Updating your home takes time and effort, but it is worth it in the end. Not only will you be happy with the results, but it also helps improve the value of your home should you decide to sell at some point. One of the most daunting changes is updating the floor, but do not fret, the following are a few things to keep in mind when installing a new floor.
An Inspection
One of the first things you should expect is your flooring specialist to visit your home. He or she will inspect the flooring of your home and look for imperfections. The specialist will also measure the floors.
This is a great time to ask any questions you may have about the installation to ensure you know what to expect concerning your new floor. The inspector is going to be able to tell you how long the entire process is going to take and what rooms will be taken care of first.
On the Move
The next thing you want to do is make sure that every piece of furniture is removed from the rooms that will be worked on. This is your responsibility, so give yourself enough time to get this job done.
You can employ the help of family members or friends as long as they are reliable. Keep in mind that the specialists might charge a fee if the flooring team arrives and finds an unprepared room. Those who do not have reliable help may need to contract movers to move furniture out of the way before the team arrives.
Home Preparation
Find out if the installers plan to remove any doors while visiting you. Some jobs require the removal of doors while others do not. Still, it is recommended that the doors are removed anyways, and you should do this on your own. The floor installation specialists are going to be going in and out of rooms with all sorts of equipment, which means that it is possible that your doors might get a scratch or a ding.
This is the reason you want to remove all doors, and place them in an area that will not be worked on. If you are stacking more than one door, put a blanket between each door. You might also want to place plastic seals around doorways where you are going to be staying while the installation takes place. These seals will keep dust from entering the room.
Floor Acclimation
Floor acclimation may not seem like a vital step, but it is actually important. The flooring that might need acclimation could be hardwood floors like the Unfinished Brazilian Cherry (Jatoba) or engineered wood floors like the Anderson Monroe-Rain Barrel.
The acclimation process begins when the floor planks are temporarily placed. The installers will allow the wood to breathe in the atmosphere to acclimate properly. Floors, especially natural floors, change slightly in accordance with the temperature in the region. This means the floors need to get used to the natural atmosphere in your home before they are set properly. Your floors should last longer with this step.
Noise Preparation
There will be some noise while the flooring installers work on your floor. You need to be prepared for this, especially if you work from home. There are a number of things that you can do like wearing noise-canceling headphones, which you should get before the work starts, just in case others in your family want them, too.
Now, those who still cannot handle the noise might want to consider going to the library or to a friend or family member's home while the renovation takes place. There is not much that can be done about the noise. The installers are probably going to do the noisiest work outside of the property, so they are already doing the best they can.
Plan for Delays
The installers probably told you how long the entire installation process is going to take, but the truth is that this can change at any time. For one, this is hard physical work, so accidents could always occur, but there are also other issues that could delay the work like unknown variables. One example of an unknown variable is the state of your subfloor. It is likely that your subfloor is in good condition, but this is not always the case.
Any unevenness or imperfections will have to be addressed before the installation team can continue. Some installers will help you deal with this unforeseen issue, but others may ask you to contract professionals to deal with subfloor problems. Before they start working, you can ask installers how subfloor issues will be handled to help you prepare.
Post-Installation Care
Regularly cleaning your floors will extend their life. We recommend dry vacuuming and then mopping your floors using a solution of 1 gallon of water to 1 tablespoon of dish detergent or Sal Suds.
Jessica Kane is a professional blogger who writes for Scaffold Store, the favorite and trusted scaffold supplier of the largest contractors.