Home
Fact-checked

At HomeQuestionsAnswered, we're committed to delivering accurate, trustworthy information. Our expert-authored content is rigorously fact-checked and sourced from credible authorities. Discover how we uphold the highest standards in providing you with reliable knowledge.

Learn more...

How Do I Choose the Best Wood Flooring Specialists?

Gregory Hanson
Gregory Hanson

Choosing the best wood flooring specialists typically involves evaluating local contractors based on their specific areas of specialization, reputation and experience, and pricing. Many wood flooring specialists focus on some particular aspects of the craft, and it is best to make sure that the particular expertise of a given contractor lines up with the tasks that they will need to perform. Work with wood flooring is a skilled trade, and the best specialists will have solid reputations for quality work and a significant history of work in the field. A final determining factor when comparing different wood flooring specialists should be the amount that they charge for their work. Skilled artisans often charge more, but some skilled workers offer better value to consumers than others, and comparison shopping is appropriate.

The installation, care, and upkeep of wood floors requires specialized tools and skills. Contractors in the field may further specialize in particular sorts of work. Some, for instance, might specialize in the speedy and efficient installation of new hardwood floors. Others might focus their efforts primarily on the restoration or re-creation of older floors or on the delicate work involved in making and preserving inlay floors. It is typically best to hire contractors who specialize in the variety of work being done, particularly for more complicated projects.

Wood flooring specialists sometimes specialize in speedy installation.
Wood flooring specialists sometimes specialize in speedy installation.

Wood flooring specialists will build up a reputation over time, and this reputation can be used to select a specialist for a particular job. Internet review sites offer one way to evaluate and compare the work of different specialists. Many specialists offer pictures of past projects or even examples of previous work. Images of past projects may be especially helpful when evaluating a contractor’s ability to do highly-specialized work. Specialists with established local reputations will tend to have a greater stake in doing quality work, as they wish to preserve the reputation that they have spent years building up.

Highly skilled wood flooring specialists can be expensive.
Highly skilled wood flooring specialists can be expensive.

Price should also be considered when evaluating wood flooring specialists. Highly-skilled artisans can command substantial amounts of money for their skills. An investment in the work of such artisans may be appropriate when contemplating detailed restoration or inlay work. Simpler jobs, such as basic resurfacing or simple repairs, may not require the talents of such highly-paid workers. Price alone should rarely be the deciding factor when selecting wood flooring specialists, however, as a small savings on the installation of an unsatisfactory floor is no bargain.

Discussion Comments

Drentel

@Animandel - If you don't want to hire a professional to work with your wood floors then you are better off attempting to refinish the old ones. This will be an easier project than installing new wood flooring yourself.

Feryll

@Animandel - I think the simple answer is that whether or not you need a professional depends in large part on your particular situation.

Having never put down any type of flooring other than carpet, I decided to put down a laminate tile floor in our kitchen. The guy at the store where we purchased the flooring said the job wasn't overly difficult. I had the installation instructions and I bought the installation kit, so I felt like I could do the job -- probably.

When I started putting the floor together, I would get several of the sections locked in place then I would try to attach another section, and one of the locked in sections would slip out of place. I did this time after time with the same results. I could not get the entire floor together without having a few gaps where the sections did not fit perfectly.

After rereading the directions, I concluded that the problem was that the kitchen floor was not level, so when I attached the sections of the new flooring they would not fit perfectly. So there are several small imperfections in the floor, but I got it down and we like the floor. A professional might have done a better job. I'm sure he or she would have completed the job in less time.

Animandel

I have been researching the cost of putting in new wood flooring into my house. I had no idea the cost would be this much. I expected to pay for quality, but the price of the wood flooring plus the cost of installation by a professional is way more than I want to pay. I may have to stick with the current wood floors in the house a while longer.

Do I really need a specialist to install new wood floors or is this something the average handy person can do, and do well?

Post your comments
Login:
Forgot password?
Register:
    • Wood flooring specialists sometimes specialize in speedy installation.
      By: akf
      Wood flooring specialists sometimes specialize in speedy installation.
    • Highly skilled wood flooring specialists can be expensive.
      By: Iriana Shiyan
      Highly skilled wood flooring specialists can be expensive.