Of all the options, hardwood flooring is the most popular among homeowners and for good reason, too. Hardwood flooring offers excellent durability and add a truly authentic look to just about any home. They are also quite versatile, with the unique wood grain pattern being revealed in the floorboards. At Blue Ridge Floors, we believe that hardwood flooring is the golden standard. As a way to prepare you for getting started, we’ve put together a list of everything you need to know to go about installing beautiful hardwood floors in your home.
Determine Project Needs
First, we start off with a conversation to get to know about your home, your lifestyle, design preferences, and your budget. When it comes to your flooring project, our team partners up with you to focus on problem-solving as a priority by listening, asking questions, and learning your needs to help you decide what flooring options are best for you! We’ll be sure to go over all of the critical points of your project, including:
Project Vision
Lifestyle (kids, pets, etc.)
Characteristics of your home (lighting, interior design, etc.)
Wood Type (engineered, solid, etc.)
Species Type (maple, oak, cherry, etc.)
Grain Appearance (plain-sawn, quarter-sawn, rift-sawn)
Wood Grade (clear, select, common)
Finishing/Stain (color preferences)
Job site preparation (demolition requirements, etc.)
Environmental conditions (moisture levels, etc.)
After we have determined your project needs and requirements, we’ll schedule an appointment with you to have our hardwood flooring contractors come to take measurements of your home.
Schedule Appointment To Take On-Site Measurements
Once we have a clear understanding of your project vision, we’ll schedule an appointment for our hardwood flooring contractor to come to measure your home and spec the project.
Measuring your floors is easy to do and takes only a few hours, depending on the size of your project. We’ll go from room to room, measuring the length by its width for each. When measuring more than one room: we’ll measure all the rooms individually and then add the square footage totals together. From there, we’ll generally provide your quote within 24-48 hours after measuring.
Receive Your Hardwood Flooring Quote
When we prepare your hardwood flooring quote, we will typically quote the cost to install a hardwood floor on a square-foot basis. The total project costs are divided between the materials and labor to do the installation. The labor portion of the quote includes flooring contractor labor to remove your previous flooring, installation and finishing of the hardwood. The material costs are generally where you find the most variation in the project cost and is where you can add or subtract from the bottom line.
How much you spend depends on:
The species of wood.
The grade of wood (which describes qualities such as color variation, whether knots are visible and the direction of the grain.)
Whether the wood is solid or engineered.
The amount of preparation and cleanup work our contractor must do.
If you’re looking to hold down your hardwood flooring costs, there are many choices available that you can select to make the project work for your budget. This includes:
Refinish instead of replacing
Price shop different wood species
Consider the wood grain and patterns
Discuss solid vs. engineered options
Ask about different types of wood grades
Remove and dispose of old flooring yourself to cut down demolition costs
There are many options for the types of wood flooring you buy and the labor involved. Being aware of the differences within each category allows you to select the best option that works for you.
Project Work Begins Once you’re ready, our experienced team will get started on the installation. We’ll select all of the straightest and best-looking planks for your project while the rooms get cleared.
Our installers will begin removing the previous flooring and making sure the project area is nice and clean. We suggest that the subfloor is level and all hardwood has been acclimated to the room’s humidity and temperature, as well. Then, on to the installation of the hardwood until the last board is fit into place and finishing is complete. Most projects are finished within 2 - 3 days.
For many flooring installations, the best advice is to call in a professional flooring contractor. We offer the highest quality service by working closely with the best flooring contractors in Asheville, NC. It’s what sets us apart and gives you the peace of mind that your floor is installed properly.
Hardwood Floors’ Return on Investment
Homeowners who install hardwood floors get most of their money back if they sell the home within a year. Sellers recover 91% of the project’s cost, according to the 2017 Remodeling Impact Report jointly issued by the National Association of Realtors and the National Association of the Remodeling Industry.