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You’ve bought the proper adhesive and tools, you’ve ordered the flooring, you’ve researched installation methods—you’re all set for a DIY installation adventure. But is your family? While it might not be at the forefront of your mind, this can be a major disruption to day-to-day life, as the room in which you’re installing essentially turns into a construction zone!
Luckily, minimizing that disruption is simple enough with a few quick preparatory tasks. E Hardwoods & Flooring, where you can buy hardwood flooring online, has a few tips below.
Few things are more irritating than dealing with foot traffic while you’re trying to measure and cut precisely, and the various sharp objects that come with installation—nails, staples, the like—can make wandering through the workzone dangerous for unprepared children and adults alike. It’s therefore safest to declare the room off-limits for the duration of the installation period, which of course means you’ll need to think ahead a bit about how you and others might navigate the house.
Doing so ensures that you have the peace you need to complete a quality installation job. It also double-checks that you’re doing the flooring installation at a time that’s convenient for your family. If you have an installation job going while you plan to entertain, for example, the results could get quite hairy.
Whether it’s curious cats or bouncy puppies, animals and flooring installation don’t mix. No matter if you’re gluing down vinyl flooring or nailing hardwood flooring, there are countless safety hazards that come with the process that could mean trips to the emergency vet if you’re not careful.
Plan ahead to devise ways to keep your animals away from the workzone. Pulling old baby gates out from storage can suffice in some cases, though wilier creatures might need to be confined to separate regions of the home altogether.
While it’s impossible to up and relocate the stove, if your family regularly uses objects in the installation room, it’s best to find them alternative homes for the time being, simply for convenience’s sake. For example, the coffee maker shouldn’t be cloistered away behind an engineered hardwood flooring project; imagine the morning time chaos that’d cause!
Depending on your needs and budget, it may be easiest to plan a night or two away from the home during the installation process. If you have friends or family nearby, you could talk about staying with them. Or, you could get a hotel room. This way, you can focus on completing the project without daily life getting in the way. Plus, you’ll probably get more sleep. While this isn’t an option for everyone, it’s an efficient way to finish a big home renovation project, or a smaller one.
While some DIY flooring projects don’t take too long, you may need to sleep somewhere else for a more intensive renovation, such as changing out most of your home’s hardwood flooring.
If you have young kids in the home, you’ll want to plan the installation process around their schedules and needs. It might be a good time to enlist the help of a babysitter or family member to help. In fact, it will likely be easier on younger children if you plan activities outside of the home for them alongside a trusted adult. This way, they’ll be away from the construction process, and you’ll be able to focus more on finishing the job.
And, if it’s not possible to get the kids out of the house, try to designate a room or outdoor space where they can play comfortably and safely.
When you’re planning a flooring DIY project, look no further than E Hardwoods & Flooring. Our huge online stock is a DIYer’s dream—from vinyl plank flooring to hardwood, we’ve got it all. Shop our selection today and see where your next project will take you! Take a look at our inventory or reach out with any questions.