and buying the floor and hiring the wood floor installation company, however, consider your role in the preparation process too. of course, wood floor installation specialists will have the main responsibility of ensuring the floor is installed properly and optimal results are achieved. However, you also need to take part in the process and prepare your floor for the upcoming installation service.

Now, why proper preparation before the wood floor installation is so important? It is safe to say that in order for you to enjoy a lasting, hard-wearing, durable, comfortable, and beautiful wooden floor, your choice of wood floor materials plays the least important role. Even the highest quality and most expensive wooden floorboards won't provide you with the final result desired if they are not installed properly and the room and subfloor are not prepared for the process of fitting.

Vice versa, even if you are not able to invest in the most expensive wooden floor out there, however, you are lucky enough to have a reliable and experienced wood floor installation team to work on your project, like the professionals working at FlooringFirst!, you will be able to enjoy not just great performance of service but also a floor that will last for decades and remain in-tact for many years.

To the inexperienced person, wood floor installation may seem as simple as laying the wooden floorboards in a certain direction until the whole subfloor is covered with wood. However, this is definitely not the case. A wood floor installation process revolves around preparing the space for the upcoming service, lifting and removing the old floor, preparing the subfloor for the fitting process, making sure the wooden floorboards are acclimatised to their new environment, and so on.

Prepare the Room

First things first, when you have a wood floor installation project planned in your home, you first need to empty out the room where the service will be delivered. This includes removing all furniture pieces and other objects that will, otherwise, be obstacles for lifting the old floor and laying down the new one. You can do that on your own or you can opt for using the service of professionals if you don't have the time or energy to deal with the entire thing.

We at FlooringFirst! can gladly help you declutter the room and bring out all heavy objects such as furniture pieces, etc. Next, don't forget to move out of the room all expensive pieces and valuables even if they are not placed on the ground and won't be an obstacle during the installation process. This is particularly important because you don't want an expensive item to be accidentally knocked down during in the middle of the service and damaged. It is highly recommended to have the entire room completely empty if possible.

Ensure Good Ventilation

Overall, the wood floor installation service is not the one that will create a mess and will make dirt transfer from one room to another as a wood floor sanding would do. However, wood floor installation sometimes involves the usage of products such as adhesives or it may be followed by a sanding and refinishing service, which means that good ventilation in the room is recommended. You can opt for planning your wood floor installation service during the warmer months of the year so the windows and doors of the room could be left open for longer during the day.

Wood Floor Acclimatisation

Acclimatisation of the wooden floorboards is among the most essential aspects of the whole wood floor installation process. It is important to leave the wooden floorboards out of their transportation packaging once they are delivered to your home for at least a few days prior to the installation service. This will allow the wooden material to acclimatise to its new environment. As you probably know, wood has a porous structure and it is affected by ore significant changes in its environment that make it contract, shrink or expand in cases of increased moisture and humidity levels or temperature fluctuations. In case you don't allow the floorboards to acclimatise to the environment of your home, there is a higher risk of your floor getting damaged by the contracting movement once it is installed or losing its structural integrity due to the same reason.

Subfloor Preparation

No matter the installation method and the type of subfloor, the subfloor should be prepared for the following installation process. This means the subfloor should be levelled, dried, and thoroughly cleaned. Failing to do so means you will most probably have to deal with more serious wood floor issues, later on, so always make sure you hire a reputable and reliable wood floor installation company like FlooringFirst!. Our professionals will take proper care of the subfloor and ensure the best results.

Whether your floors are being installed, sanded or need wood floor polishing, prepare for some noise and discomfort and make sure your neighbours are informed. Wood floor installation is not a very noisy process, but you still need to be prepared for what to expect. You should also check if there are any building restrictions applicable to the property and warn our team.

After installation is complete put pads on the bottom of your furniture to prevent from scratching the wood flooring. Placing carpets or rugs will minimise the possibility of damaging the floor and will help you protect it.