Installation

When you need to choose wood flooring for your home, it is easy to lose yourself in the number of options. You also have multiple considerations to think about, depending on each room’s traffic and use. Below, we look at the five most popular wood flooring materials and the pros and cons of each.

Wood Flooring

Nothing is as classic as hardwood flooring. It is durable, natural and warm. It is also suited to a wide range of decors, thanks to the many woods and finishes available on the market today. Because hardwoods last so long and are easily refinished by the pros, you cannot go wrong if you choose wood flooring.

Where things get difficult is in making your final selections from oak, cherry, or other species. You also need to decide upon your plank style, parquet, or other designs. Will you install your own prefinished planks or have the pros do the work for you? To choose wood flooring made of real hardwood, it is usually best to seek advice from the experts at TriPoint Flooring for your Raleigh area home.

Luxury Vinyl Planks

If you want to choose wood flooring that most closely resembles natural hardwoods, but is less expensive, today’s luxury vinyl plank flooring is your best option.

Luxury vinyl planks consist of wood-based materials topped with a vinyl photographic image of your ideal hardwood species, then a protective finish. This means you get the beauty of hardwoods with the durability of vinyl flooring. It can stand up to the everyday demands of pets, children and other heavy traffic. On the downside, your senses notice the difference between luxury vinyl planks and real wood. LVP flooring does not feel or sound like real wood when you walk across them.

Engineered Hardwood Floors

Between natural hardwoods and luxury vinyl planks are engineered hardwood floors. Engineered hardwoods are made of several layers of plywood topped with a real hardwood veneer. They cost a bit more than luxury vinyl planks. But they have the authentic sound, look and feel of real hardwoods that vinyl planks do not.

If you want to choose wood flooring for its authentic look and feel, but do not want the higher price tag of natural hardwoods, engineered hardwood floors are a great option. They enable you to have floors with all of the traditional wood appeal, but on a budget. Even better, the pros can refinish your engineered hardwoods for an update at some point in their lifetime. This is an option not available for luxury vinyl planks.

Bamboo Flooring

Many people looking to choose wood flooring think bamboo is a real wood option. But this flooring is not from a tree. Instead, it is a woody grass. Still, it is a natural choice that offers exceptional strength, durability and resistance to climate issues like swelling or contraction from humidity. In fact, bamboo has strength equivalent to steel.

As you choose wood flooring options, consider bamboo. These floors are pre-finished and engineered. The planks offer tongue-and-groove joints, making them as easy to install as standard engineered hardwoods. But bamboo forests only take up to five years to reach maturity as compared to hardwood forests requiring 120 years on average. This means that bamboo flooring is far more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

Cork Flooring

Like bamboo, cork is an environmentally-friendly option for people trying to choose wood flooring for their Raleigh area home. But unlike hardwood, cork feels cushioned underfoot. This woody material has a honeycomb cellular makeup that, besides being soft to stand on, absorbs sound and vibrations. It can actually make loud spaces quieter.

Cork flooring is also easy to install. It comes in pre-finished, nonslip tiles ideal for any room, even wet ones like the kitchen or bathroom. You can choose wood flooring made of cork in a wide range of finishes, too.

Tri Point Flooring Will Help You Choose Wood Flooring

The experts at Tri Point Flooring in Cary, NC will help you choose wood flooring to ensure you make the decisions that best suit your home, lifestyle and décor. We can make the whole process less intimidating and easier. Call us today at (919) 771-7542 for a free in home consultation.

Most people do not think about their subfloor when considering new hardwood flooring. But this foundation for your hardwoods is one of the most important parts of your installation. It is the part that lies under hardwood flooring and out of view. But it provides the strength and longevity of your investment. Below, we look at the types of subfloor required for hardwood floors and factors you should consider before your flooring project begins.

Four Layers of Hardwood Flooring

Your smooth, beautifully sanded and stained hardwoods are not just simple planks pieced together. Instead, they are the top layer of four. Each layer performs its own function.

These layers include:

• Joists, the parallel structures running between beams or walls to hold up the floor
• Subfloor, the structural layer on top of joists that provides a stable, solid surface for people, furniture and household elements
• Underlayment, the layer over the subfloor that provides a smooth and flat surface on which flooring is installed
• Hardwood flooring, whether solid hardwoods or engineered hardwoods, the layer visible within your living spaces

Installation of Your Hardwoods

The types of subfloor used in your home determine appropriate methods for installing your hardwoods. The most common methods for installation include stapling or nailing the flooring to the subfloor. While this works well for solid hardwoods and engineered hardwoods alike, you have more options with engineered flooring. For these, you can also choose to glue down your flooring or use floating installation.

Ideal Types of Subfloor for Hardwoods

The ideal types of subfloor for hardwoods are generally plywood. Although plywood is the best material, it is available in varied thicknesses. You should talk to your hardwood flooring pros at Tri Point Flooring about your subfloor to ensure the existing material suits your installation. This typical thickness is 1/2-inch to 3/4-inch thick plywood.

Besides varied thicknesses for plywood, these types of subfloor are also available in multiple forms. Your hardwoods are less likely to squeak if you use tongue-and-groove plywood. Tongue-and-groove sheets fit together more securely.

The Moisture Factor in Types of Subfloor

When installing hardwoods, it is important to consider moisture as a factor. Your subfloor must stay just as dry as your hardwood surface to prevent damage to this critical layer of your installation. Pay particular attention to the moisture factor if placing hardwoods in a kitchen, mudroom, bathroom or laundry room.

Moisture damages all layers it comes into contact with, making it very important to keep your floors dry and use proper materials. You must protect your subfloor from water seepage from surface spills or leaks. Seal any cracks and ensure it is not uneven in any areas. Water can pool in uneven spots of subflooring, leading to rotting.

By installing the right types of subfloor for your hardwoods and ensuring they stay moisture-free, you can enjoy your hardwoods much longer.

Pay Attention to Flooring Grade

Even the best types of subfloor cannot provide a good surface for solid hardwoods below grade. Installing hardwoods below the outside ground level makes it almost impossible for moisture to evaporate from beneath the flooring. Since basements are typically below grade, you should install engineered hardwoods in these areas of your home. You can find engineered hardwoods that look similar to the solid hardwoods used in above-grade levels.

Pay attention to types of subflooring used above-grade. For these levels of your home, the strength of your subfloor and joists are critical to the durability of your installed flooring. Ensure the subfloor is strong and rigid enough to support solid hardwoods. Use OSB or plywood, not particle board or chipboard.

The best scenario for solid hardwood flooring installation above-grade is OSB or plywood of 3/4″ or more. But particle board and chipboard can work for engineered hardwoods.

Turn to the Tri Point Flooring Pros for the Best Hardwood Flooring Installation

When you want to ensure your hardwood flooring is installed for beauty, durability and longevity, you only need to enlist the help of the pros at TriPoint Flooring. We will ensure you have the right type of subfloor as a foundation for your new hardwoods. Call us today for a consultation in Raleigh, Apex or Cary, NC at (919) 771-7542.

A common question people tend to have is “why hire a professional flooring installer”? Isn’t it easier to put in the new hardwood flooring myself?” While this is a fair question, especially if you are someone who has the DIY (Do It Yourself) experience, we do not recommend DIY installing wooden floors.

Installing Hardwood Floors On Your Own Can Be Tricky and Cost You More Money

Installing wood floors is a lot harder than people often think it is. If it wasn’t difficult, we wouldn’t still be in business! Installing your own floor requires mastery of pneumatic staple guns, circular saws, tape measures and chalk lines, etc.  While these tasks may not seem overly difficult, a small slip up can put the entire project in jeopardy. Not in the fun TV show kind of way!

Consider the cost of your time, as well as buying the materials and tools to do the hardwood floor installation yourself.

You Will Likely Realize that DIY is Just Not Worth it for this Project

It is true that with a large amount of research, planning, and money spent on materials, you can do this project yourself. However, by the time you factor in the extra costs associated with doing it yourself, as well as the cost of your time and the risk/reward of a mishap ruining the project. It is unlikely to be worth the DIY for the vast majority of people.

Let The Pros at Tri Point Flooring Do the Heavy Lifting

This doesn’t have to be a negative, however. When you work with Tri Point Flooring, you are already saving money. We guarantee you our prices will never be beaten, and if they are, we will price match it. That way, you can relax and let us handle the hard work and stress, while all you have to do is admire your beautiful new floor when we are done! Call us today if you have any questions, or to book an absolutely free consultation for us to look at your job!

Why hire a professional flooring installer?  To keep your floors looking great! Contact Tri Point Flooring Today! We will schedule a consultation and give you a free estimate!