As families spend more time in their homes to minimize exposure to harmful germs, homeowners across the nation are looking for ways to maximize their living spaces and enjoy their households as much as possible. Whether it’s to replace an old floor in disrepair or simply give an older room a design refresh, many are searching online for new flooring options to put this extra time to good use!
Maybe you have considered replacing flooring in your home with gorgeous hardwood or natural stone to provide an enhanced luxurious feel. Whether you are on in the market for a wood flooring product or an innovative, easy-to-maintain vinyl choice that emulates your favorite visual, now is the perfect time to shop. One savvy, trending design solution is the new generation of rigid vinyl flooring that offers waterproof benefits, enhanced stain-resistance, and presents a great fit for active homes, all while presenting strikingly realistic, fashion-forward visuals. It’s the perfect type of flooring to handle your active crew during increased time indoors, and with click-lock installation, rigid vinyl is installed quicker and displaces rooms for less time- a valuable feature as kids spend more of their time indoors!
However, even the most thoughtfully manufactured flooring product requires expertise to install correctly. If you are thinking of installing luxury vinyl plank or another type of DIY flooring with the extra hours at home available to you, it’s important to consider some key factors before buying multiple boxes of flooring. Working with your local specialty retail store to install your new floor can save you from multiple headaches, additional costs, and of course, time. You may need to postpone a renovation if your specialty retail store is currently closed for business, but the results will be well worth the wait. Here are five sound reasons why you might want to leave flooring installation to the professionals.
Costs Can Add Up
Attempting to install a DIY floor may initially seem like a great idea to save on labor costs, but it can quickly become an expensive endeavor. There’s more to budget for than just the cost of the flooring material itself. What tools will you need to complete the job? Do you have a handheld jigsaw to do rounded cuts or a compound miter saw to make straight cuts? If you need to rent the saws needed, do you have the experience or confidence to use them? Even if you don’t need any adhesive to put down a DIY floor, do you have a tapping block nearby? If you need to take the trim off of the wall and re-nail it back on later, do you have a nail gun? If these questions alone are overwhelming, working with a specialty retail store and licensed installation professionals will alleviate these considerations. Plus, your store can help you arrange for the removal, pick-up, and disposal of your old floor.
Otherwise, you may need to hire a junk hauler or rent an appropriate vehicle to effectively discard your material waste.
Ensuring Waterproof Performance
One of the biggest selling points of today’s hard surface flooring options is manufacturers who offer “waterproof” engineered hardwood, laminate, or luxury vinyl products. For example, Mohawk SolidTech Plus is 100% waterproof to withstand spills and pet accidents, making it optimal for the areas in the home that will see moisture such as kitchens, bathrooms, mudrooms and basements. However, a finished floor will only keep liquid on the surface if it is installed properly with every plank securely locked in air-tight place to prevent liquid from seeping in between any open gaps. Did you know that every plank must follow the exact same direction during installation for the locking system and waterproof quality to be effective? This can easily confuse a DIY first-timer since the locking system on the planks will appear to be the same on all sides if you are not paying close attention. SolidTech Plus is a completely waterproof product, but to keep liquid on the surface of your floor, the installation needs to be flawless with no air between seams.
The Learning Curve
Just because you are staying indoors doesn’t necessarily mean that you are not busy! Managing a household is a full-time job and may not afford you the time to educate yourself on the crucial ins and outs of installing a DIY floor. Simply reading the manufacturer’s instructions is not enough to fully grasp the terms and processes involved. Following a YouTube video can be potentially risky if the host advises installation practices that can void your manufacturer’s warranty. When it comes to thoroughly understanding the angles of installation, how to make cuts, tapping planks into place, and finishing a floor, you need to dedicate yourself to learning. How much is your time worth? This is especially worth evaluating if you are now working from home and trying to manage the shifts in your family routines and activities. If you are like many and find yourself increasingly and easily distracted in your daily life, it will be worth it to hire a professional who can pay the proper attention to detail that flooring installation requires.
The Stress of Displacement
With a full house of adults working at home and kids who might be distance learning as well as playful pets, displacing a room or rooms in the home is the last thing on anyone’s list. As we mentioned before, the old flooring needs to come up first. This step can be just as physically taxing as installation and adds to the time that your kitchen, bathroom, living room or bedroom is unusable. Once this step is complete, now your installation phase begins. Again, the only way to ensure that a DIY flooring installation might come out correct is to go as slow and steady as possible from the first plank to the last nail completing the trim. For the average individual, especially if you don’t have any help available, you are looking at three to five days minimum for a room to be displaced during installation. Can you afford that amount of time in your active household?
Voiding Your Product Warranty
Assuming that you can navigate all of the aforementioned obstacles, now it’s time to assess if you followed all of the warranty guidelines outlined by your manufacturer. For most flooring products, all of the great warranties that come with them only apply when installed and maintained in accordance with the most recent installation and maintenance procedures. As the original owner, you will need to provide proof of compliance with the outlined installation and maintenance procedures if a claim is ever filed. This means that no matter how frustrating the installation process may get for you, you must adhere strictly to the installation procedure so that you don’t void your product warranties. You are allowed to take zero shortcuts! If this added pressure will make you second guess your work, it’s best to partner with your local specialty retailer to feel confident that your product warranties are guaranteed.
For all of the reasons outlined above, it is highly recommended to invest in a beautiful, properly installed floor, not to mention who doesn't like working with a great local business? Let your new home renovations and the quality work of licensed professionals be one of the things that you can rely on!
Superior Craftsmanship You Can Trust!
Contact Mountain Home Interiors today or stop by 315 W Main St in Payson!
*blog written by manufacturing partner Mohawk Flooring