Hardwood Flooring Subfloor Best Practices

Hardwood Flooring SubfloorThe Hardwood Flooring Subfloor is As Important as the Hardwood It’s Under

Your Reno/Tahoe hardwood floors can be expected to last as long as your house will. However, that assumption is predicated on your hardwood flooring subfloor having been installed correctly, at every step. An improper installation, preparation or repair on your subfloor will leave it noisy and uneven, or worse.

Ensuring that every step of your hardwood flooring subfloor preparation is done correctly, will make all the difference in the overall quality and longevity of your hardwood floor. The time and effort necessary to do it right the first time is far smaller than the cost of tearing your new hardwood floors out to correct a bad subfloor preparation.

Simple But Crucial Preparation Steps

Whether you’re installing a new hardwood flooring subfloor, repairing a section or just prepping for a new hardwood floor install, these steps will make all the difference.

Clean the Subfloor

Hardwood flooring planks can be relatively thin. Anywhere from a few millimeters to less than an inch thick. Any voids or debris between the hardwood and the hardwood flooring subfloor can cause your finished floors to crack, split, or break free from the adhesive. Those will be huge, costly problems for you, if allowed to remain.

All of the previous floor covering must be completely removed (carpet, padding, leftover adhesives, etc.). Anything sticking up like staples or tack strips needs to be pulled out or hammered down. Sweeping and vacuuming the entire floor space where the new flooring will be installed is next. If your subfloor requires too much prep-work just to clean, replacing it completely may actually be faster, cheaper, and less stressful.

Level the Subfloor

Perfectly leveling the subfloor is essential for a quiet walking surface which will last. Concrete subfloor allows for self-leveling concrete, which hardens evenly across the whole floor. Wooden subfloor tends to be a more involved process. You can layer and taper different materials like plywood, shims, OSB, or felt paper for minor dips. However as I stated earlier, if a wood subfloor is too warped or degraded, replacing it can be faster, cheaper, and less stressful in the long run.

Install Protective Underlayment

The underlayment works as a barrier and padding to protect your new hardwood floor from moisture. There are a plethora of options available for hardwood floor underlayment. Your specific type of new flooring will dictate what kind you should use with their product. (Read the directions on which side is up!)

Allow Artisan to Do It For You

I might have listed this as the Easy First Step. But why would you want to DIY when we can do it all for you? When you take advantage of Artisan Hardwood Floors to install new floors in your Reno/Tahoe home or office, you get the very best workmanship possible. We also guarantee our work, which doing it yourself doesn’t come with.

If you would like a short conversation about how affordable an investment hardwood floors can be, please contact me right away. I love making new friends.

Sorin Giurca

Master Craftsman, Artisan, Owner