Are you interested in getting new flooring, but thinking of tackling the job yourself? We love a good DIY project! Luckily, some flooring is incredibly easy to install. Unfortunately, others require quite a bit of skill and materials. Here are three quick and easy things to know before starting that DIY experience.
First, get your floors professionally measured. You’ll need to know how much product to purchase before you get started. Flooring can be terribly tricky at times. Here’s why getting measured by a professional can be beneficial.
1. Flooring professionals can see all of the little details necessary to complete your job, like what trim pieces you may need, what you’ll need to do with your baseboards and more.
2. All flooring products require a certain amount of waste. For hard surfaces, generally speaking, you might need anywhere from 8–15% waste whereas carpet can sometimes require upwards of 30% extra in order to cover the total amount of square footage.
Second, do research beforehand. You need to know what flooring is right for your home before you purchase because most flooring products are non-returnable and non-refundable. Youtube is a great resource to discover what product is right for you, as well as how difficult or how simple the installation process may be. You can see the differences between products from us at BlvdHome here.
If you’re interested in learning what the installation process is like, we recommend heading to major manufactures’ websites like shawfloors.com and mohawkflooring.com. They will give you step-by-step instructions to help you install your flooring correctly and efficiently.
Third, don’t skimp on proper installing materials and tools. The quickest way to void product warranties is to take a shortcut. If you’re looking to install the flooring yourself, you’ll want to be sure you have the best quality saws, hammers, tapping blocks, etc. The last thing you want is a tool to break while you’re in a groove installing your new floor, causing you to get in the car and drive to the store just to buy another one.
Taking a shortcut may also result in the product not being installed correctly according to product specifications. If for whatever reason the product begins to defect, your warranty becomes void. The burden of replacing the flooring falls on you, and that’s not what we want.
We won’t lie to you; unless you’ve installed flooring before, it can be an incredibly taxing and difficult thing to do. Carpet is heavy, wood is messy, and tile is tricky to cut. The key to all this is taking your time. Plan out a few days or even a few weeks to complete the job. Never feel like you have to get it done in one day! If you start to get a little tired or frustrated during the project, step away for a few hours or maybe even call it a day. You can always come back to it again.
Lastly, if you start your project and something comes up and you’re not able to finish, don’t worry. Your BlvdHome flooring professional will be there to help you every step of the way and they are more than happy to help you get one of BlvdHome’s professional installers scheduled to help you complete the job.
Still not sure what to do? Talk to your flooring professional and they can address any further questions you might have.