Hardwood Floor Installation in South Dakota

About this floor

Many older ranch houses on the prairie were built with oak strip floors, and wood still feels right in them. A new hardwood floor brings that warmth into a living room, dining room or bedroom, and it is one of the few floors that can be sanded and refinished again later in its life.

We install both solid and engineered wood. Solid boards are milled from one piece and nailed to the base. Engineered boards have a real wood top on a layered core, which keeps them more stable through the swing from warm summers to dry, cold winters. We help you choose based on the room, the base and the look you want.

How the installation goes

1. Bring the wood home early

   The boards are delivered a few days ahead and opened in the rooms where they will go, so they settle to the house before a single nail goes in.

2. Check and prepare

   The old covering comes up, the base is checked for flatness and squeaks are fastened down. Rosin paper or an underlayment goes down next.

3. Mix and lay

   Boards from several boxes are mixed so the color and grain spread naturally. Each row is set tight, nailed through the tongue and staggered so seams never stack.

4. Fit the edges

   The last rows are face nailed and filled, gaps at the walls are left for seasonal movement and hidden under the trim.

5. Finish details

   Transitions are fitted to the next floor at each doorway and the baseboard goes on. Prefinished floors are ready for furniture right away.

Where it fits

• Living rooms and dining rooms in older ranch homes that had oak floors originally.
• Bedrooms and halls where a warm, natural wood look is wanted.
• Main floors of newer homes, using engineered wood for extra stability.
• Rooms where you may want to sand and refinish the floor again one day.

Read about the rooms: Living room Bedrooms

Before install day

Plan for the wood to sit in the house for several days before install day. Keep the heat on at your normal setting, empty bookcases and closets you want done, and clear the path from the door to the rooms so boxes can come in easily.

Living with it

Use a soft broom and a vacuum with a hard floor setting. Clean with a microfiber pad and a cleaner made for finished wood. Rugs at the doors, felt pads under furniture and steady indoor air through the winter keep the boards calm and the finish even.