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Professional flooring installation techniques you can trust
Many say the installation is as necessary as
the product. A professional, well-done flooring installation can make a budget
flooring look like a high-end product; alternatively, when done incorrectly,
even the highest quality product will have squeaks, gaps, rolls, wrinkles, and
cupping. All About Flooring of SC,
your flooring company in Greenville, SC, wants you to know about the
different techniques so you can better understand the process.
How a carpet installation is done
The subfloor is repaired and replaced if
needed. It's essential to make sure there is no water damage; otherwise, it can
be spongy and unstable. The tack strips (wooden pieces with tiny nails) are
laid around the room perimeter, and padding is placed inside. Then the rug is
stretched over it and anchored to the wall.
Manufacturers have detailed instructions as to how to install their rugs. Many now state that the installer must use a carpet stretcher, and not a knee kicker, to install wall-to-wall or other rugs in large spaces. The carpet stretcher is a long tool with tines at the end, gripping the rug and pulling it closer to the wall where it can be securely and tightly fixed to a tack strip. While knee kickers also stretch, that tool is meant only for small places like closets and won't be effective in larger areas. Please read the warranty carefully because if the manufacturer's directions are ignored, all protections are lost.
Tongue and groove for solid hardwood
This often requires subfloor repair and
restoration, with moisture readings taken throughout the process. Then pieces
are joined together, end-to-end, with the tongue and groove method. After the
floor is nailed down and, if finishing is done on-site, there will be several
coats, each needing to be thoroughly dry before any re-application.
The floating floor, which can be used for
engineered hardwood, luxury vinyl, or laminate, refers to the pieces clicking
together, mat, and then hovering over the subfloor with no nails or glue. Loose lay, often used with sheet vinyl, is a
floating floor without the clicking mechanism.
Tile is laborious, requires special tools such as tile saws, and
requires precise layout and sometimes preparation, such as cement boards.