I'm going to be installing a Red Oak tongue-and-groove hardwood floor to save some money, but I've heard mixed advice on what time of the year a floor should be installed. I live in the northeast of the US, and so we have cold winters and hot summers. From what I would imagine, there would be some shrinking and expansion of the wood. Could this damage the floor boards in any way if I put them in during the "wrong" season? When would the optimal time of the year (in terms of humidity and heat) to install a floor like the one I'm putting in? There isn't a right time. In the summer the wood will expand and in the winter it will shrink. The biggest question is whether there are large temperature changes where the wood will be installed. If the house is always conditioned then just make sure it is in those conditions or warmer when installing the wood. My personal opinion is that I would make sure that your hardwood is warmer/more humid than normal. And it takes a few days for wood to totally temperature/moisture adjust.

Don't sit your wood outside. If you have the heat on sit in next to a vent. If the air is on - away from the colder air. Slight shrinkage is basically nothing. Might notice some gapping but you won't notice unless you are on your hands and knees. A lot of expansion can lead to buckling though and that is the last thing you want to deal with. I installed mine at the end of last spring on purpose last year. I installed a room floor of hardwood flooring after keeping the boxes of the wood laid out in the same room for a period of about a month. The installation was in the autumn timeframe. That gave the flooring to adjust to the conditions of the environment. After a full cycle of winter summer winter and now back to spring the floor is doing great.Browse other questions tagged installation hardwood-floor or ask your own question.So you’ve finally decided to pull up the old carpet in the family room and replace it with a wood floor. But what kind of wood floor? Hardwood is naturally beautiful, but it’s expensive.

Engineered wood, made up of multiple plywood layers with a top layer of hardwood veneer, is quick to install. And synthetic laminate can mimic the look of many different wood species for a fraction of the price. When deciding which one to choose, consider not just the cost but also the return on your investment. Here’s some help with the decision. There’s nothing like a beautiful wood floor to bring a “wow” factor to your home. What Is Best Way To Clean Porcelain Tile FloorsBut those good looks come at a cost. Where To Buy Fishing Reel HandlesExpect to pay between $9 and $12 per square foot installed, compared with $3 to $5 a square foot for carpet. Tire Double Machine For SaleFor a 250-square-foot living room, installation of new hardwood could run more than $2,000.

But while the up-front cost may be higher, hardwood flooring can have a great resale value. A study of homebuyer preferences by USA Today using data from the National Association of Realtors found that 54% of home buyers were willing to pay more for a home with hardwood flooring. Wood is easy to clean and maintain, and unlike engineered products it can be sanded and refinished multiple times, which means it retains its value for the long haul. A majority of real estate agents surveyed by the National Wood Flooring Association said houses with hardwood flooring are easier to sell, sell for more money, and sell faster. There is not much difference in cost and ROI between solid hardwood flooring and engineered hardwood, but the same isn’t true of laminate flooring. On the plus side, laminate is easy to clean, scratch-resistant, and can be installed in places where natural wood can’t go. And though it doesn’t last as long as hardwood, it costs 50% less on average to buy and install.

Expect to pay about $5 to $8 a square foot for laminate flooring. Laying laminate floors is a relatively easy project, so you can save even more if you opt to DIY. (Note: Before you begin any floor project in your home, contact a local flooring expert to help you decide which flooring option is best for your particular application.) But there’s no getting around the fact that laminate, while it may do a great job imitating wood, has few of the qualities of the real thing. In high-traffic areas it can show wear and tear, and laminate can’t be sanded or refinished for an updated appearance. Because of its lower price point, laminate also won’t do much for your home’s resale value. So which type of flooring is better for you? To get the most bang for your buck, stick with hardwood. Potential buyers will find it more desirable—and you get to enjoy its natural beauty for as long as you own your home. Read next: The Best Kitchen Countertop for Your Money"Wood is good" when it comes to floors, says John Lessick of Apex Wood Floors in Downers Grove, Ill.

It's beautiful, natural, hypoallergenic and long-lasting, and it's considered a sign of quality in a home. Old hardwood floors offer the extra allure of charm and a little history. But along with the charm may come stains, squeaks and other signs of age. How do you decide whether to try to salvage that 50-year-old hardwood floor or just replace it? The answer usually comes down to preference, not do-ability. Jamie Lupresto of Diamond Flooring of Elizabethtown, Ky., says there's an excellent chance you'll be able to accommodate your client. "Ninety-five percent of the time, if not more, you can refinish a hardwood floor, replace boards, make repairs and have a very nice floor." As with just about everything else in remodeling, the key issue is expectations. Homeowners who have old floors should not expect them to look like brand-new floors, according to Sprigg Lynn of Universal Floors in Washington, D.C. Over the years Lynn's company has restored or refinished historic or just plain old hardwood floors in buildings ranging from simple homes to the White House.

Almost all old floors can be salvaged and refinished by skilled contractors. Termite-damaged planks, insect-infested boards or delaminated strips can be replaced if there aren't too many. Squeaky floors can be tightened and quieted, at least temporarily, with nails or dry lubricant. Holes can be plugged. Damaged floor sections can be patched. Patches that match the species, cut, grain and color of the wood and are feathered in go unnoticed, Lynn says. Pet urine and water marks can be minimized with stain or covered by a rug. "We like to sand the floor down to raw wood and walk it with the customers to let them decide if the stains are acceptable," Lynn says. He applies the desired finish color to the questionable areas and lets the customers decide if they are content. Of course, some old floors are beyond repair. Here are some symptoms that indicate a terminal condition: Floors with extreme movement between boards are not good candidates for refinishing because "the movement will affect the sanding and finish," Lupresto says.

Substantial structural problems — those that require the flooring to be removed so the subfloor can be fixed. And floors that have been sanded too many times may have "no meat left on the wood," Lessick says. The tongue and groove is falling apart and nails may be exposed. "If 30 percent of (a floor like this) is bad, 50 or 60 percent will be bad after sanding." Replacing a wood floor usually is considerably more expensive than refinishing it, once you factor in removing the existing floor, buying the new flooring, and the labor required to install, sand, finish it and cut it to fit at walls and doorways. "Refinishing a wood floor is cheaper than putting in nice $50-$60-a-yard carpeting," Lessick says. Besides, a properly maintained wood floor can go 20 or 30 years or more before needing to be refinished, says Lupresto. And it can be sanded and refinished "easily six or seven times" over its lifetime, he says. If you still have any doubts, take a look at this list of the characteristics of what today's homeowners want in hardwood floors, and compare them to what you're likely to find in an old floor: