DIY: how to…

Installing new or Sanding and refinishing your floors brings an obvious aesthetic appeal back your home and also significantly raises your home value on average 3-5%. So if your home appraises at $500,000, having hardwood floors installed or professionally refinished adds a value of $15-$25,000!

I’m attempting to write this blog for you to outline step by step instructions, tips and tricks and common problems you may run into in the process. Today Ill focus on installing solid hardwood and vinyl plank.

Step by Step:

1. Demo, subfloor prep, moisture testing, measuring layout. For a successful installation having a clean subfloor is essential, so whatever you’re removing make sure staples or debris is not on your subfloor. Whether you’re installing hardwood or vinyl plank, you’ll need to check your subfloor for FLATNESS. Not level, but flat. Industry standard is variations from 1/8” within 6ft or 3/16” within 10ft need to be addressed prior to installation. Next, you’ll need to acclimate your materials for 2-3 days prior to installation typically. you can purchase a moisture tester off of amazon to check moisture in both subfloor and the materials being installed. You want them both to be in the 5-9% range. You can increase or decrease those levels by adjusting temperature and humidity levels within your home.

   When your subfloor is flat and your moisture levels are adequate you’re ready to start measuring your layout. Typically your working line will be measured off of your longest exterior wall (most other your walls will be square to those walls). You want one side of your starting row to be the same distance from the wall as the opposite end of your row. You can mark these measurements with a pencil and drop a chalk line from mark to mark. This chalk line will represent your starter row.

   Time to start your install.

   Installations will vary widely depending on manufacturer specs and type/ variety of flooring, so ALWAYS reference the manufacturer specifications.

   At this point I realize there are too many words to clearly demonstrate, so follow this link for clear demonstration of the basic installation process.

   https://youtu.be/8iv5651rXDQ?si=aPnWOz0nMVat08G9

   Common mistakes to avoid

   1. Often I see floors that have cupped or buckled over time because of the aforementioned subfloor variations and too much moisture in the flooring.

   2. Flooring should be installed in a random pattern, avoiding stair stepping and H patterns. Not only are those patterns unappealing to the eye, they actually do not offer the structural integrity a random pattern does.

   3. Undercut your door jambs and casings so that you can run the flooring underneath them rather than attempting to scribe around them.

   4. Measure the distance from your starter row to the finishing wall and divide that measurement by the width of your floor to make sure you are not going to finish with a rip row that’s less than half of the width of your boards/ planks. If it is, you can simply adjust your starter row prior to beginning the install.

   5. Expansion gaps. All manufacturer Specs. will require 3/16” or 1/4” gap around all walls to allow the floor to expand and contract properly without causing stress on all the joints in the field.

   6. Again, always refer to manufacturer specifications for whatever material you’re going to install.