Installing A Beautiful Hardwood Floor in Your Luxury Home

New Year’s often brings a heightened sense of inspiration. Resolutions, goals, and plans get made and we’re fired up to tackle anything that comes our way. Unfortunately, most of that fizzles away after the month of January, and for that reason, we are encouraging you to channel that brief window of energy on tackling a new home design project.

Installing a Hardwood Floor: Tips for Your Luxury Home

For most of us, flooring is the long-forgotten element of our home. We stare at it and wish for something new, but never get around to doing anything about it. Lucky for you, installing a beautiful hardwood floor doesn’t have to be an intense process, and with these few tips, you’ll be on your way to putting the finishing touches on your luxury home.

Selecting a Material

There are so many different types of wood that can be used for flooring that it can be daunting to go about selecting one. It’s smart to think in terms of brightness – light furniture, paint, and amenities compliment darker woods, and darker furniture, paint, and amenities compliment lighter woods. Here’s a simplified breakdown of common hardwood floor types:

Darker Woods: Mahogany, Walnut, Oak, and Cherry

Lighter Woods: Maple, Beech, Ash, and Pine

Keep in mind – darker woods tend to scratch easier, but this can be avoided through proper maintenance and treatment.

Installation Tips

So you’ve selected a material and now it’s time to install your new hardwood floors. There are a few potential hiccups you may encounter along the way, so make sure to be aware of these issues before proceeding!

Moisture: If the place you are installing your hardwood floor is below or at ground level, you will need to be particularly aware of moisture. Ensure the moisture level of the concrete base doesn’t exceed 4%, and that the air never exceeds 60%, otherwise you’re at risk for rot or fungi issues.

Adapting Flooring to Room Environment: Your wood comes with a natural level of moisture in it, which is most likely different than that of the room you plan on installing it in. Before installing, lay your wood down in the room it will be installed in and leave it there for 3-4 days. This will allow it to take on the natural moisture of the room so that it will settle in place with more ease.

Methods of Hardwood Floor Installation

Nails: Nailing your boards to the floor is great for thinner boards. If you are installing above concrete, make sure you drill small holes before attempting to use nails.

Staples: Stapling a hardwood floor down is easy, quick, and cost-effective. Staple every 12 inches apart and make sure you staple at a 45-degree angle – to high and you’ll split your wood and miss the base floor, too low and you might break the wood entirely.

Conclusion

Installing a hardwood floor doesn’t have to be a difficult project. Select the right wood for the lighting of your home (contrast against your current furniture, paint, and amenities), and get to work! It’s always smart to hire a professional, for pre-project assessment at the least. So, be sure to reach out to Tony McClung for his expert architectural design skills. Luxury Homes Designed and Built by Tony McClung will help you get the beautiful floors in your home that you have always dreamed of!