Hardwood Floor Installation in Irving and Dallas–Fort Worth
Hardwood floor installation for remodels, new builds and homes trading carpet or tile for real wood. We check the subfloor, lay the boards and, for unfinished wood, sand and finish them in place, so the new floor is flat, tight and ready for decades of use.
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Choosing the wood
Solid or engineered hardwood
Both are real wood on top. The difference is what's underneath, and that decides where each one can go.
| Solid hardwood | Engineered hardwood | |
|---|---|---|
| Construction | One piece of wood, usually 3/4 inch thick | A real wood top layer bonded to a stable plywood core |
| Best over | Plywood or wood subfloors | Wood subfloors and concrete slabs |
| Movement with humidity | More | Less |
| Can be refinished | Many times | Depends on the thickness of the top layer |
| Finished | Unfinished (finished on site) or prefinished | Usually prefinished |
How it's fastened
Nail-down, glue-down or floating
- Nail-downThe standard for solid hardwood over a plywood or wood subfloor. Boards are blind-nailed through the tongue.
- Glue-downEngineered boards bonded straight to a prepared concrete slab, with an adhesive that also controls moisture.
- FloatingBoards locked or glued to each other over an underlayment, not fastened to the floor below.
Most homes around DFW sit on concrete slabs, so the slab usually decides the method. Here's our guide to hardwood floors on a concrete slab.
What to expect
Our hardwood flooring installation process
1. Measure and test
We measure every room and test moisture in the subfloor or slab before anything is ordered or delivered.
2. Deliver and acclimate
The wood sits in your home until its moisture content is close to the subfloor's, as the manufacturer requires.
3. Prep the subfloor
Old flooring comes out, high spots are ground down, low spots are filled and loose plywood is screwed tight.
4. Lay the floor
We snap layout lines, leave an expansion gap at the walls and stagger the joints so the floor looks natural.
5. Sand and finish
Unfinished wood is sanded flat and finished in place. Prefinished floors skip this step.
6. Trim and walkthrough
Baseboards, transitions and stair noses go on, then we walk the floor with you.
For the full step-by-step version, see how hardwood floors are installed.
Pricing
How much does hardwood floor installation cost?
Installation is priced by the square foot for labor, plus the wood itself, plus the prep your subfloor needs. A 20 by 20 foot room is 400 square feet of floor. A 1,000 square foot install costs two and a half times the labor of that room, plus material for about 1,050 to 1,100 square feet, since you order 5 to 10 percent extra for cuts and waste.
Your written estimate lists each part separately, so you can see where the money goes.
What's in an installation price
- Tear-out and haul-away: carpet, tile or old wood
- Subfloor or slab prep: flattening, moisture control
- Material: species, width, solid or engineered
- Method: nail, glue or float
- Finishing and trim: on-site finish, baseboards, transitions, stairs
DIY or pro?
Why hire hardwood floor installers?
Laying boards is the easy part to watch on video. What decides whether a floor lasts is what happens before the first board: a flat subfloor, correct moisture readings and the right fastening for what's underneath.
Floors that cup, squeak or open up gaps in the first year almost always trace back to one of those. Hiring hardwood floor installers who have done it since 1999 means those steps aren't skipped. Learn more about Bernard Hardwood Floors.
From our jobs
Recent installations
Before you buy
Installation questions
Is it worth installing hardwood floors yourself?
For a single small room over a perfect plywood subfloor, a handy owner can do it. Over a slab, across several rooms or with site-finished wood, mistakes get expensive fast, because a floor that fails has to come out.
How long does hardwood installation take?
Acclimation can take several days before installation starts. Laying prefinished wood in an average house often takes a few days, and site-finished floors add sanding and finish time on top.
Which direction should the boards run?
Over a wood subfloor, boards usually run across the floor joists for strength. On a slab, the choice is mostly about looks, often along the longest wall or toward the main entry.
Can hardwood go over concrete?
Yes, with a moisture test, a flat slab and the right product and method. Engineered wood is the usual choice. Our concrete slab guide explains the options.
Planning new hardwood?
Send us the rooms, the rough square footage and what's on the floor now. We'll measure, test the subfloor and give you a written installation price.
or call (469) 870-5631