Quick Q&A:
It seems everyone is selling hardwood floors. Who knows what they're doing?
Ah, welcome to the new century. In the last five years alone we've noticed the yellow page ads explode with so called "hardwood specialists." Our suggestion is to look far and deep for the right installer. After all, hardwood flooring doesn't come cheap and replacing gets very expensive should installation problems occur.
A few suggestions to ask installers right off the bat would be; what kind of moisture meters they use. Other useful questions would be; how long should the flooring be acclimated? Some aren't aware of the need to acclimate material. This is especially important with solid hardwoods and not as much with engineered.
What to choose? Prefinished hardwood floors or ones that are installed and sanded in place?
Today's prefinished hardwood floor finishes are vastly improved and are finished in controlled settings. Many offer more than six coatings whereas a normal site finished (sanded in place and finished) floor would be two or three. Prefinished warranties are exceptional but cannot be passed on from the original owner. There are advantages and disadvantages of both. Nearly all solid prefinished hardwood floors are beveled to some extent. On the other hand, a site finished hardwood floor that has been installed in it's raw unfinished form, then finished will have a flawless uniform appearance upon completion. However, maintaining the appearance requires close attention to climate control during seasonal changes.
