Hardwood Flooring Installation - Do It Yourself or Hire a Pro?

If you’re already sold on the idea of wood floors in your home your next decision is probably centered on deciding who should do the hardwood flooring installation. Should you attempt this job yourself or hire a professional to do it?

Home improvement shows may make this task look easy and you may be tempted to install the hardwood flooring your self, but make no mistake, it does require a certain degree of carpentry skills to properly install hardwood floors properly.

A few of the biggest mistakes people make in attempting to do these jobs themselves involves not anticipating the level of difficulty involved. Often consumers miss a vital first step in the hardwood flooring installation process and that is where they store the product while they prep the floors. The flooring needs to be kept inside the same room it will be installed in to acclimatize to the room’s temperature. This is because the flooring is a hygroscopic material that changes its shape and size with the room’s humidity and temperature. At the very minimum the flooring should be allowed to sit for four days before installation so it adjusts to the room. Ideally if you want to achieve the best possible results it should sit for two weeks to acclimatize. If you skip this step your installed flooring will never lay right no matter what your skill level in installation may be.

Another important step that many first time home installers miss is in having the proper tools for hardwood flooring installation. If you have the flooring installed by professionals they will come equipped with all of the tools needed for a proper job. Most of these tools are not going to be tools you will have lying around the house so it requires an additional investment in renting or buying special nailing machines, some pneumatically powered, and a rotor with a specialty bit to create grooves.

And of course the entire installation process may appear simple but there are a few tricks of the trade that ensure your finished installed flooring gives the illusion of a seamless piece of work The problem is many homeowners feel they can acquire the skill as they do the job, which is true to some extent but the job will also look flawed and instead of your floor being a showcase of beauty and charm it will be a showcase of mistakes.

If you have never installed hardwood flooring and lack the tools, hand’s on knowledge and carpentry skills, you may want to consider subbing the job out to a flooring contractor so your finished project adds value to your home instead of taking it away.