When it comes to our flooring services, one of the most common questions our clients ask us is how long the service will take and whether or not they need to leave their house during the process.
Kimminau Floors provides four services: hardwood installation, hardwood refinishing, staircase or end-cap installations, and maintenance applications. The answer to these questions can vary dramatically by the scope of what’s being done in your home. Let’s take a closer look at each service and the variables that dictate if you have to be out of the house and for how long.
Installation Projects
The length of your installation project will depend on the following:
- Amount demolition required. Do we have to remove a bunch of tile, carpet, vinyl, existing hardwood or other floor coverings? We normally allow 1-3 days for demolition work.
- How much subfloor preparation is required? Please allow half day to full day for proper subfloor preparation. We will need to sand the sub-floor, screw it down, and apply the proper moisture barriers. Check out this blog for more detail: subfloor prep blog
- How many square feet are we installing? Once the floor is prepared, we normally shoot for around 350-400 SF of installation each day.
- Trim installation? Please allow 1-2 days for base shoe and base board installation.
- Final Clean/Punch – Please allow another day for the final clean up and punch-list completion.
Obviously the larger the project the more time it will take. The standard 800 square foot installation will most likely take 3 or 4 days depending on the variables listed above.
The good news is that you don’t have to leave the house during the installation process. You can walk on the floor each night and be in the house during the entire process. However, it will be a bit noisy, and we will take precautions to mask off sensitive areas or areas where we are not working, which may limit some of the traffic flow in your house. If you’re working from home, we would recommend finding a different place to work during the installation process as the compressors and saws can be quite loud and disruptive.
Refinishing Projects
The sanding and refinishing service is a very iterative process that required a minimum of 3 days for even the smallest projects. Let’s dive in and look at the variables that will dictate the length of your refinishing project:
- Any demolition or repairs necessary? This will add a day or two to the project depending on the magnitude. You will not need to be out of the house for this portion of the project.
- Do we need to install vents? Please add 1/2 to full day for this depending on the scope.
- Sanding and staining phase – We target approximately 500 square feet per day once the sanding process starts. Depending on the size of your project, this phase may require several days. We have to limit the foot traffic once the sanding phase starts.
- Once the floor is stained, we will apply 2 seal coats. These coats dry very fast and we can usually apply two coats in a single day. You can walk on the floor in sock feet once the finish is dried after approximately 2 hours.
- Final coat/shoe installation. This is our final refinishing step in the process. This usually requires 1-2 days depending on the size of the project. No foot traffic on this final coat phase for 24 hours if possible.
- Final clean/punch-list – Please allow 1 day. Sock feet for first 48 hours after final coat application.
- Painting Phase – Please allow 1-2 days for paint completion. Normal foot traffic usually okay by this point.
The sanding and refinishing process has come a long way in terms of technology. Today, there are many finish options with zero or low VOC’s and fast drying times, which means that many of our clients never have to leave the house during the process. It will really depend on the layout…please read this blog for more details on this topic.
As you can see, even the smallest refinishing jobs will require 3 or 4 days. The larger ones will require a few extra days and we will provide you with a detailed project plan at the start of the project. We do everything in our power to minimize the disruption and put your house back together as quickly as possible. This is the reason our turn-key process is so popular with many of our clients.
Maintenance Projects
Our deep cleaning or maintenance coat projects usually take less than a day to complete. Let’s take a look at the normal workflow of one of these projects.
- Day 1: movers arrive in the morning to move the contents (optional step)
- Day 1: our crew starts scrubbing the floor and completing the prep work while the contents are being moved out. We will complete the entire 4 step process by 4pm unless the project is over 2500 square feet.
- Day 2: review and allow floor to cure. Sock feet only.
- Day 3: allow floor to cure. Sock feet only.
- Day 4: move the contents back onto the floor.
Many of our clients greet us in the morning before they leave for work and when they return that same day in the evening, they’re able to walk on the floor (sock feet).
Staircase Projects
Usually take 1-3 weeks depending on the following variables:
- Do we need to rebuild the stringers (support framing) for the treads & risers? Many times, this is required because the existing rise and run of the staircase doesn’t meet code.
- Are we replacing the skirt boards and aprons? This usually adds a day or two.
- How many treads are we installing? Are they open or boxed in?
- Custom winder staircases will add to the complexity and require a bit longer.
- Are we replacing the newel posts and handrails?
- How many spindles do we need to install?
The good news…our clients normally stay in the house the entire process. We can normally leave the staircase in a condition that will allow the clients to walk up and down. One note of caution, if you have animals or small children we will definitely recommend staying away from the staircase until all of the spindles are put back in. This is a definite safety concern.
We usually pre-finish the treads and risers in our warehouse to cut down on the sanding and staining in the client’s home. This also keeps the jobsite much cleaner.
Staircase projects are definitely the most complex service that we provide and will have the widest range when it comes to price and the timetable required to complete.
Summary
Quality is a higher priority than speed when it comes to our execution but we’re also very conscientious about the client experience and want to minimize the disruption as much as possible. The length of time required for flooring services can vary depending on the scope of the service. We will always take steps to minimize the disruption in your home as much as possible by using state of the art equipment, low VOC finishes, and our certified staff will get the job done right the first time.
Our Commitment To Clients
As flooring professionals, we strive to stay educated on the various flooring systems available on the market. We stay at the forefront of new advancements in the flooring industry through continued education and training courses provided by the National Wood Flooring Association. Our knowledge enables us to educate our clients on the pros and cons of various hardwood solutions. Our job is to listen to our clients and provide solutions that best fit their lifestyles. We provide easy and stress-free installations by staying informed, prioritizing clients’ needs, and setting proper expectations.
