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The Process
What to Expect
So you've chosen to install or refinish a wood floor in your home ----congradulations! You're adding a beautiful, durable design element that will add real value to your home, and last for generations to come. You may be wandering what will happen next, and may have some concerns about the disruption to your home while the work on your floors is being coducted. Knowing what to expect before during and after the work takes place will help prepare you and your for family for what PTI hardwoods will be doing, and will need for you to do, to deliver a high quality job.
Getting Ready
Before any work begins on your floors, the first step will be to remove all furnishing from the room. PTI can be contracted to remove your furniture, and/or appliances. You the homeowner should remove all breakables,electronics, and draperies. You should also remove any paintings or decrative items from the walls, so that they are not accidently knocked down while the wood and the flooring equipment is being moved in and out of the room.
Acclimation of the Wood
Now that your room is ready, the wood will be delivered to your home to be installed. During the installation process you will need to be prepared for some noise and disruption. Once the wood has been installed there will be a 2 week time frame for a concrete slab installation and a 4 week time frame for pier and beam application before finishing for the wood to acclimate. Acclimation is an important step of the installation process, and is absolutely critical for a high quality job. Be sure you understand up front each aspect of the installation process, from how long it will take, to which direction the flooring will be installed, to know how the floor boards may vary in apperance. Keep in mind that the wood is a natural product, produced in a factory called a forest, and no two boards will be identical. Variations in appearance are completely normal, and will add to the beauty and charm of real wood floors.
Finishing of your Hardwoods
With your floors being sand and finished in your home you will need to be prepared for some noise and disruption. Keep in mind that this is the dusty part of the job and clean up can be contracted by PTI Hardwoods upon completion. When your floors are ready to have the stain and finish applied, be sure you know what color you want, as well as what finish and sheen you prefer. No matter what type of finish, however, things will move very quickly once the finish process begins. Because this is a critical phase, when the finish is being applied to your floors, you will not have access to the room until the finish has completely dried and has had some time to cure. The time required will vary depending on type of finish being used, humidity levels, and temperture. Regardless, pets should be contained, and all family members should be kept out of the room for the durations. Your sales person will let you know exactly when you can walk on your floors and when to put furniture back in place.
Enjoying Your Hardwood Floors
Once you have been given the go-ahead to move back into your room, you should put felt pads on the bottoms of any fumiture that will come into direct contact with your floor. This will help minimize scratches and dents on your new floors. To further prevent scratches, place scatter rugs at all entrances, avoiding those with rubber backs, which can discolor your floor. Finally, avoid walking on your wood floors with cleats or high heels in disrepair, which can scratch the finish, or even dent your floor. As your wood ages, you should expect some color change to occur. Because wood is a natural product. it is prone to changes in appearance, though in most cases, the change is quite subtle. Direct sunlight. fumiture and rugs can cause color changes as well, so try to move your furnishings and rugs from time to time to help minimize color variations. You also should be prepared for spaces to appear and disappear between floor boards during seasons of high and low humidity. Being a product of nature, wood breaths and reacts to changes in humidity and temperature, which can cause temporary spaces in your floor. Generally, anything less than the width of a dime is considered normal. and in most cases, these spaces will correct themselves when conditions are more favorable. You can help minimize this situation by maintaining a constant humidity in your horne, within 20 percent. Finally, to keep your wood floors looking their best, you will need to properly care for and maintain them. Ask PTI to recommend a cleaning product designed specifically for your type of floor, and use it regularly to keep your floors looking beautiful for years to come.
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