When considering your home or your place of business, having hardwood flooring serves as one of the best decisions. It is seen that the choice of flooring is one of the important decisions that one gets to make and if flooring turns out to be great, it underpins everything else. There are numerous options available in the market ranging from carpet to terrazzo. Out of these, there is one material that is renowned and acknowledged by all, hardwood.
However, every type of hardwood flooring is not made in the same way, therefore, when we talk about the choice, it just does not mean to choose among different colours but several other factors affect both the aesthetics as well as the performance of the spaces. Still, choosing the hardwood floors seems to be straightforward but this is not the reality. Therefore, below mentioned is the complete guide on how to install hardwood floors.
How to Choose Hardwood Floors?
Select Solid or Engineered Flooring-
In initial times, hardwood flooring used to come in thick planks of solid timber. Nowadays, we have seen that solid hardwood is widely available. Also, many companies offer engineered flooring, the planks of which are made of a top layer of hardwood. The wood is bonded to other layers which are designed to prevent the floor from shifting mainly during expansion and contraction cycles.
It is also seen that engineered flooring has been offering an installation advantage, mainly for basements and apartments having concrete subfloors. When we consider solid wood, it is usually installed over one or two layers of plywood, whereas, engineered flooring can be glued directly over the concrete or a soundproofing mat.
It is advised to choose carefully as some of the floors have very thing top layers which cannot be sanded or refinished in the future.
Choose Prefinished or Site Finish-
When hardwood planks are bouts, they usually come in a raw finish, which can be done by a professional after installation. It is recommended by experts of the flooring company in Auckland, to get prefinished wood as it lets you know what exactly you are getting. Apart from this, they take lesser time to get installed and also you would not be required to apply colour or any sealant.
It is seen over various studies that you are given access to a good level of customization which appeals to various homeowners and designers.
How to Install Hardwood Floors?
Get to know the Installation Method-
Before instaling the hardwood flooring, you should know the right procedure for the floor you selected. Installation methods are not the same for every flooring as they depend on the width, thickness, and even the construction of the hardwood product. When we talk about engineered flooring, it usually gets fastened, glued, or installed as a ‘floating floor’ which depends on the product selected.
Prepare your space-
One should read the instructions that are given along with the product, in a detailed manner. You may also watch some online videos along with it. As mentioned in the instructions, you should collect all the tools in one place and ensure that you have a clean, dry, and flat, subfloor.
Now, as explained by a renowned flooring contractor in Auckland, when the flooring is done on an existing floor, you need to ensure that doors are still opening and closing properly. When getting the installation done over existing wood floors, you should keep in mind that on any surface which contains asbestos or is coated with lead-based finish or paint, you should not sand any surface.
For more information on hardwood flooring, how to install and choose them, get in touch with experts at Prime Floors.
https://www.prime-floors.co.nz/