So you’ve made the decision to replace your floors.
As with any home project, the dread of the unknown is unavoidable. To make your life easier, AirStep has put together a guide of what you can expect when you have your new flooring professionally installed in your home.
Prepare the room. First, check to see if preparing the room is included in your quote. This is worth the price if you have heavy furniture! If it’s not, prior to the installer’s arrival, it’s important to remove your belongings. This includes furniture, decor items, toys, and valuables. Disconnect and remove if possible any electronics that could get in the way of the install, including lamps, televisions, and computers. It’s also important to ensure your home is an optimal temperature. Flooring is best installed when your home’s internal temperature is between 65-and 85-degrees Fahrenheit.
Flooring installation can be a dirty job! During install, you can expect to see a bit of dust and debris. This is typical when removing your existing floor and installing the new one. Installers will do their best to keep dust at a minimum, but it’s not completely avoidable. Pro tip: cover your doorways and air vents so the dust doesn’t enter other rooms in your house. Rest assured that any mess created during installation will be cleaned up upon the completion of your job.
Common subfloor issues like loose or uneven subflooring, water damage, insect damage, or mold, can be discovered once your old flooring is removed. Many of these issues are impossible to detect until your existing floor is removed, but they’re not uncommon. If any of these issues present themselves during your install process, be aware that an additional cost may be added to your final bill, depending on the extent of the damage.
There will be excess product. When ordering your new floors, a waste factor of 5-15% is added to your order, depending on the product. Unforeseeable issues can affect the quality of the material, which means that some portions of your flooring could be delivered with damage. The additional percentage helps to cover that possibility and ensure there’s enough material to complete your install. Also we recommend that you keep any excess product for possible repairs in the future.
Flooring may appear slightly different. When you’re shopping for flooring, you’re shopping from a sample size. Once the floor is installed in your home, both natural and artificial lighting can affect the way the flooring appears. It may vary slightly in the shade or texture you remember from the sample, so it’s important to make your selection carefully. To help ensure your new floors appear as you thought they would, place the sample under the various types of light that present themselves in your home.
Finish the room. Damage to the floor often occurs when appliances, furniture and fixtures are moved back into place. Whoever is responsible for finishing the room should use proper flooring protection to complete the job like thin sheets of Masonite for moving appliances and felt/furniture pads or sliders for furniture legs and support bases.
All that’s left to do is enjoy your new floor! Well, maybe a good cleaning! Find AirStep maintenance and cleaning instructions here.