Your floors are a major investment in your home. Think about it, your floors get more wear and tear than any other aspect of your home. When it’s time to replace your floors, the major components that should be taken in to consideration are the plywood underlayment, who you choose to install it and the finished floorcovering.

The plywood underlayment is the “hidden” element of your finished floor, yet without it your finished floors would not wear properly or withstand the test of time. In this blog post we will discuss ten tips on hiring a flooring contractor and the importance of making sure all elements of the flooring system are installed properly.

1)      Investigate and decide if your new floor(s) will require a new plywood underlayment. Are your current floors damaged in any way? Do you need to remove the existing floor or can you just lay a new plywood underlayment and floorcovering over top of the existing floor? Note that it is not recommended that you layer more than two floors. Your flooring contractor can help you make these decisions so his knowledge of flooring components is key.

2)      Investigate material and labor costs. Take in to consideration all of the elements that constitute your finished floor (plywood underlayment, staples or nails, flooring adhesive, finished floor covering and the labor for installation).

3)      When looking for a flooring contractor, ask friends or relatives for recommendations. Word of mouth is often the best way to find skilled and knowledgeable flooring contractors. Once you have chosen at least two flooring contractors, have them come to your home to take measurements and provide estimates for the flooring installation.

4)      Discuss finished flooring options with the flooring contractor. Often times they can make recommendations based on your families’ needs. For example, if you have pets they may recommend one type of flooring over another based on finishing/coating options that can make a floor more resilient.

5)      Ask to see pictures of past jobs they have completed. This is especially important if they will be doing any specialty work such as inlays.

6)      Ask for references and check them. Was the job completed on time and within budget? Was the finished flooring installed properly with no issues post install? Did the installer stand behind their work? If there was an issue was it resolved expeditiously?

7)      Select the flooring contractor who provides the best combination of experience, price, and satisfied customers.

8)      If you have specific flooring needs such as replacement of the plywood underlayment, ask your installer to check with the flooring manufacturers to make sure their products are compatible with the chosen plywood underlayment. Is the plywood underlayment warranted by the manufacturer?

9)      Be sure to discuss repaint or touch-ups of paint post installation. Many times during installation wood trim may get damaged. Find out up front if they will cover these types of damages.

10)    Implement a contract that specifies the work to be done (including the materials to be used), mutually agreed upon price, payment schedule, start date, and the estimated date of completion. You will also need to discuss if a deposit will be due before they commence installation. If there is a deposit due, be sure to arrange a payment schedule that matches the completion of the job. Retain a signed copy of the contract should any issues arise.

Check out Patriot Timber’s line of plywood underlayment panels at www.PatriotTimber.com. Do your own plywood underlayment comparison and tell your flooring contractor you want a plywood underlayment panel from Patriot Timber Products. Our premium plywood underlayment is vinyl industry tested and approved: www.patriottimber.com/vinyl-manufacturer-approval-letters/.

Tags: flooring contractor, installing plywood underlayment, plywood underlayment