Common wood flooring projects in Naperville and the Chicago suburbs include wood flooring installation, floor refinishing or sanding, wood flooring replacement and upgrading from carpet to wood flooring. Depending on your comfort level of handling home-maintenance projects, including factors like your budget and timeframe, you may consider hiring a professional wood flooring expert to complete one of these projects in your home or attempt to complete the project on your own.
Either way, before you make the decision to hire an industry-recognized pro or go it alone, you should know the pro’s and con’s of each option. Check out the following considerations and suggestions to determine the right choice for your wood flooring project and set your expectations on the right path from the start!
Hiring a Professional Wood Flooring Expert for Your Project
When you hire a professional floor installation specialist or refinisher, you typically have a good understanding of the service you are paying for. However, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few different companies so that you can compare costs and timelines. Here are some of our top tips to think about when determining whether or not you’ll hire a wood flooring company to complete your job.
- You’re looking for an expert – There are likely numerous flooring experts in your community that specialize in specific wood flooring projects that can consult with you on options for your project and deliver a high-quality product or service.
- You have a huge project – In this case, hiring a professional wood flooring team of experts may be your best bet to handle the complexities of the job at a much quicker rate than you’d be capable of on your own.
- You don’t want to deal with multiple companies to get the job done – Hiring a professional eliminates the need for you to purchase materials and rent any necessary equipment or machinery that might be required to complete the job. You only need to work with a single wood flooring company!
- You don’t want to handle clean up – When you hire a company that specializes in wood flooring projects, clean-up is usually included in the purchase price of your service contract.
- You want the job done quickly – Again, when you hire a professional to attend to your wood flooring project you may benefit from a team of expert installers or sanders working at once to get the flooring job done fast.
Do-It-Yourself Wood Flooring Project Considerations
Whether you’re an expert home handyman (or woman) or looking to get started with your first ambitious home project, there are numerous areas of attention that you should weigh as you contemplate whether or not you are equipped to handle the wood flooring project at hand.
- You fully understand the work that needs to be done – Handling a wood flooring project may sound simple or look easy on TV but you need to be realistic about the project you are getting yourself into. Research and planning is a great idea!
- You want to learn – If you are willing to take your time, encounter a few hiccups along the way and take on the stress of the project, you may be ready to complete your wood flooring project on your own.
- You want to save a little cash – Completing your wood flooring project may save you some money, however, if you make mistakes you will be the only one responsible for paying to repair those mistakes.
- You are aware of the safety considerations – Your wood flooring project not only demands your time, but it requires that you take numerous precautions to protect yourself from chemical and dust particles. In addition, you should also be comfortable and familiar with any machinery or equipment that the job requires.
- You are ok living in a work zone – In the event that you are unable to finish the job within your anticipated timeframe, you need to make sure that you and your family will be able to function and go about daily life in the unfinished space or in a confined space until the work is completed.
- You are knowledgeable about requirements – You may be capable of sanding or installation tasks but are you aware of building code regulations that may impact things like the slope of a laundry room or whether your current joists can support the weight of your new floor?
- You have a back-up plan – Even if you are comfortable moving ahead with your DIY project you should have a plan in place to call in a flooring expert if you get in over your head.