If you are looking to upgrade the flooring in your home, you can never go wrong with hardwood flooring. Hardwood is a classic flooring option that just doesn’t get old. It can be finished in a wide range of colours and shades, to match any home design style and its unique woodgrain will add a touch of charm to any home. Let’s not forget that hardwoods wide appeal also ensures installing hardwood is an investment in your home, as you will benefit from an increase in property value.
With the right tools and some basic knowhow, installing hardwood can be a great DIY project. If you are contemplating or planning on installing hardwood flooring in your home, we have compiled a list of 5 key tips that will help you with your installation.
1. Let the Hardwood Acclimate to Your Home
Once you get the boxes of hardwood planks into your home, you will probably be anxious to get started with the installation. However, this is a time for patience and not action. Open the boxes and let them sit in the room they will be installed in for at least a week. The hardwood needs to acclimate to the environment in which it will be installed. This will allow for the moisture content in the wood to balance out with that in the air and prevent shrinking or cupping after installed.
2. Upgrade Your Baseboards
When replacing existing flooring, you can carefully remove the existing baseboards for future use. However, replacing the baseboards as part of the replacement floor project is our suggestion. Discarding the old baseboards allows you to save time during the removal stage of the project and gives you an opportunity to refresh the look and feel of the room completely.
3. Prepare the Subfloor Carefully
Your hardwood flooring’s success and neatness depends on how well you have prepared the surface of your subfloor. Remove or flatten any nails, staples, and fasteners as well as sand down any uneven areas of the subfloor. Ultimately, the flatness of the subfloor regulates how level your hardwood flooring will be after installation. As much attention should be shown to the preparation of the subfloor as to the installation of the hardwood.
4. Choose Your Vapor Barrier Carefully
The vapor barrier also known as a moisture barrier is great for controlling moisture from being absorbed by your hardwood flooring, but is not always required when installing hardwood flooring. We suggested speaking with your hardwood dealer to get their advice on what product to use. If you use the wrong vapor barrier material for your climate, or install it incorrectly, it can cause more damage than good. The vapour barrier may prevent moisture from drying leading to mold and decay.
5. Layout and Sort the Hardwood Planks Before Installing
Open up several boxes of hardwood flooring and layout the pieces across the floor planning out how you would like to install your flooring. This will allow you to achieve a good colour mix and stager out the hardwood based on length, ultimately giving you a striking finished product.