Hardwood Flooring Installation and maintenance tips

If you are looking into hardwood flooring installation, there are easy to implement Do-It-Yourself options available. The key is to use the right materials and follow the instructions perfectly. Conform to a few hardwood flooring installation techniques, and you can redefine your floor style.

In many old homes, there may be an existing hardwood floor under the carpeting. In such a situation, you would need to fill holes and level out bumps and then restore the finish of the wooden surface. In the case of new installations, the selection from the wide array of wooden flooring materials is the first and foremost step to hardwood flooring installation.
Factory-finished hardwoods are becoming more widely available for expedient installing procedures. Pre-fabricated wooden accessories such as thresholds, moldings and stair fabrications are available from respective flooring suppliers to match the flooring grain, stain and style you have zeroed in on.

Preparing the floor before installing needs care and any old floor covering and its fasteners must be removed, and the empty floor space should be dust-free. The subfloor needs to be free of bumps and crevices for covering. Visualize and plan whether you want your new hardwood flooring to run across or perpendicular to the room.

Modern style mop being used for cleaning a wooden floor; Shutterstock ID 244788607; PO: today.com

With hardwood flooring installation in a small room, it is favorable to start work against one wall and work towards the opposite wall. In a larger floor space, it may be a good idea to start with a central board and work outwards towards two opposite walls.

Periodically evaluate the distance of your work to the finished wall and adjust as and when needed. Remember that the wooden flooring should be held 1/4″ off the baseboard at every wall to allow for expansion-contraction with changes in humidity. Laying a mitered frame around intrusions such as air registers or hearths gives your endeavors a perfect finish.

After finishing the installation, now you need to concentrate on the maintenance of the hardwood floor.

Few tips on maintaining wooden floor are given below-

1) Clean it every day

The wooden floor should be cleaned every day. Different things can make the wooden floor dirty. Pet hair, dirt, dust, muds, etc. are some common things which can make our floor as well as home dirty. If you don’t clean these every day, they might leave a permanent mark on the floor.

2) Skip water while cleaning

You should not use water every day while cleaning the wooden floor. Using too much water on your floor is harmful. You should mop the floor once a week. Libman floor cleaner is the best option to choose for your floor. However, you can use a mop made with a microfiber mop and spray bottle to clean your hardwood floor.

So, keeping these things in mind, you can install and maintain your wooden floor easily.