Installing Hardwood Floors The Right Way

The flooring product has been selected. The workmen have been scheduled. Congratulations! But before you take the plunge, here are some thoughts as to how best to prepare for your new hardwood flooring installation.

At the very beginning, you want to involve the whole family. You want to sit down, have a family meeting, and tell them just exactly what will be happening. You see, this whole experience is going to last several days at least - with plenty of noise, confusion, and dust, and your meeting will give them a chance to ask questions and generally to prepare.

Before those workmen arrive, you will need to get into the room(s) that they will be working on and remove EVERYTHING that is presently there. Not just the furniture - but even pictures on the wall, curtains, drapes, mini-blinds must be removed.

Why do this? Because having this stuff in the room will hinder their work - or it could get damaged while they are in there. Make sure that everything that is moved out can be left in it's storage location for a while, as you will not be able to go into the room while the finish on your new flooring is drying and curing.

Do you have pets? If so, you will need to take special precautions. The best solution is to allow a trusted neighbor, friend or family member to care for them for the interim. You don't want Fido or Princess getting their hairy paws on sticky floor finish, do you?

Speaking of finish, after your hardwood flooring has been installed and the workmen have sanded and applied finish, the flooring will have to dry for at least several days. During this time, you must not walk on the floors at all (and that goes for the pets as well). How long you will have to stay off of your floor depends on the type of wood and the type of finish that was used.

But once your floor has dried and cured enough, THEN you can move your stuff back in. As you do so, take care to put some pads or floor protectors under the legs and bottoms of the furniture.

As you use your new hardwood flooring, don't mar them by walking on them with hard-soled shoes, athletic shoes with cleats or spikes, or high heels. To protect well-traveled stairways and entrance ways, cover those areas with good-quality rugs or mats.

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The author of this article, John Reynolds talks abouthome improvement and Restoring Hardwood Floors Learn more aboutAnderson Hardwood Floors by visiting his website.