How to Prepare for a Hardwood Floor Installation: Practical Tips for Homeowners

This updated guide tells homeowners how to prepare for a hardwood floor installation. It covers measuring and ordering enough material, choosing between solid and engineered planks, assessing and preparing the subfloor, using a moisture meter, acclimating wood in the conditioned space, gathering essential tools, and selecting the appropriate installation method. It notes when to hire a professional and offers finish and maintenance reminders. Specific checks - manufacturer tolerances for subfloor flatness and acclimation times - should be confirmed with product instructions.

Plan and Measure Carefully

Measure each room's length and width to calculate square footage. Add a waste allowance (commonly about 10%) for boards cut around walls, doorways and patterns. Sketch irregular areas so you can estimate material needs and order extra to match color and grain across the project.

Choose the Right Product for the Room

Decide between solid and engineered hardwood. Engineered planks with a plywood or HDF core handle moisture and seasonal movement better, so they're often recommended for basements, kitchens and homes with HVAC cycling. Prefinished boards save time; site-finished gives more color flexibility.

Check and Prepare the Subfloor

A hardwood installation starts with a clean, dry, flat subfloor. Remove old flooring, nails and contaminants. Repair squeaks and loose sections. Use a moisture meter to check both the subfloor and the wood flooring; excessive moisture can cause cupping or gaps after installation.

For flatness, follow your flooring manufacturer's tolerance (many installers use a tolerance such as 3/16" over 10 feet) . If the subfloor isn't flat, use leveling compounds or sand high spots.

Acclimate the Wood

Most manufacturers require the wood to acclimate to the room where it will be installed. Move boxes of flooring into the conditioned space and allow them to rest for the recommended period - many specify 48-72 hours, but follow the product instructions ¹. Acclimation helps minimize post-installation movement.

Gather Essential Tools and Materials

Have the right tools on hand before you start: tape measure, chalk line, tapping block, spacers, pry bar, flooring nailer or stapler (for nail-down installations), rubber mallet, saw (miter or table), and a moisture meter. Keep safety gear - glasses, hearing protection and knee pads - within reach.

Installation Methods and When to Get Help

Common installation methods include nail/staple (solid hardwood), glue-down (engineered over concrete), and floating (click-lock engineered). Choose the method that matches your product and subfloor.

Many installations are manageable for experienced DIYers in small rooms. For large spaces, complex layouts, radiant heat systems, or historic homes, hire a licensed flooring professional to ensure proper underlayment, expansion gaps and transitions.

Finish and Maintain

If you installed unfinished wood and plan to site-finish, follow the manufacturer's directions for sanding and applying finish. For prefinished floors, follow cleaning and maintenance guidelines to protect the finish and wood over time.

Final Tips

Plan for at least a day of clean-up and acclimation after installation. Save leftover planks in case of future repairs to match color and grain. When in doubt, consult the flooring manufacturer or a local flooring pro for product-specific recommendations.

1. Confirm the common manufacturer flatness tolerance (example used: 3/16" over 10 ft) with current industry standards or specific manufacturers.
2. Verify typical acclimation timeframes (example used: 48-72 hours) against major flooring manufacturers' guidelines.