Waterproof Floors

5 super important hardwood flooring tips and tricks 

If you’re considering installing new hardwood flooring in your home or business, there are a few hardwood flooring tips and tricks you should keep in mind.

These tips will not only help you install your flooring better, but they’ll help you maintain it for longer.

Let’s discuss some of the most important hardwood flooring tips and tricks and provide you with some additional resources on hardwood flooring.

Don’t forget to acclimate

In most cases, hardwood flooring requires at least 2 weeks of acclimation. This means that your flooring should reside in the room it will be installed in and kept at the temperature that the room is usually kept at.

Why is this important? Too much moisture can cause wood flooring to expand, split, and shrink. If you install your hardwood flooring as soon as you get it delivered, you risk running into these issues during or after the install. As a result, you could end up with gaps, cracks, or other issues in your space.

Always prepare the subfloor

Before installing your new and beautiful wood flooring, you need to make sure that your subflooring is up to the job. If not, this can also result in problems later down the road — whether these problems occur during or after the installation.

You’ll mostly want to make sure that the flooring is level, clean, and mold-free. If this is not the case, your flooring post-installation could bend, creak, and become more susceptible to permanent damage.

Pick the room carefully

Not all rooms are great for hardwood flooring. At the same time, not all households are great for hardwood flooring. Hardwood flooring is a wonderful long-term investment; however, if your space or lifestyle would make it difficult to maintain real wood flooring, then you’ll lose the full value of that investment. 

You may want to reconsider (or postpone) hardwood flooring if you’re installing in:

Protect your floor from spills

If you do happen to install your wood flooring in a room that is prone to moisture or spills, all is not lost. There are a lot of steps you can take to safeguard your wood flooring from water or moisture damage. Here’s what we recommend:

  • Use thick rugs near sinks, fridges, showers, and toilets
  • Keep doors, windows, or vents open
  • Clean up spills immediately
  • Use baby gates to prevent animals from entering areas with wood floors (especially if potty training)
  • Trim your pet’s nails regularly to avoid scratches and scuffs

Avoid harsh chemicals

Wood flooring does not require harsh chemicals to maintain. When you do use chemicals such as bleach or even lysol, your wood flooring could end up discolored and less protected. Instead, opt for more natural cleaning solutions. Vinegar and water are great options and can clean up the majority of messes.

If you don’t like the smell of vinegar, pick up a cleaning agent that is specifically made for wood flooring. These products are designed to clean and protect, without damaging.

Looking for more hardwood flooring tips and tricks?

We’d love to help! At Walk The Plank, we provide Kern County residents with hardwood flooring products, installation, and financing, and we’ve developed a handful of resources to help with the hardwood flooring selection and installation process. 

Check out our resources below and reach out to us with any questions you have.