Hardwood Floor Installation & Finishing

For a floating click-lock floor in a dry room, yes — it's designed for DIY. For solid nail-down hardwood or glue-down engineered, it's a different story. Nail-down installation requires a pneumatic floor stapler (rental available, but skilled labour required), attention to T-joints and transitions, and 7–14 days of wood acclimation before laying. Improperly acclimated wood cups within 6 months. For solid oak in a living room, hiring a pro buys you a 60+-year floor.

DIY (solid nail-down, 500 sq ft): typically 3 weekends for a DIYer, with a visible defect on 8–10% of boards. Pro: 2–3 days with no visible defects. Difference: a pro acclimates the wood 7–14 days before starting, uses a stapler calibrated to the species hardness, and cuts transitions on a laser-guided saw (vs DIY circular saw).

Solid: a single piece of wood (3/4 in), nailed, sandable 4–6 times, 60–100-year lifespan. Engineered: real wood wear layer (1–4 mm) bonded to plywood, sandable 0–2 times, 20–40-year lifespan. Laminate: printed wood image on an HDF core, never sandable, 10–15-year lifespan. JA Planchers works exclusively in solid hardwood — it's the only one that can be re-sanded and restored over decades. We don't install engineered or laminate.

Installation cost depends on the solid hardwood species (oak, maple, birch), board width, whether the subfloor needs prep, and the finishing scope (sanding, stain, number of finish coats). JA Planchers gives a fixed-price quote within 24 hours after a free on-site visit.