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If you’re preparing for your installation, odds are good you already know the many benefits of hardwood floors. In addition to being naturally beautiful, they’re durable, easier to clean, and add value to your home. So, congratulations! You just bought a new floor! Now here are a few things to expect for your hardwood floor installation.
Ordering and Scheduling
Once you’ve signed your contract, paid for your materials, and paid your labor deposit, your materials order is underway. Delivery time will depend on the location of your materials, as well as any special requests. Typically we can expect to receive them in ten to fourteen days. However, if you’ve requested something custom—extra long planks, a custom color, a non-standard texturing effect—it could take up to six weeks to receive your materials. Regardless of the delivery timeline, after ordering your materials our warehouse manager will contact you to schedule your project.
Delivery for your Hardwood Floor Installation
Five to seven days prior to starting your installation, we’ll set up a delivery time for your flooring materials. Please have a convenient area in the house free from furniture where we can set the cartons. Storing the material in your house prior to installation allows your floor to acclimate to its new environment. Please note, if you’ve purchased a COREtec Floor, acclimation is not needed. Your floor will be delivered the day of starting your project or the day before.
Protecting Your Base Molding, Furniture, & Appliances
On the first day of your sand and finish project, we’ll start by removing and labeling your existing base and cabinet molding. Or we’ll protect it with courses of tape. Either way, we take steps to ensure your base molding stays pristine during our time on the job. We’ll also move any large pieces of furniture—things like beds, tables, couches, and major appliances. We’ll ask you to remove any breakables before we get started. One thing you should note is that The HFC will remove all appliances and plumbing. However, due to liability issues, these things must be reinstalled by a licensed plumber. If this is a new build, or you want to do the reinstallation yourself, you can disregard this step.
Tear Out and Disposal
If we’re starting a remodel and you’ve opted for us to remove your old floor, tear out and disposal will also be on the first day of the project. Since we don’t know how the old floor was installed, we estimate a timeframe for this removal. And while we try to remain within that time frame, we made need an extra day or two. This extra time is typically only required with demolition of luxury vinyl plank and backer board. Prior to starting any tear out work, we’ll plastic off cabinets, doorways, shelves, and electronics to keep dust accumulation down while the old floor is being torn out. We’ll also remove and dispose of your old flooring materials during this time. Keep in mind that if this is a new build, or you prefer to do the demolition yourself, you can skip the tear out and disposal step.
Prep for your Hardwood Floor Installation
We’ll calculate minor floor preparation into your installation contract. This covers the time and materials needed for a moisture barrier before starting installation. If we’re building up the height of the substrate, we’ll also complete that during this step. This is the perfect time for us to assess your substrate and determine if any repairs are required. If we think your substrate needs repairs, our field manager will contact you with the details. This is an important step in guaranteeing the proper installation and durability of your floors. Any substrate repairs will be billed separately to cover time and materials.
Installation
Once the prep is done, we can get to installing your new floor! We’ll start on the longest run, which allows us to break up the installation into sections, so rooms can be finished individually. Depending on the size of your project, the type of material, and if we are installing new stairs as well, you can expect the hardwood floor installation to take anywhere from two to seven days.
After Your Hardwood Floor Installation
Once your new floor is installed, we can start putting your house back together. We’ll reinstall and caulk your base and cabinet molding, or remove tape as needed. We’ll also make sure furniture is put back in place and appliances set in their locations. Remember, a plumber will need to reinstall appliances with water or gas lines. We’re happy to coordinate this for you and forward the reinstallation invoice.
Final Walkthrough and Billing
Once we wrap up your project, our field manager will do a final walkthrough with you. During this walkthrough, we’ll make sure everything meets your expectations. We’ll also provide maintenance instructions along with a complimentary cleaning kit. If we need to address any punch list items, they can be discussed and scheduled at this time. Once everything lives up to your standards, we’ll send the final bill with your remaining balance. Now that you know what to expect during your hardwood floor installation, you can sit back and let us bring your dream home to life. Thank you for choosing The Hardwood Floor Company.