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New home flooring guide
Buying a new house can be overwhelming and stressful. If you aren’t familiar with construction methods, you may find yourself at a disadvantage when it comes to identifying home features that could cause problems.
Walnut Hardwood LLC is a Denver-based flooring contractor committed to providing the best information for our clients and neighbors. Here is our New Home Flooring Guide to help you understand what to look for when you’re in the market to buy.
We will cover the following topics in this article:
- The Big 3: general tips to keep in mind
- What to look for by flooring type:
- Hardwood
- Engineered Hardwood
- Carpet
- Synthetic flooring (vinyl/laminate)
- Tile
The Big 3:
We’ve identified 3 main areas you can look at in order to determine the current condition of the floors as well as the likelihood you’ll need to replace/repair the flooring in the near future.
- High Traffic Areas: It doesn’t matter if it’s hardwood, tile, vinyl/laminate or carpet, high traffic areas will show wear and tear as the protective finishes wear away. The longer the floor is exposed to debris without the protective finish the larger the repair it will require .
- Air Returns and Vents in the floor: pull up the vents in the floor to see how thick and durable the flooring is and to see if multiple floors have been installed on top of each other.
- Stability, Levelness and Subfloor: Walk the floors, check for squeaking, unlevel areas or weak feeling areas. If you can, look at the subfloor from the basement or an exposed area in order to see the material type. If you cannot see for yourself ask for documentation of the subfloor type. Common subfloors are made from concrete, plywood or wide wooden planks and each come with their own set of requirements. Subfloor maintenance will add additional costs to any flooring project.
Keep in Mind:
- Flooring repairs and replacements can be very costly.
- Subfloor repairs can be a hidden cost. People cannot always see their subfloors or they are unaware of the condition and new floors cannot be installed without a stable subfloor.
- Flooring replacement costs, for labor and materials, typically start around $10,000.
- Average refinishing costs can range from $1500 to $6000 and more.
What to look for by flooring type:
Hardwood Floors
If the property has hardwood, here are some things to keep in mind.
- Stain color: dark stains are often used to hide damages and stains in the hardwood.
- This is common in Flipped Homes! If the floor has stains and damages, refinishing the floor in the future may not be an option and instead floor replacement may be the more viable option.
- Vents: pull up a floor vent to check the thickness of the planks. Hardwood can only endure so many refinishes. Floor planks thinner than ⅛” cannot be refinished.
- Finish: Does the finish look dull in areas? New finish should have an even sheen. If the finish is worn, your hardwoods won’t be protected from general wear and tear and you may need to pay for a new layer of finish or a refinish.
- Repairs/Damage: Take a good look at the floor. Keep an eye out for gapping or holes filled with hardwood filler. (see image 3) Because hardwood floors naturally age and shift with time, a newly refinished, older floor may look like it’s in good shape, but these cosmetics often fade within months of use. This can leave unattractive holes or cracks that can be uncomfortable underfoot. Check for water damage or pet stains: These moisture stains will show up dark black and gray.
Engineered Floors
Flooring with mixed wood materials and a hardwood veneer on the top. Sometimes this flooring can be refinished. To get the best value out of the product, the engineered flooring should have a veneer of at least 3mm-4mm.
- Vents: similar to hardwood, check the floor vents in order to see how thick the veneer is.
- New Builds often install engineered hardwood promising it can be refinished, this is not always the case!
Carpet
Whether it’s new carpet or something you know you may want to replace;
- Check what type of flooring is underneath the carpet.
- Sometimes carpet is installed over uneven subfloors or old flooring. Old flooring tiles can have asbestos in them!
- Ask about the age and carpet type. Quality carpet that is well taken care of can easily last 15-20 years.
Synthetic Floors (LVP/Laminate)
- Luxury Vinyl and Laminate are commonly installed in flipped homes or homes that need a little love. Because it is cost effective, these synthetic floors may be installed over outdated types of flooring like flooring tiles with asbestos.
- Levelness: check the evenness of the floors, uneven areas will cause LVP and Laminate to pop up or feel unstable underfoot.
- These synthetic floors are hard to repair because of the way they are installed. You also will need extra of the specific floor if you need to do any repairs. Synthetic flooring styles are often discontinued after 2-5 years.
Tile
- Grout lines: Are the grout lines even and full of grout? Should the tile be regrouted before you purchase the home?
- Golf Ball Test: tiles should be installed without voids between the subfloor and tile material. If there are voids the tiles could crack. Bounce a golf ball throughout the tiled area and listen for a solid vs hollow sound. The hollow sound will tell you that there are voids in that area and the tiles should be replaced so that they sit directly on the subfloor.
- Transitions: Are the transitions from tile floors to other flooring types tight and flush or covered properly with a transition piece? If not these gaps are great places for dirt and debris to build up and moisture to sink in. This can damage both floors.
When you buy a new home you may not have much control over the flooring, but it’s good to understand the investment you may need to put into your floors and the project variables you may encounter. Walnut Hardwood is here as your flooring resource! We are happy to answer any questions you may have about the floors in your new home.
