Los Angeles Hardwood Floor Installation & Refinishing Looking to upgrade your floors?

A couple of things to be aware of with your flooring project...

Like all construction and home improvement industries, there is quite a large variance in the quality of work and price between Los Angeles hardwood flooring businesses.

There are 2 things in particular to be wary of when looking to hire someone to install or refinish your hardwood floors...

1. Shortcuts Taken with Labor.

The biggest factor in the cost to install and refinish hardwood floors in Los Angeles is time and labor. As you can imagine, it's a very labor-intensive process. A certain amount of man hours is needed to prep, install, sand and refinish wood floors to a high standard. That can't be changed. If a budget flooring business comes in with a super cheap price (compared to other established businesses), most likely there are shortcuts being taken.

Some of the more common shortcuts are as follows:

Poor subfloor preparation. Not securing and flattening the sub-floor properly will leave your floor uneven and prone to movement and squeaks. This is the most important part of your project. But because it's hidden, lots of shortcuts can be taken if time is short.

Rushing through repairs. Good repairs take time. Especially sub floor repairs. Wood floor repairs need matching material. One of the biggest repair mistakes we see is using red oak instead of white oak or vice-versa. Or mixing up Oak, Maple, Douglas Fir, Brazilian Cherry for other types of woods is common. This makes them stand out like a sore thumb and not blend in properly.

Skipping over sanding grits. This saves a lot of time (and money in sandpaper), but it results in a rougher floor with more visible sanding marks and scratches.

Not taking the time to handscrape properly. Corners, under radiators, edges around walls, kitchen cupboards, baseboards and door trim need a lot of extra attention to be handscraped properly. This is a big one we see here in Los Angeles. Shortcuts in this step leaves a cheap, unprofessional, unfinished look.

Not using planetary sanders. Again, a HUGE time and sandpaper saver. But you're left with a floor far less flat, smooth and visually appealing. In the worse case scenario, you will have extensive dish out visible.

Not offering dust containment. Not having an industrial grade vacuum system attached to your sanding equipment leaves a lot of dust in the air. These units are an expensive investment. But without one, you have dust everywhere. Dust lands in the finish, leaving a rough surface, and there's a huge mess to clean up at the end of the project.

As you can see, there are a lot of places to cut corners. This is just a small list.

You can't just skip steps and still get a professional result. Imagine every time you look down at your floor, you're reminded of shortcuts taken because of budget workmanship.

We don't want you to have to experience that. I'm sure you don't either.

2. Using Low Quality Products.

There are a lot of products used in the installation, sanding and refinishing process. Each of them is critical to the overall durability and performance of your wood floor.

If a cheap moisture barrier is used, it will not perform well. Your floor could be severely damaged from moisture issues and cup or warp.

If cheap, low-quality adhesive or fasteners are used, your floor could be prone to movement, squeaks and boards coming loose. Or a total floor failure.

The finish system used will have a huge effect on the durability of your wood floors as well. Cheap products will scratch easier, wear out quicker, not hold up to spills as well, and yellow, age and fade faster.

Ask about the quality of the products being used. Be wary of industry tricks like promising to apply a quality high-end finish but swapping the base coats out for cheap finish. Then only using the professional brand on the last coat.

Please take a bit of time and educate yourself.

It won't take long. It could save you a lot of trouble.

We have lots of resources here on our website. It will help you choose a hardwood floor business in Los Angeles that has a solid reputation and is highly skilled and trustworthy.

Remember, your wood floors have a huge overall impact on the look and feel of your home. This is a substantial renovation. It will be inconvenient at times. Furniture needs to be moved. It's noisy. It will smell. Workers will be in your home. Access will be limited. You don't want to go through all of this, only to find out you've hired the wrong business, they've done a terrible job, and now need to do it all again from scratch.

We've had to come back to repair way too many floors that were installed or refinished poorly. Twice the cost, time and hassle. We don't want you to experience this.

If you have any questions about the hardwood floor installation or refinishing process, please feel free to ask. Whether you end up working with us or not, it doesn't matter, we are here to help. We're here for the long haul. It's in our best interest to preserve the hardwood floors in Los Angeles as much as possible.

We understand it can be overwhelming trying to select the best hardwood flooring company in Los Angeles to work with.

You have a choice between large flooring companies that work out of a showroom with multiple sales people, or a small family owned and operated hardwood flooring contractor business... and everything in-between.

We've designed this website to help inform you of some important things to look for when selecting a business for your hardwood floor installation or refinishing project... as well as important decisions about selecting a stain color, choosing coatings and finishes, keeping dust contained, dealing with pet stains, repairs and much more.

Please let us know if we can be of assistance. We're here to help.

Here are some of the more common questions we are asked to get you started.