In need of better flooring? Is it time for a floor replacement? Those are questions posed by many of us homeowners out there. A question that you should be asking is whom should I get advice from when deciding on what flooring to choose. A perfect candidate to answer this question is John. He started his career installing all types of hardwood flooring and then moved on to the installation of more exotic floors such as bamboo flooring. His site is a culmination of his technical skill and professional judgment. With flooring tips and reviews, John can truly attest to giving you everything you need when looking for new flooring.

How To Installing Hardwood Flooring

Hardwood flooring makes your home cozy, you just get this warm fuzzy feeling inside when you walk into a house that looks and feels like home. The article below will tell you all about installing hardwood flooring, so that you can turn your house into a home.

When it comes time to install hardwood flooring, the average do-it-yourselfer has quite the task at hand. Usually, you by now have the flooring, you have the overlay, you have the sub-floor, and you have a plan. Okay, having a couple of those is enough, but you will need to finish the whole spectrum to get the most out of your hardwood floor. Offering suggestions is fine and dandy, but it is up to you to follow these suggestions offered in this installing hardwood flooring mini-guide.

First, you will need to clean the sub-floor thoroughly. If you are doing this the first time, realize that you must let it dry thoroughly before you can finish the flooring. Of course, you do not want the sub-floor to expand or contrast once the flooring has been laid. This can cause warping and buckling of your finished product. I suggest a thorough vacuuming of the area. In addition, you should add a plastic covering over the doors and any chimneys to prevent further debris from getting out or getting in.

Once you have a clean sub-floor free from any debris, you should now condition that sub-floor by removing any of nails or screws that may have popped up over the years. You can use needle nose pliers for this task. At the same time you should be checking for any unnecessary squeaking. This can be remedied by driving nails through the sub-floor into the beams underneath. This will fix most squeaking, making for a better hardwood floor. In addition, take the time to level out any areas of the floor that may be warped or slightly unleveled. Doing repairs is easier if you fix any possible problems before you start.

Another important factor to installing hardwood flooring is making sure the wood has been "acclimated" to your home. This means letting the wood sit for 48 hours or more in your home so that it can get adjusted to your home environment. This can be done in a garage, but for obvious reasons, this is not to be done outside. This will allow your new flooring to expand and adjust to your home before installation. Skipping this step means that your hardwood flooring will warp or buckle in only a short time. Doing the job right the first time is definitely worth the wait.

While the wood is acclimating to your home, you should lay the overlay protective covering on top of your sub-floor. This gives a bit of cushioning to your future flooring while letting you double or triple check for imperfection in your sub-floor that needs to be fixed. Usually, you can find out how much sub-floor you need by using this calculation. Width x length + 5%: a room that is 8 feet wide by 6 feet long will need 8 x 6 = 48 + 2.

Page 2: How To Installing Hardwood Flooring

Related Articles

All About Hardwood Floors

For someone who is new to the world of hardwood floors it can be pretty difficult to determine just what your floors are supposed to look like as the years pass. Are they supposed to get dull, is that just something that happens to all wood floors? Do I have to live with these scratches?

Looking For Discount Hardwood Flooring?

If you have been out flooring hunting for weeks on end then it is time that you tried a new and improved strategy. One that involves a little less feet walking and a little more finger walking. Start using the Internet to find your flooring and you will find that the going is a whole lot more simple...