Was your house initially built on concrete slabs? You may want to get rid of the old look and try the popular wood finish that urban homes have for flooring.
The beauty and charm of espresso-colored hardwood flooring is undeniable so wanting to add that charm to your home is a natural wish. All you need to do is hire professionals who are well-aware of how to prepare the concrete for hardwood installation. They’ll have to look for moisture, take measures to manage it and estimate the expansion or contraction of wood in that atmosphere.
Here’s a checklist of all things that you should look for before getting floor wood installation.
At or Above Grad
You can have hardwood installed on-grade—which is at ground level—or above-grade—above the ground level—if you have dry concrete, the right subfloors and vapor retarders. It can be a problem to install hardwood flooring below ground level because there’s the risk of excess moisture. To avoid this problem for best results, you need to have engineered wood that is a composition of layers of wood attached together. This will protect the flooring as it’ll end up being considerably above ground level.
Ideally, hardwood flooring shouldn’t be done in environments with high moisture content. All concrete slabs and masonry should be dried off completely before the work begins. If the installation is conducted in summers, the space should be well-ventilated and during winters, indoor heating should be restricted within occupancy levels. These preparations are mandatory and should be done before wood is delivered to the site.
Dry Slab
Before installing the subfloor, make sure the concrete slabs are completely dry. Once the drying process is completed, you should conduct a moisture test at several random spots in the area to double-check the results. If the test reveals there’s excessive moisture still, delay hardwood installation. You can either quicken the drying with the help of ventilation or heating or let it happen naturally with time. As for a rough idea, concrete slabs that are older than 2 months are dry enough for installation.
Flat and Clean Concrete Surface
For proper installation of hardwood, concrete should be flattened with a trowel finish. It should also be free of grease, oil, dust or grime. If you see any high spots or bumpy surfaces in the slab, make sure they’re grazed and ground until the surface is smooth and stable. Any low depressions should also be filled and brought at par with the high ground.
With all this in mind, our professionals will do a stellar job with hardwood floor installation Seattle.
We provide Hardwood Flooring Services Seattle and have been catering to all contractors and clients in the area since 2009. Call us if you need experts to deal with the flooring needs.