Avoid Hassle; Let Professional Install Floor

If you’re thinking of replacing your existing flooring yourself, take this advice. Consider having it done. It will save you many headaches and should get you a better job.

This is not to say that floor installation by do-it-yourselfers can’t save money or turn out well. But there are probably a few things they won’t think of. For example:

Furniture in the room or rooms will have to be removed. Are you capable of doing it yourself? Can your spouse help?

Your existing flooring will have to be removed. It’s not enough just to remove your existing flooring; you’ve got to haul it away or have it hauled.

My wife and I recently had two types of flooring installed in some of the rooms of our house. One type was a wood parquet floor, the other a Swedish wood laminate called Pergo. Both replaced carpeting that had been subject to people, pets and our little boy for nine years. We still have carpeting in the master bedroom and bath and on the stairs. That’s our next project.

I had Pergo installed in the two small bedrooms, bath and hallway upstairs, and wood parquet in our downstairs bedroom and study. Both types of floors have a sturdy seal.

Upstairs, we chose the floor laminate for our little boy’s room, additional bedroom and bathroom to provide some low-maintenance areas. A year ago, I installed a laminate flooring in our laundry/pet room. Our dogs had destroyed two types of vinyl flooring. They haven’t even scratched the Pergo.

Downstairs, we chose wood parquet mostly to create a significant difference in design from the tongue-and-groove oak strip flooring of the entrance hall that’s between the two downstairs rooms. I chose Hartco wood parquet squares because they needed to be glued down.

What did it cost? The Pergo ran about $4.95 a square foot for the materials alone. Labor for a floor laminate usually runs a bit less than for wood because it usually takes less time to apply. The wood parquet was $4 a square foot for materials. So the materials/labor costs came pretty close to balancing out.

One other experiment with these flooring products worked reasonably well. I bought them from a home center - Home Depot - which also furnished the installers. I’d always relied on a flooring distributor for every other floor I’d done.

Using a home center worked reasonably well, though I’ll use a flooring distributor for the carpets and area rugs we’ll want to match.

Preparation

Begin your project with proper preparation. In most cases, if you have an existing floor covering, make sure all trace of it is removed or hidden.

Make sure your bare floor is clean before applying the new flooring.

Make sure the subfloor is clean. Examine your subfloor carefully for uneven spots. Where necessary, build up or sand down.

Installation

Don’t apply any flooring that’s warped. Take it back if that’s the way it was delivered or purchased. If it’s your fault the flooring is warped, swallow hard and buy new flooring.

It’s vitally important for almost all new flooring to begin with an exactly measured row or angle. If you begin even slightly off angle, that can multiply as you add rows of your new flooring.

Wipe off any glue (if used) as soon as you’ve laid the flooring on which glue is used.

To give your new moulding or reducers a good chance, tape it to the flooring that surrounds it. Let it sit a couple of days before removing.