If you have spent a lot of money investing in real and expensive timber flooring, the least you can do is ensure that the contractors properly install the floors for you. As you would know, it is often better if you know what should be done when it comes to installations and maintenance care – not because you can attempt to do it yourself then – but because you will understand if something is amiss in such a case. There is no need to understand the technicalities of every process; simply understanding what should be done is an ideal way to maintain communication with your contractors and ensuring that they do a good job for their money’s worth. Below are some of the mistakes that should be avoided when it comes to wooden flooring installation: 

• Forgetting to check the moisture levels of the flooring – as you know, moisture is the biggest enemy of wood: water is the culprit that makes wood decay, rot and warp. Whether your floors are low-quality wooden floors or expensive Heartridge flooring, you will need to take precautions against moisture. Wooden flooring will suffer from expanding and contraction as a result of these moisture levels, which can lead the flooring to swell during wet seasons of the year, and contract (revealing gaps in the flooring) during the drier seasons. This is normal, but it is the job of the contractor to ensure that the gaps do not become gaping holes. To avoid such issues, you can do your part by installing the wooden flooring once you have finished installing windows and doors, as well as climate control appliances such as A/Cs and humidifiers in your home – this will ensure that there is no great fluctuation in inside temperature conditions throughout the year.
• Not properly preparing the subflooring – a timber flooring can easily suffer from squeaking, unevenness, deflection and other issues when the subflooring has not been properly installed. The subflooring should be flat, dry and clean, as well as appropriate for the type of flooring. Your supplier of wooden flooring will most likely have recommended a type of subflooring for your flooring type – make sure that the contractor installs this very type. The subflooring, as the issues of moisture apply here as well, must be perfectly dry and it should be clean and flat so as to avoid any bumps in the wooden flooring.
• Not considering layouts properly – a very good point to make before installation is to consider the layout of the flooring before beginning the job. To do this, it would be in your best interests to invite the contractors over a day or two earlier so that they can plan the layout of the flooring. The reason is that not all rooms are perfect squares, which means you won’t be able to use single panels for the entirety of the floor. Furthermore, it is common to have rooms at an angle, and it can be a hassle to install flooring when the angles are not 90 degrees.