“I want more hardwood flooring.”

Let me clear up this statement with a scenario.  “I want to remove my den carpet and put down hardwood, but I have sand-and-finish stained hardwood or pre-finished hardwood in my foyer and dining room.  What should I do first? ” 

Customers ask us this question daily. So many homes in our area of the country have existing hardwoods in the foyer and dining room but the family/den has carpet.  Once the carpet becomes worn, why not consider installing hardwood to increase the value of your home?

 The key is to blend, not match.  Let me explain this statement by giving you some project tips and scenarios to consider.

Project tips:

• Consult a hardwood professional. 
• Identify the species of the existing hardwood. 
• Determine if your existing hardwood is solid or engineered.
• Determine the condition of the finish coat.
• Do you want to change the stain color?

Scenario # 1:  Remove existing carpet, nail down new unfinished solid hardwood, wait 7-10 days for the hardwood to acclimate, then use a dust free sand-and-finish system to blend the two hardwoods.  Think of it like this.  You have new stained hardwood meeting old stained hardwood in a doorway.  Large openings can prove to be a challenge and remember that hardwood finished with polyurethane ambers over time. It will be a challenge to get a perfect match if you are not refinishing the existing hardwood.  

Scenario # 2:  Pre-finished hardwood can be a challenge. If you have it, you need to consider the same things.  It’s like buying a new suit coat one year and then attempting to buy the pants the next year.  If you know the manufacturer of the original flooring, that can make the process less daunting, but dye lots change and you may not be able to find an exact match.  Manufactures discontinue styles.  Flooring is fashion.

Scenario # 3:  Take up all existing hardwood and put down all new hardwood.  Sometimes the existing hardwoods can’t be saved. 

Scenario # 4:  Yes it can be done! Blend existing sand-and-finish hardwood with pre-finished hardwood.

So before you decided to add hardwood, do your homework.