12 Must Know Things You Need To Know When Buying Hardwood Flooring!

If you are someone who is looking to buy hardwood flooring, do not rush! This article will give you a list of things that you have to know about such floors before buying them so that you are not stuck with something that you don’t want or something that you pay for but accidentally end up ruining. Acclimation- it is necessary for the hardwood to be acclimatised to its surroundings properly to be able to last long without damage. One of the main things you should keep in mind here is the moisture content of the wood and the sub-floor, which should not differ from each other by more than 2-4%. Before installing the wood into the sub-floor, you also have to make sure that it reaches room temperature 24 hours before the installation process. Make sure to follow the instructions given carefully about acclimatization.

1. Moisture content- while each type of wood and each manufacturer will have a different figure for the hardwood’s ideal moisture content, there is a universal average of 6-9% that is considered good. If there is a huge difference in moisture levels between the wood and the sub-floor, you could face sudden expansion or contraction. To avoid this, make sure to use an electronic moisture meter to measure moisture content.
2. Climate control is necessary for the climate to be maintained constantly throughout the installation process for it to happen smoothly. There are different tactics that you can employ if you want to maintain the temperature in the room, and all of this can be found on the internet
3. Floating floors- when you install a floating floor, keep in mind that as with regular wood, this will also expand and contract with temperature changes, and you should therefore leave enough space between the floors and walls to allow this to happen
4. Expansion joint- these are an absolute necessity when two rooms converge at a point. The most common type of molding used is the T type to allow for the expansion and contraction
5. Moisture control- with all the emphasis on moisture content, it is obvious that the amount of moisture in the sub-floor has to be controlled. The upper limit for relative humidity in the sub-floor is 65%, and anything higher than this can be detrimental. For moisture, your sub-floor must not exceed 12%, and if it does, you cannot use hardwood for your flooring
6. Glue down flooring- while it may seem logical to simply glue down the hardwood to the sub-floor, you may want to avoid this as it becomes problematic when you want to pull it out and replace it. Alternately, you can glue the pieces of hardwood to each other or install them on the sub-floor using tongues and grooves
7. Nail down flooring- for this, make sure that you carefully read the instructions that come with it and even call in the help of professionals if you need to because fixing it improperly can cause permanent, irreversible damage
8. Natural variations- no pieces of hardwood can be identical, which is the biggest reason they are so beautiful. To avoid anything that looks like random discoloration, make sure to work with multiple pieces from different boxes so you can space everything out
9. Culled material- culled material is essentially the part of the product that you don’t really want to use because it is not up to the standards of the rest of it. When you buy material, you will have to account for this and buy a little extra, generally about 5-10% more than what you think you need
10. Scratches- all hardwood floors are prone to scratches irrespective of what polish you use on them. The only thing you can do to protect your floor is to use furniture protectors as well as carpets and rugs
11. Cleaning- lastly, after all of the installation, you want to make sure that you maintain your hardwood floor well, so it lasts long. Make sure to call in professional cleaning services and learn how to do it before you accidentally cause damage to the floor. Remember, the most important thing here is not letting the floor gets filled with too much moisture.

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Alliance Floor Source based in Toronto is the place to go if you need a hardwood floor installed. Experts in the field, the professionals here will give you advice on what is best for you according to your preferences. Click on https://alliancefloorsource.com/ to get started on your perfect flooring today.