Both the popularity as well as the increasing materials available to the “do it yourself” community both suggest you should seriously consider hardwoods for your own home and we hope to address a few of the reasons for our position as well as provide some pointers for those of you looking for a hardwood contractor.  Please read carefully if you are thinking about doing this yourself because you could waste the entire amount spent if you do not install hardwoods correctly… More on that shortly.

The location of your home could impact this next statement but generally speaking hardwood floors in any room generally add value and beauty to your home but adding hardwoods in the kitchen, even if carpeted rooms are adjoining, will set the kitchen apart as a centerpiece room.

There is another factor to consider.  If your family utilizes the kitchen for more than just quick stop in and grab a snack moments.  Meaning, you actually cook, clean up the dishes, and spend time sitting at the table… then you might want to closely look at the main differences between tile and wood floor.  If tile is not an option for you, then please skip this article but for those of you weighing the two options as equals, please understand they are not. 

• Wood floors hold the warmth better in the winter.
• Wood floors are “softer” to your feet and ultimately for some… the back.
• Wood floors are more durable than vinyl tiles.
• Tile floors can actually cost more when you add up the installation and ALL the materials needed to properly install.
• Wood floors will not chip or break if something is dropped and can actually even “absorb” the bounce of a glass or dish.  This is not a guarantee nothing will break rather it is generally accepted as a rule of thumb that wood floors absorb the fall better.

This is why the wood floors create value in most homes since the popularity has increased tied directly to many of the points listed above.

What about spilt liquids?  Excellent question!  There have been several advances in sealing the wood and in coating with a durable finish to prevent moisture damage to hardwood floors.  This being said, it is still possible to damage should a leak occur in the dishwasher, sink, frig, etc.  However, if the finish is applied properly spilt liquids can remain on the surface for a short period of time until you are able to clean up the spill.

For our custom cabinets, we actually utilize a material that protects the wood from over 20 stains from Acetone to Wine… and the same advances are available to hardwood floor installers as well.  Beware, there IS a difference in the finish so study this carefully if you decide to do this yourself.

If you have visited a home improvement store recently you may have noticed that hardwood flooring options are becoming as extensive as tile and vinyl.  In fact, in most stores hardwood floor options have exceeded vinyl options.  Options related to plank length, width, finished or unfinished, stain colors, etc.

When you review, make sure you also look at the product from the side.  Is this a solid plank of say red Oak or a piece of plywood with a solid wood veneer on top referred to as “engineered wood floors”.  Nothing wrong with either but research the differences and compare that to the length of stay you anticipate in your home.  Believe it or not, in some cities you can obtain solid cherry wood floors for the same cost as oak… but in larger formats.  There are so many options out there to choose from and we recommend getting the option of an interior decorator to assist.  The goal is to allow the floor to compliment the room as a whole not become the center of attention (unless you plan on some appliqué technique.)

Finish Options:  If you plan on doing the hardwood floor project yourself I would highly recommend you purchase pre-finished flooring.  Please don’t get distracted and gravitate toward unfinished because it costs $2.00 less per square foot.  Finishing hardwood floors is not only a very physical job it will absolutely create a wood dust mess in your entire home and this is not an exaggeration.  Unless your home is vacant  and you can absolutely tent off the area and turn off your HVAC systems and not sleep there overnight… consider pre-finished.

Finishing a wood floor requires more technique than say just installing a pre-finished floor and they look very similar when done.  No one will notice that you used pre-finished unless it’s another “do it yourselfer”. 

Finishing is not like painting where you can just slap it on, avoid runs, and wait for it to dry.  (I’m speaking from experience here.) There are sanding preparations that must be done with caution so not to create ruts from a rogue sanding machine or should I say a rogue operator.  Sanding stages are required between each step not to mention a high filtration vacuum to remove all dust between these stages.  I’m just getting started.  The fumes alone will drive you out of your home. 

Consider pre-finished.  They look great and will be uniform in appearance.  I have not addressed the actual installation process since this is not an article on the step by step method of installation but I will mention the MOST common mistake among the DIY community, in my opinion.  Not letting the wood sit in your home for ONE WEEK doing nothing but acclimating to the temperature of your home could be the biggest impatient move you have made in your life.  I’ll let you research why this is important in other articles.. but I had to at least identify the major pitfall here.

If you decide to get a professional to install and finish your new hardwoods please keep in mind that the pre-finished is most likely going to maintain a better finish unless this hardwood installer has years of experience and you have checked their references and background.  A good installer could in fact improve on the finish from a pre-finished factory.

Once you’ve made the decision to pursue hardwoods you will need to start shopping both home improvement stores and general flooring stores.  Don’t cut corners by just hiring a cheap installer and go with the wood they recommend.  Builder Grade #1 would be the minimum I would suggest (when selecting unfinished hardwoods) but research this more on your own.

Couple of questions to think about and possibly ask when considering a hardwood store.

1. Does this store specialize in floorings?  Stores that specialize are a great resource because they typically have a knowledgeable sales staff.  A tremendous value if you know nothing about hardwoods and wish to educate yourself.  They can assist in winding through the jungle of hardwood decisions.
2. Do they offer their customers installation? If they have specialized in wood flooring and have a knowledgeable sales staff and a great product selection, most likely they also offer installation.  Since they sold you the product there is a good chance they want to see it installed correctly so this is an option to consider.
3.  Do they have references and pictures from previous jobs?  Boy is this critical.  We do the same with our custom cabinet customers.  References, before/after pictures and more are always available to our customers online.  Anyone that is seriously in business will have. A lack of either type of reference should throw up a red flag and let you know that your search for the best supplier is not over.