Measurement & Installation Guidelines
Measuring Your Project
If your room is rectangle shaped, then you're in luck. If not, then simply break the room up into rectangles to make odd shaped rooms simpler. Calculate the sections and then add them up. Be sure to measure from wall to wall. Do not forget the closets. After you calculate the rooms square footage, add about 10% for installation waste on standard grade products. If you are going to install molding, make sure to measure the perimeter of the room to get your linear footage as well as 10% for installation waste. If you need assistance please call us. We want to help make your flooring project a success.
How Much to Order
When ordering, it is always recommended to order at least 10% more than your measurement. This extra will allow for defects that may be found among the boards and your own cuts and unusable pieces that will be leftover during installation. Because every product will vary and every project may affect the exact waste percentage, it is expected to have leftover material. This is normal and always recommended to have. This is also true for accessory pieces such as moldings, glue, and underlayment. Returns on this material are not allowed.
Installing Your Floor:
Nature Wood Floors offers installation services for local customers in the Tampa, FL area. When handling the installation of your product yourself, Nature Wood Floors recommends using The National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) as a guideline for hardwood flooring education. They will offer their own guidelines for installation and can even help you find an experience installer in your area.
The success of your installation will rely heavily on proper job-site conditions being met prior to the floors installation. Your floor should not be brought on site until all windows and doors are installed and all drywall and paint or texturing is completed. Once on-site, your floor should be stacked in the area it is to be installed. Please allow at least 7-10 days for proper acclimatization for Solid floors and even longer for very dry or humid locations. Your flooring product should never be stored in an unheated area, or below grade.
Sub-floor preparation is important and requires inspection ahead of installation of your floor. In our experience, there is no such thing as a perfectly level sub-floor, which is why it is important to inspect for excessively high or low spots that may require grinding and/or have leveler added. If flooring is installed over an area with too much of a height difference, the connection of the floor to the sub-floor can fail, which can lead to soft spots, hollow spots, or excessive movement in the floor which can lead to potential damage to the tongue & groove of the plank. After preparation is done, the sub-floor still may not become perfectly level, as long as the excessively high or low spots have been brought to a suitable level to ensure a strong connection.
Sub-floors vary per project with the most common being a concrete slab, plywood, gypcrete, or even terrazzo. Each one is treated differently and have different characteristics that can effect your new floor. Installation with a secure connection to the sub-floor is important, but even with this, it is still possible to have slight movement or sounds in your floor. Movement can be caused from the existing support system underneath. Sounds, such as a squeak when stepping in a certain spot, is also common and acceptable with new hardwood flooring.
Keep in mind, if an existing floor, such as tile, carpet, wood, vinyl, etc, is present where the new flooring is going, the exact amount of leveling will not be known until it is removed and the exposed sub-floor can be inspected. Certain projects may have previously had leveling solution poured before a previous flooring installation, although, when removing existing tile, wood, or any other item that is connected to the sub-floor, it is likely the removal process will also remove any previously installed leveler products and will need to be applied again before a new installation can begin.
In radiant applications, we highly recommend using a urethane-based adhesive as well as an engineered product that is meant for the extreme temperature changes that a radiant floor causes. Hickory, Maple, and Exotic Wood are some of the species that are not recommended for radiant floors because they are known to be less stable, even with an engineered product. Keep in mind, radiant floor installs are not covered by any warranty. Be sure to ask a representative for more details on radiant floors before purchasing.
All solid plank flooring is recommended to be stapled or nailed. We recommend a proper nailing schedule with a nail/staple typically every six to eight inches.
Do NOT use any type of tape across the finished surface of the wood flooring. This can result in damage to the finish and is not covered by the warranty. The use of clamps against the wall is recommended to help reduce movement in the planks during installation.
All hardwood floors are unique; knots, mineral streaking, length averages, color variations, and other natural effects are all part of your floors' character. Some boards may be deemed "less attractive" but are still expected to be used. These can be placed in an inconspicuous spots to help control the overall look, but understand some floors can have a high degree of natural marks that will be present all over. Consult with your installer prior to final installation.
Our floors are milled to be precise and stand up to the toughest standards of today’s world. But hardwood flooring is a natural product that is never perfect. Hardwood consistently moves with moisture levels in the air. Because of this, it is common to come across imperfections that can result in small gaps that can appear 1/16", 1/8", and even 1/4". These are not considered defects and are expected to be filled with an appropriate colored wood putty during installation. Hardwood floors are not expected to be perfect on every board, even cleaner Select & Clear grade floors can consist of the occasional defect.
Installation of any flooring constitutes acceptance of its grade, milling, and finish. So be sure to contact us before you install your floor if you feel your flooring material is not how it is supposed to be. Once installed, it can not be returned, credited, or swapped for another product.
When customers install themselves or use a third party installer, Nature Wood Floors has no control over installation methods or site conditions, therefore, we cannot be held liable for any installation or site related issue. Nature Wood Floors assumes no liability for incidental or consequential damages.
Any damage caused to the flooring as a result of the following will void any warranty:
- Improper Installation: Proper NWFA guidelines are recommended to be followed when installing yourself.
- Storage/Jobsite Conditions: Product must not be stored in any area that can have excess moisture or dryness levels; no exposure to any moisture shall be permitted. Do not store over concrete or below grade.
- Water Damage: Warranty does not include damage caused by flooding, faulty plumbing, moisture penetration, improper humidity levels, overflowing sinks, leaking appliances or any like occurrences.
Responsibilities of the Hardwood Floor Installer:
The installer of your product is responsible for the proper handling, storage and installation of your hardwood floor. This includes final inspection of flooring prior to installation. Warranty's do not cover flooring with visible defects once it is installed. The installer is also responsible for making sure the flooring is installed over an acceptable, suitable sub-floor with adequate leveling, moisture protection, and other prep work that may be needed. Radiant floors are not covered in any warranty.
Moisture Concerns:
Moisture levels in sub-floors vary throughout the year. What may show a low reading at one point, can become higher later on and may cause damage to your floor. To combat this, Nature Wood Floors recommends that all floors be installed using proper moisture barrier and protection applications. This even includes all wood, vinyl, and laminate floors that may come with a "Water Proof" designation from the manufacturer.
*Any manufacturer of flooring material that claims to have a "Water Proof" designation for their product, is done through the manufacturer itself. These designations commonly come with clauses that can void potential coverage and are different with every manufacturer. Nature Wood Floors does not process or fulfill any warranty claims and will direct customer's to contact the manufacturer directly with any such concerns.
