Key Facts You Need to Know When Buying Hardwood Flooring in Peterborough

Are you looking to buy hardwood flooring in Peterborough?  There’s a lot you should know, particularly if you’re planning on installing the flooring yourself.  When properly installed, a hardwood floor can be an amazing piece of work which will beautify your home for many years – but there are a lot of “hidden” aspects, not often discussed, which can cause the installation to fail if the installer doesn’t know about them.

At Monaghan Lumber, we want you to make the most of your hardwood flooring purchase, and we’re happy to discuss installation at length if you’re planning a DIY project.  These are some of the things you should know about, to ensure your installation goes smoothly.

Five Things You Should Know Before Purchasing Hardwood Flooring in Peterborough

1. Always read the instructions!
Before we drill down to any specifics, it’s important to know that every type of wood flooring in Peterborough is a little different.  Just like a car, they have their own “specs” which must be respected for best performance.  Your purchase will come with instructions, so you should do nothing with the wood until you’ve read them thoroughly.

And you’ll have time for this because your wood needs…

2. Acclimation
For a proper install, your wood flooring must be very close to the same temperature and moisture content as the subflooring.  This means your wood will need to sit basically untouched for around 72 hours as it acclimates to the conditions in your home.  The instructions should specify exactly how to do this, such as whether to open the box or leave it closed.

3. Measuring moisture levels
Why does the wood need to have roughly the same moisture level as the subflooring?  Because of expansion and contraction.  For example: hardwood which has a very high moisture level will be slightly larger because of the additional water content.  If placed on drier subflooring, the moisture will migrate to the dryer material, and the wood will shrink – causing cracks and other problems with your installation.  You’ll almost certainly want a moisture meter to help you determine when the floor is ready to be installed.

Of course, the wood will naturally expand and contract anyway…

4. Expansion gaps
You shouldn’t install your hardwood flooring so it’s perfectly flush with your walls and other vertical surfaces.  It needs a little extra room to “breathe,” so to speak.  If there isn’t room for it to naturally expand, that will lead to cracking, warping or buckling.

5. Climate and moisture control
Your home needs to have strong climate control and moisture control.  Significant variation in either climate or moisture from day to day will have a direct impact on the wood flooring, causing it to shrink or expand. Here in Ontario it’s best to maintain a relative humidity between 30-50% for the wood to perform best and always use a cleaning product recommended by the manufacturer to avoid harming the finish.

Need Help with Hardwood Flooring in Peterborough?  We’re Here for You!

For thirty years, we’ve provided quality hardwood, friendly service, and competitive pricing in Peterborough and central Ontario. Come visit our showroom today to learn more!