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If you’re reading this, it’s probably because you don’t have much experience installing hardwood floors and you want to find the simplest way to do it.
You’re interested in installing hardwood for your home as an upgrade, a sound investment, and because it looks good.
You’ve probably looked at all the flooring project out there, like carpet, linoleum, tile, and even finished concrete. Then you listed all the pros and cons. When you stepped back with hands-on hips looking at your floor, your choice was clear…
It’s an easy decision.
Hardwood is practical. Wood has natural insulating properties. If you live in an area where cold weather is frequent, hardwood floors just feel better under your feet than other hard surfaces.
Hardwood is beautiful. Every board is as different as a snowflake with interesting wood grain patterns, making every room in your home unique. Hardwood floors are as cozy as they are elegant. They’re a blank canvas for your decorating ideas. With so many wood grains and colors from which to choose, it’s a designer’s dream.
Hardwood floors are durable. Installing hardwood and caring for it can make it last for generations. But, hardwood adds value, not just beauty.
By properly installing hardwood, it adds value and quality to your home should you decide to sell.
In a USA Today article, they found that 54% of home buyers are willing to pay more for hardwood floors. Most buyers prefer hardwood floors, with “25% of buyers under the age of 35, and 28% of those between 35 and 54, considered hardwood floors "very important" when looking for a home.”
“25% of buyers under the age of 35, and 28% of those between 35 and 54, considered hardwood floors "very important" when looking for a home improvement.”
Hardwood is easier to clean than carpets. Solid hardwood floors may need to be sanded and refinished every ten years, depending upon traffic. However, hardwood is still less expensive when you factor the cost of replacing the carpet, plus all the additional carpet cleaning.
Worried about paying someone else TOO MUCH MONEY to install your hardwood floor?
Do you want to know how much it REALLY costs to install hardwood? Check out this case study of a DIY hardwood installation with costs, timeline and list of materials:
Tax laws consider solid hardwood floors to be a capital improvement, and therefore the sales tax is lower (it may vary by state or province, but most governments charge tax on the material and not the labor for hardwood flooring). For carpet, you must pay tax on the full amount.
As a DIY project, installing hardwood may give you some tax benefits. Check with your tax professional about this, but in most cases, hardwood is considered a “capital improvement” so the sales tax should be lower. When you buy a carpet, you pay the full sales tax. Look into it.
Regarding ROI (Return On Investment) for hardwood floors, the hotter the real estate market, the higher your ROI. If your area is a seller’s market, 100% or more is not uncommon.
But, here are two big questions.
What is the best way to install hardwood floors? And, do you know how to install a hardwood floor that will look professional?
Before we go further, you need to decide what type of hardwood floor is best for your home.
You’ve already decided on the hardwood, so that narrows the field a bit. But, you still have three main choices before you can decide on the details like color and type of wood.
When laying a solid hardwood floor, you can do it the easy way or the traditional way.
Equip yourself with the knowledge and skills to do it right, mistakes can be costly and delay your project for weeks.
Installing wood floors can range from easy if you use a floating floor system, to a demanding project requiring many tools, carpentry and finishing skills.
Before you tie on your carpenter’s apron and reach for your trusty tape measure, ask yourself:
Do-It-Yourselfers can easy install wood flooring themselves and have a beautifully finished floor.
All you need is the right floor system, preparation, tools, and installation instructions.
Paying attention to the moisture in your home and where you plan to install the floor will make a big difference to the result.
There are four ways to attach and install your hardwood floors:
Laminate floors or engineered wood floors meant for floating installation use tongue and groove or another system to lock them in place. Some require gluing together, which can be messy.
There are a few advantages of floating floors. You can walk on them immediately, and they are the easy flooring to install over most other sub-floors.
As we said earlier, hardwood floors need to move, and this is why installing them as a floating floor is the best way.
And, Easiklip floors make it even easier because you don’t need any glue, nails or staples. It’s snap lock installation using patented aluminum clips and ¾ -inch solid oak boards that come pre-finished. Once you’re done installing, you can have a party on your floor that night. It’s solid and will last for 50-70 years.
There are five great reasons why Easiklip is the best choice for inexperienced flooring DIYers.
Here are the three steps to install Easiklip flooring. Remember that you need to check for excessive moisture. Acclimate the boards for at least 3 to 5 days before you begin. Once your subfloor is clean and level, you can start.
Step 1 – Install a DPM (Damp Proof Membrane) and 2mm underlay over the subfloor to act as a moisture barrier and help to soundproof.
Step 2 – Fit 2 to 4 clips per board, depending upon the length, and start clipping the boards together starting from the right corner of the far wall. Usually, you’ll want to lay the Easiklip flooring with the boards running lengthwise down the longest wall. Allow for a 15mm or 1/2-inch expansion gap between the floor and each wall.
Step 3 - Once all the flooring is down, you can now remove any spacer blocks and reinstall your baseboards around the perimeter to hide the expansion gap.
That’s it! Solid hardwood floors with no glue, no nails, no fuss.
For complete directions and tips, visit Easiklip’s Installation page and watch this short video.
The clips in the Easiklip system have permanent silicone beads allowing for quiet, natural expansion and contraction.
There is a big difference in experience level and tools required to install floors with glue and screws, and installing Easiklip. For our comparison, we will assume the floors are pre-finished.
Tools required for:
Installing Floors With Glue and Nails Into Concrete:
Installing Easiklip Over Concrete (Or Any Sub-Floor)
Easiklip is solid oak hardwood, not laminate or engineered. It can be refinished many times, and it is very durable.
Because floor boards are simply clipped together, you can easily remove the floor and take it to another location if you relocate. And, if there is an accident, with Easiklip, you’re able to make repairs to a single board without destroying the floor. You can’t do that with flooring that’s permanently anchored to the subfloor.
Here's a cool video of someone unboxing an Easiklip Sample Pack that shows you just how the clip system works and how sturdy it is:
Pro Tip – Order 5-10% more flooring than what you think you need just in case the floor is damaged at any time.
You get peace of mind two ways; with our warranty and our guarantee. When you purchase from Easiklip, a residential installation provides 25 years of finish and structural warranty. You’ll also get a full 30-Day money back guarantee.
And if you need support you can always call our customer service line at 855-539-5547 or email customercare@easiklip.ca.
What you see online might not look the same when you are holding them in your hands under the natural lighting conditions of your home. To be sure you get the quality of hardwood and color you’re looking for, we would like to send you a free sample.
Order your free sample pack from Easiklip today. You will receive a 5" sample of each of our solid oak floor in four great colors. You can visualize how stunning your space will look. The four choices are:
Plus, we’ll send two of our patented aluminum clips so you can see how it works. Easiklip’s snap lock flooring installation makes it easy flooring to install for any Do-It-Yourselfer.