Seven Crucial Factors You Need to Consider Before Hardwood Floor Installation

There are countless things that we need to decide while designing our contemporary home. With so much going on, choosing the right flooring type is essential! Homeowners can paint bright colors and place beautiful furniture & antiques, but flooring is the first thing that interacts with visitors physically as they step into your residence. Floors can significantly make your space gorgeous looking. So think meticulously, and make decisions wisely. In today’s time, we have a plethora of flooring options, such as marbles, tile, vinyl, granite, and so on. But, one choice that is highly beloved & has the potential to boost your home’s functionality is Hardwood Floor Installation in Burr Ridge.

Carpet vs. Hardwood Floors

Carpet is comparatively inexpensive but has a short lifespan. On the other hand, hardwood floor is the natural option likely to lasts for generations. With carpet, you don’t have any real estate advantage, whereas installing wooden floors can significantly increase your home’s resale value. And, when it comes to cleaning a hardwood floor, you can prefer sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping to easily make your floors immaculately clean. Carpets can trap pollens, dust, and other allergens, and hence the not-so-good option for allergy sufferers.

Robust Hardwood Installation For Sheer Elegance & Durability

A flawless hardwood floor installation is mandatory; and, for that, you’ve to hire the right installer after careful research considering their experience, reputation, specialty, and previous customer reviews. Along with it, you’ve to take one more decision, that is to choose the right hardwood floors. You should invest plenty of time & come out with the best choices, after all, you want good value for your hard-earned money.

Now, read some crucial factors that you should take into account before choosing & installing the floors in your modern homes.

1. The Interior Decor of Your Home

You should take a look at the style of your home; consider every interior element, like furniture, fixtures, & wall paint. By doing so, you can better decide the color shade (darker or lighter), pattern, or texture of wood floors to complement your current decor. For example, if your home is painted with light color, choose the dark shade with a uniform texture for an ultra-classy look. The final decision completely depends on what your likings are and the interior style of your abode. If you’re not sure which type of floor to choose, consult with your interior designer or floor installer for better assistance.

2. Subfloor: What Will Lie Underneath Hardwood Floors?

Another vital consideration before hardwood installation is the type of subfloor. This is the biggest deciding factor; which type of flooring option would be better — solid or engineered. If you have plywood subfloors, then any of both options can be chosen. But, if it is of concrete slabs or particle boards, you have to place plywood before installing solid hardwood. For engineered hardwood floors, you won’t need such things, but it can be expensive to make your concrete floors ready for installation.

For long-lasting beauty, a solid foundation is a must; preparing sub-floor is vital to ensure successful installation. However, most installers spend little or no time working on the subfloor unless discussed beforehand and negotiated as part of the installation price. So be aware and keep everything transparent because if your foundation is less than perfect, then you have to spend money on fixing cupping or buckling boards, and abnormal gaps sooner or later. Let’s have a quick glance at the steps involved in preparing subfloors:

  • Sweeping the floors and doing visual inspection thoroughly.
  • Recording of the moisture level
  • Walk on the floor to identify spongy, hollow, or week spots (if any).
  • Ensure the subfloor meets every requirement for width & thickness.
  • Properly fastening any loose or imperfect area.
  • Level up the floor to make it even
  • Rigorously sweep & vacuum the area
  • Take precautions to control moisture

 

These are the few things that need to be done sequentially to ensure durable Hardwood Floor Installation in Lemont.

3. Where You Are Installing Hardwood Floors?

Notably, not all kinds of hardwood floors work well in every section of the homes. So you have to think meticulously, which floor to choose for the specific room.

When it comes to new floor installation, what’s more important; durability or appearance? Obviously, durability factor whereas style is a second consideration. Read below some unique but helpful hardwood floor installation suggestions for different rooms.

  • Kitchen

Sometimes a glass full of water slips on the floor, or sometimes heavy can crashes from the countertop; Kitchen is one of the most used areas that require the hardest-working floor type. Well, your choice of the floor depends on the location of the kitchen, humidity level, and the substrate on which the floors are going to install. Engineered hardwood is more stable and resistant to humidity, which makes it a perfect choice for installation in the kitchen. On the other hand, solid wood floors are made purely from a single wood species; liquid spills & moisture can cause the wood to wrap gradually.

  •  Living Room & Bed Rooms

The living room often experiences the gathering of family and visitors. Installing hardwood floors helps you make your unique personality statement. To embellish your living or bedrooms, you can choose any option – engineered or solid – both look classy and give your home a timeless elegance and luxurious feel. Such floors aesthetically complement a wide range of settings and decor, from traditional to contemporary, Scandinavian, and Mediterranean styles.

For the Bathroom, you can use engineered hardwood as it consists of different layers, of which, bottom layers are plywood, which holds up against moisture comparatively well and are very dimensionally stable. You can contact us, Big Bro Hardwood, your genuine partner, to assist you in choosing the right floors to make your home stand out well.

4. Your Lifestyle & Daily Routine/Foot Traffic

Your lifestyle is among the major considerations that play an important role in determining the type of hardwood. If you’re wondering how, then read ahead. If you have pets in your home or your abode is the center of parties and regular bashes, you need floors that are sturdy and scratch-resistant. And, in that case, red oak wood, can be a perfect choice as it is hard enough to withstand most damages.

Besides, considering foot traffic is also important; it depends on the number of persons living in the house.  Also, kids have the habit of digging nails, and their toys too can damage the floors. So, you should take adequate measures to keep your floors in pristine condition. Placing rugs, avoiding heels, trimming pets’ nails, and careful use of sharp objects are some things that you can incorporate into your daily routine to prevent scratches. We would suggest light colors & satin finishes as it will make scratches less visible and have the ability to hide footprints.

Pro-tip: If scratches & marks are heavily visible, & making your home look hideous, opt for Hardwood Floor Refinishing in Lemont before it’s too late.

5. Climate & The Extent of Natural Daylight

Before selecting your new floors, it will be best to consider the climate of the area where your home is located. If there is consistent humidity in the atmosphere, it would be best to choose engineered hardwood flooring as it is designed to better withstand a humid environment.

Along with climate, you need to consider the amount of natural light entering the room where the floor is to be installed. Yes, it’s a crucial factor to think about; any wrong decision can ruin the overall appearance of your space.

For instance, Imagine you have a room with so many glass windows that allow a large amount of natural light inside. If you’ll install a light-colored hardwood there, it’ll appear extremely dull, won’t it? Therefore, to contrast, choose dark wood for extra lighted space.

Vice versa, you can use a light shade for areas permitting less amount of natural light.

6. Choices of Finishes and Stains

The most beautiful thing about hardwood floors is the availability of finishing & staining choices.

You can pick either of the flooring options — Unfinished or prefinished — both have their own pros and cons. If you don’t have any idea about these choices, read the differences here.

These days, the site-finished hardwood floor is becoming a widely chosen option as it provides ‘table top’ smoothness; no beveled edges between the planks. Once the wood floor is installed, it’s time for sanding & staining.

We, Big Bro Hardwood, have the latest choices of stains available or custom mix the shades to provide a unique one for your home. To help you choose the right stain, we apply different samples on your floor, from which you can pick the most effective color according to the existing decor. For final finishing, we use eco-friendly water-based polyurethanes that provide a natural appearance & good protection to wood floors.

7. Project Cost factor

The cost factor includes material purchasing cost, the initial cost of installation, and maintenance of the floor.

  • You have to buy wooden planks, stains, adhesive, and all other materials needed for a successful installation.
  • The installation cost depends on three aspects; floor finishing (prefinished or unfinished floors), subfloor removal cost, and the installation process (nailing, stapling, or gluing planks).
  • Proper maintenance prolongs the floors working life. Over the years, when your floors start to look drab, you need refinishing services to restore their beauty back. It will be best to consider such anticipated cost of sanding & refining in determining the overall project cost.

After taking into account all these factors, choose a hardwood floor that accommodates your needs well. If it seems challenging, you can contact experts to help you make the right choice.

At the end, when your floors will look gorgeous, it’ll pay off all your hard work & give you immense satisfaction.

Why Choose Big Bro Hardwood?

Due to the increasing number of people preferring hardwood floor installation, several installation companies are springing up; and, as a result, it can be pretty challenging to choose the right one for your needs. We, Big Bro Hardwood, have been trusted by hundreds of homeowners to achieve desired outcomes. We strive to bring an ear-to-ear smile to our client’s faces, no matter whether the job is big or small.

  • Big Bro Hardwood is backed by 20 years of experience, the start-of-the-art tools & technology, and a skilled team for delivering professional services.
  • From hardwood floor installation to refinishing, repair, and staining, get genuine solutions for all your needs in one place.
  • Our services are offered to clients from different locations, including Naperville, Burr Ridge, Hinsdale, Downers Grove, Oak Brook, Wheaton, Lemont, Orland Park, and others.
  • For Hardwood Floor Refinishing, we have a well-defined, orderly process to remove stains, damages, resolve deep scratches, dents, and noticeable heavy foot traffic areas.
  • We only use top-quality, eco-friendly products. The water-based finishing polyurethanes we use have a reputation for being organic and non-hazardous while providing outstanding protection to wood floors.
  • Our well-versed staff will professionally address all of your needs related to wood floor installation & dustless Hardwood Floor Refinishing in Burr Ridge.
  • Being happy with our services, our clients have posted so many good reviews for our services. You can go through the testimonial section on the home page or read the reviews on the GMB page.
  • We never provide any project on sub-contract. Our skilled guys will work on your project and always be in touch with you to listen to your needs.
  • We have full Liability and Workers Compensation Insurance, which means your valuable property is protected in case any accident occurs.
  • We provide a free, no-obligation estimate for your installation & refinishing project.

 

Instead of choosing DIY floor installation, hire experts like us to avoid costly mistakes and get maximum bang for your bucks. Our supreme-quality work ensures your wooden floors will last for generations & you will not face any problems like buckling & cupping of boards.

If you’ve queries related to any of the services as mentioned above or want more information, feel free to contact us at (630) 418 4139 or email us at [email protected]