Nothing can add more class, tradition, and beauty to a home than installing new hardwood floors. Unfortunately, this is not an easy home improvement. Some installers consider that the new hardwood floor can go directly on the top with a felt paper and can be nailed down. In consequence of this the old hardwood floor will be used as a sub-floor, so there is no need to tear it off. Others suppose that the old existing hardwood floor should be completely removed, and only then installed the new one.
The questions that appear between these opposing views are:
- Is this possible to install the new hardwood floor directly on the top of the existing one?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages when installing the new hardwood floor over the old hardwood floor?
Normally, new floor is installed over the sub-floor. The height considerations have to be taken into account, the nails or staples need to go all the way through the sub floor to properly hold. If the old wood floor is thick then the new hardwood floor cannot be installed in the proper way. In general, new floor is not recommended to go over the old floor.
The most important is that the newly installed floor will be laid down in proper way and won’t appear difficulties because of the old sub floor, this should be removed. The demolition process is messy and requires a lot of time and efforts. Unfortunately tearing out the old floor is expensive and time consuming. You must remove all the nails from the old floor. They will not come out easily together with the removed board.
To save money and effort, the best choice is to sand the old hardwood floor, and to avoid installing the new one over the old floor.
If you will install on top, the old floor boards have to be securely fastened, try to avoid any loose floorboards. The surface of the old floor needs to be cleaned. The floor has to be leveled; it can be done using straight edge. New hardwood to be installed should be allowed to acclimate in the same environment as the room it will be used in, it needs at least 48-72 hours.
The underlayment should be covered on the entire surface. The first step in installing a hardwood floor is laying out an accurate reference line. The first row of floorboards should be installed along the reference line, also place the spacers between the boards and the walls to allow for an expansion gap.
While installing the floor keep in mind that the transitions between door have to be smoothed, the underlayment that is left has to be cut, and also remove all the spacers, at the end of course install the baseboards and moldings. It is good to leave a 15mm expansion gap around the perimeter of the room, so the floor can expand.
Any project linked with the floor has to be done carefully, it is always better to prevent and avoid the mistakes spending more time and effort on research and buying the needed material than later fixing them.
TipTop Flooring is a professional firm dedicated to helping you get the most from your hardwood and laminate flooring investment. We are offering hardwood/laminate flooring installation services to people who live in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). We will give you professional workmanship. To find more about Hardwood and Laminate Flooring Installation please visit us on https://www.tiptopflooring.ca/services/installation/.