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The first and most important thing to do when you install hardwood is to let the product acclimate in the home before installation. The acclimation time will vary depending on species, width and whether it’s solid or engineered.

Before the installation sand all subfloor seams and proceed to vacuum the floor surface. Each manufacturer has their own installation guidelines. It is best to follow the instructions provided within the boxes of wood. A typical 2 ¼” – 3 ¼” solid hardwood would need a moisture barrier and the use of a cleat nailer as it is less likely to damage the tongue of the board. Proceed to nail every 4-6” and 1” from the ends.

When you install hardwood, you should lay out the floor to get a feel for colour, pattern, and to make sure the boards are approximately 6-8” stagger. It is crucial to install hardwood opposite or on diagonal to floor joists for structural stability.

To instal engineered hardwood, we recommended using a subfloor glue approximately 1” away from the female side on the subfloor. This helps to anchor down the back side and applies floating floor glue on the butt ends to help prevent the boards from pulling apart. You should also be using a cleat nailer every 4-6” and 1” from the ends. This installation is called glue assisted nail down.

To begin a tile flooring installation, ensure that you have the proper substrate. This can be concrete, cement board, plywood, Kerdi board and so on. Make sure that the substrate is installed properly to avoid future troubles such as when plywood is not screwed enough. The floor has movement which cracks the grout and tile over time.

Call us today to book a free Estimate or visit our Calgary showroom to view our products. We have over 30 years experience installing porcelain and ceramic tile products.

Contact us today to help with your next porcelain or ceramic tile installation project.

Lay out your area before you install so you’re able to visualize the pattern and customize your space. This will also help when pulling out the tiles that aren’t desired (if necessary). After laying out the tile, and achieving the desired look, the installation process begins.

Correct thinset is essential when installing tile. The proper thinset will make the installation process easier. Using the incorrect thinset can result in tiles falling off the wall/ceiling, not drying properly, or just not adhering to the substrate.

Once all tiles have been installed, it is left to dry before the grouting takes place. Once grouting is complete, once again it needs to dry. After the grout has dried, you may seal the grout if desired. Not all porcelain and ceramic tile needs to be waxed or sealed.

To begin, make sure that you’ve selected the right carpet and underlay to suit your lifestyle. 

Have a lay out completed showing where all carpet seams are to be. On average, carpet rolls come in 12’ widths, and have to be cut to fit a room.

Once the lay out and cutting is complete, smooth edge is installed around the perimeters of the rooms.

Underlay is then installed and the carpet rolls out over top, stretched and tucked into the edges. Smooth edge is the product that ensures the carpet stays in place. Seam tape is also required to seam carpet drops together.

The first step to installing vinyl flooring is to ensure that the subfloor is flat and prepped. By doing this, you’re minimizing the appearance of possible imperfections. Imperfections in the subfloor may be more prominent after the vinyl installation. Before the installation, lay out the vinyl to get a feel for the pattern and colours. You want to make sure you will achieve the desired appearance.

Each manufacturer has recommended installation guidelines and materials. These recommendation provide a warranty and maximizes the products performance. Using a adhesive not recommended by the manufacturer can result in a voided warranty. To begin the installation, trowel down adhesive with the proper size of trowel. You can find this information on the adhesives packaging.

Lay down the vinyl piece by piece in desired layout, making cuts when necessary. To cut the vinyl, you may use a saw or the scor and cut method using a utility knife and square. Once the vinyl installation is complete, roll weight over the floor. This task will ensure the vinyl will completely adhered to the subfloor. Allow the floor to dry for 24 hours.

Click vinyl and a floating vinyl flooring installation is a glue less. It is always best to lay out the area before installation. Once you have laid your vinyl to the desired appearance, start clicking the vinyl into place. Scor, snap or use a saw to cut the flooring, despite the material being thicker than the glue down.

Before your laminate flooring installation, remove all baseboards and acclimate your laminate material. Allowing your laminate to acclimate minimizing growth and shrinkage in the boards.

Next, it is important to clean the subfloor and then lay down your desired underlay. There are different types of underlay to choose from. Options for a laminate flooring underlay includes heat, moisture, sound and combinations.

Once the underlay is down, you are ready to install your laminate flooring. Go ahead, lay your first row.

When installing natural stone, it is crucial that it’s installed using correct materials. Natural stone has a high variance when considering colour, pattern, and shape. The colour variance is unavoidable piece to piece because it’s natural stone.

Before installing the stone tile, lay out the tile area in the desired pattern. Consider the direction, veining, and colours when choosing your tile lay out. Moving on to the installation, ensure that the proper thinset/mortar is being used. When selecting the thinset, it is important to consider several key factors. These include the size of tile, substrate material, where the tile is being installed and colour of the natural stone. When using a larger format tile, on the wall or ceiling, you’ll need to use a thinset with higher polymer. A higher polymer will help to ensure the tile stays up. When working with light natural stones such as white marbles, you’ll need to use a white thinset. The grey thinset will often bleed through the tile. After the installation, the sealing of the natural stone will take place. Clean the thinset, removing any grout haze, dust or dirt before the required sealing.

To clean natural stones, you’re going to ensure it’s as clean as possible at all times. Any dirt or grit on the surface will scratch the surface and wear down the finish quicker. If this happens, your stone installation will need more frequent sealing. To make sure the stone is clean, sweep or vacuum. When required to clean with a damp mop, ensure the mop is clean and use a neutral pH cleaner. Any acid based cleaner or stains will etch the surface.

To reseal, clean the surface and strip of the existing sealer before coating the floor again. Natural stones have to be resealed after time. This timeline varies dependant on the type of sealer and traffic that the floor endures.