FLOOR INSTALLATION 101: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT INSTALLING FLOORS
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Originally Posted On: https://znetflooring.com/blog/floor-installation-101/
Installing floors is a wonderful way to improve your living space. Follow this step-by-step guide to brand new beautiful floors you can do yourself.
Rising investment in residential construction has seen a high demand for flooring installers. In 2018, the flooring installers industry in the US grew by 5.8% reaching $26 billion. During the same period, the number of flooring installation companies grew by 1.8%.
In the floor covering segment, revenue grew to $27,011 million in 2019. Experts forecast that the market will grow by 0.5% by 2023. When it comes to installing floors, you need to have skills, experience, and tools.
Without them, it will be hard to avoid gaps, cracks, bumps, dips, and humps on your floors.
In this post, we discuss some of what you need to know about installing floors.
LEARN THE BASICS ABOUT FLOORING
In floor installation 101, the first step is to learn the basics. What types of floors are available in the market? What is the difference between laminate, hardwood, and vinyl flooring?
What is the difference between engineered and solid hardwood flooring? Is laminate or hardwood better? Is a waterproof flooring needed? Which flooring is best for a basement?
We understand that this means reading through lots of resources. By learning all these, it becomes easier for you to select the right flooring that fits your needs.
When it comes to flooring types, you have hardwood, vinyl, laminate, and tile (natural stone or porcelain). Each flooring type has its own pros and cons. They also come in different styles, colors, and textures.
INSTALLING FLOORS – DIY VS PROFESSIONAL CONTRACTOR
There are over 1.688 billion websites on the internet. Of these, only 200 million are active. The internet is resourceful. You can find thousands of articles detailing how to install floors.
For instance, you can find a guide on how to install laminate floors or how to install floors by yourself.
These guides are useful and they can help you save money and install your new floor. You also have the option of hiring a professional contractor. As an expert, he is skilled and experienced.
If you want to install your laminate, hardwood or vinyl plank flooring, it will help if you have the right tools. Will you be doing other DIY projects, or will this be your only one, how much you should invest in tools highly depends on how ofter you may use them:
To begin the floor installation, you must first prepare the room. This calls for the removal of furniture and hangings on the wall. For laminate flooring and some floating vinyl planks, you can install over old tile or stone as long as it is properly adhered and flat enough.
You may have to make lots of calculations to come up with the perfect layout, measuring and cutting is part of the process. For hardwood floors, some may have to be sanded, although the vast majority are prefinished now days, mostly for superior durability.
When Installing most hardsurface flooring, you may need to undercut door casings, door jambs, and maybe some other fixed objects in order to properly run the flooring underneath for a professional look. We did make a blog post discussing this, click here to give it a read.
PROTECTING YOURSELF WHEN INSTALLING FLOORS
Like any other project, safety comes first. Before installing floors, protect your knees using knee pads.
Don’t forget to put on your protective eye wear.
Shopping for hardwood, vinyl, laminate or tile flooring? We at Znet Flooring can help. Contact us today! And don’t forget to learn more about maintaining and protecting your new floor!