Understanding Hardwood Floor Installation

If you are looking at having your floors renovated, it’s important to understand the various steps in the hardwood floor installation process, as well as the time that will need to be invested. Whether you are a strong do-it-yourselfer or not, the process is important, because it helps you understand the work that contractors will do when they come into the space. For people with a tendency to take on projects themselves, it’s a crucial step in assessing whether this is one for the professionals or not.

To start with, it’s important to understand that installing a wide-plank hardwood floor that covers about 150 square feet is often a two-day job for a single person. It takes about 14 hours for the full installation, and that’s assuming the area is fairly well-prepared. If you must prepare the area, you might need more time. The larger the space, the more time you will need, and the smaller your individual flooring planks, the longer it will take.

If this is already starting to sound like a job for the professionals, that’s because it usually is. A good professional work crew can often finish the same area a do it yourselfer will spend two days on in a single work day. Whether it’s them or you, though, the joists need to be located before installation, and that usually means exposing the subfloor so you can see where the nail patterns are.

This is necessary because the ends of the planks need to be nailed in place during hardwood floor installation. There are tongue and groove notches along the length to fit the flooring side by side, but securing it will mean nailing the right planks to the joists as installation is completed.

The tools needed to fit flooring are relatively simple, consisting of basic saws, a hammer and nails, and measurement tools. The care that is needed, and the knowledge of materials, is what makes this job tricky, and professional installation a good investment.