Indianapolis Hardwood Floor Installation

Installing Hardwood Floors in Your Indianapolis Home

There is an art and science to the installation of hardwood floors. Professionals pay attention to the painstaking details of preparation, structural anomalies that can frustrate the most well intentioned do-it-yourselfer and the tools to do the job right the first time.

Each project is unique, but every ProSand install includes critical expertise to ensure a structurally sound and beautifully finished floor.

Timing

Before the hardwood floor installation begins, wood must acclimate to the temperature and humidity level of your home for no less than two weeks. This is an important step that can’t be rushed. We will place the wood in the location of your choice inside your home (it cannot be in the garage or on a screen porch) and will schedule your installation for approximately 2-3 weeks from delivery. This step allows your wood to expand and contract before it is laid in place.

Installation time can vary based on the size of your space, the type of original flooring being removed and whether you choose factory finished or site-finished wood. Site-finished wood will need to allow for sanding, staining, finishing and drying.

A schedule will be given to you before your job begins. And because we know that floor installation and finishing means a disruption to your daily life, our install team takes the schedule seriously and will work hard to stay true to our timeframe.

Details

Not only do we take schedules seriously, we treat your home the same way. Planks will be measured indoors but taken outside for cutting, something that our Indianapolis homeowners really appreciate. And your crew will straighten up every day before they leave.

Plus, every install project is followed by a walk-through and thorough wipe down to ensure it’s clean, even in hard to reach places. We leave every Indianapolis homeowner with some essentials at the end of a project, including adhesive furniture pads and Bona cleaning products. You’ll find this attention to detail at every stage of the process.

AN OVERVIEW: The ProSand Install Process

1. Furniture is carefully removed from the area with dollies and scooting pads or homeowners can elect to do this ahead of time.
2. Existing carpet, pad or other flooring is removed and disposed of by our team.
3. Sub-floor is inspected for moisture, vacuumed thoroughly and wide cracks are filled and smoothed with wood putty. Squeaky boards are reset with flooring nails.
4. Sub-floor is covered with a layer of 15-pound asphalt felt secured with a staple gun.
5. The room’s width is measured at two points to establish an accurate centerline. A chalk line is snapped parallel to the starting wall and to mark the locations of the joist supports.
6. Another chalk line is snapped approximately 1/2” from the starting wall exactly parallel to the centerline to indicate the edge of the first row of flooring. This 1/2” gap between the flooring and wall will allow for expansion and will be covered by a base shoe or baseboard molding.
7. The longest boards or widest planks are chosen for the first row. Pilot holes are drilled near the wall where the nail heads will be covered by a base shoe or baseboard molding.
8. The first row of boards is face-nailed through the plywood subflooring to the floor joists or sleepers. A nail set will be used to recess nails below the surface.
9. Each subsequent row will be tightened against previous row by moving a short piece of flooring along the edge of the row and sharply tapping with a mallet or hammer.
10. For large areas, a wood floor nailer is slipped onto the board’s tongue and with a rubber mallet is used to strike the plunger and drive 2 inch nails or staples through the tongue, into each joist and into the sub-floor midway between the joists.
11. At the last row, a block or pry bar is used to wedge the last boards tightly into position. Holes are drilled and boards nailed where a base shoe or baseboard molding will cover them. Nail heads are set below the surface using a hammer and nail set.
12. If new flooring causes a level change to a hallway or adjoining room, a reducer strip will be installed for a smooth transition. This strip, milled with a rounded or beveled top, fits onto the tongue of an adjacent board or the ends of perpendicular boards. The reducer strip is face-nailed at the edge of the floor, nail heads set below the surface and holes filled with wood putty.
13. If your floor is unfinished, this is when we will mix the stain or stains of your choice and show you samples on the raw, unfinished wood. Some very dark, pickled, whitewashed or specialty-colored finishes will require an extra stage called water popping. Water popping is a process that uses an application of water to open the wood grain and allow it to accept a saturated level of stain or color. Every ProSand floor includes our fast-drying catalyst based finish that is 3-4 times harder than polyurethane. This step will also incorporate your desired level of shine (matte, satin, semi-gloss or gloss).
14. Finally, the shoe or baseboard molding is installed for a smooth, finished look.
15. ProSand can also arrange to paint or stain your shoe or baseboards.
16. Our team does a walk-through and thorough wipe down and cleaning of the surrounding area and floors.
17. Furniture is carefully returned to its original position and ProSand supplies you with adhesive furniture pads, stain matching touch-up pens and Bona cleaning products.

Enjoy your new hardwoods!