Earlier in May, Frank Pogue, our estimator extraordinaire, and I want to St. Louis to attend  the NWFA (National Wood Flooring Association) Sub-Floor Solutions School.  What a great three days!  We worked with some very talented craftsmen as our instructors on new trends and techniques but never lost sight of the plain and simple fact that a floor is only as good as its foundation.  In our area, we have two types of sub-floors: concrete slab and crawl space.  Both have their advantages and both can accept almost any type of flooring material provided that the sub-floor is properly prepared.

Frank applying a self leveling compound to a simulated concrete sub-floor.

Sub-floor preparation can involve several things including checking for moisture content, levelness and structural integrity.  Depending on the conditions identified, an appropriate installation plan can be crafted.  For instance, if a customer has a concrete slab that contains irregularities or small cracks, a self-leveling compound might be necessary to fill the irregular spots and provide a smooth and level surface onto which adhesive and flooring can be appplied.  Failure to correct this type of deficiency upfront will likely lead to much more costly repairs later.  Likewise, moisture in a crawlspace can adversly affect flooring and should be corrected before putting new flooring in your home.

Frank working with classmates to correct uneven spots in a simulated crawl space wood sub-floor.

Cost is always a factor in any flooring job and make no mistake, sub-floor preparation will add to the cost of your job, but think of it as insurance for your new floor.  Ask yourself, if I cut corners now to save a few dollars, am I willing to take the risk of paying substanatially more later to correct a resulting failure?  And by failure, we mean warping, buckling, cupping or grain opening up in wood, tile that will not stay adhered, vinyl that wrinkles or “telegraphs” sub-floor imperfections through the material to the surface, or worse.

Finish being applied to a new oak hardwood floor.

We have a simple rule at our shop (a saying that I saw on the bulletin board at the CPA firm where I interned in college), “If we don’t have enough time to do it right the first time, we certainly don’t have enough time to do it over.”  We all know that time is money, especially with our skilled flooring craftsmen.  If you have a subsequent failure, the costs start with demolition of the failed floor, correction of the problem, re-installation (a cost you already paid once) and likely replacement of some, if not all, of your flooring materials (another cost you already paid once before).
Your home is probably your biggest investment and the flooring is something that you will update very infrequently because, quite frankly, it can be expensive and it’s a pain in the you-know-what to have us flooring guys invade your house.  We encourage you to get the facts on flooring and make the best decisions for your home, the way you live and the conditions present.  Get the beauty and value out of your flooring investment.  You will be much happier in the long run doing it right once the first time!

Talk to us, ask us questions.  We work hard to have the best trained personnel to provide you with the best solutions for your flooring needs.

Thanks for letting us be Your Flooring Experts!  Al

Tags: Auburn, ceramic tile, Columbus, Flooring, Georgia, Hardwood, National Wood Flooring Association, Opelika, Phenix City, Tile, Vinyl