Services
Hardwood Floor Installation in New Orleans
We install solid and engineered hardwood floors in homes across New Orleans, Metairie and the Northshore, from raised shotguns over a crawl space to newer houses on a slab. Hardwood floor installation in New Orleans starts below the boards, because wood gains moisture in humid conditions and the prep decides how well the floor holds up.
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Solid or engineered hardwood for a New Orleans home
This page is for homeowners choosing and installing a wood floor. It covers solid versus engineered boards, how hardwood copes with our humidity, crawl spaces and slabs, how the install runs and what moves the price.
Both have real wood on the surface. The difference is what's underneath, and it changes where each one fits. Our hardwood flooring and engineered wood pages go deeper on the materials.
Solid hardwood
Each board is one piece of wood, usually nailed to a wood subfloor, which makes it a natural fit for a raised house. It can be sanded and refinished later; the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) says how many times depends on the thickness of the wear layer and the condition of the floor.
Engineered hardwood
A real wood surface layer bonded to a layered core. Depending on the product, it may be glued down or floated, so read its install guide for what it allows over a concrete slab.
If your house has flooded before
LSU AgCenter's flood guidance says solid wood flooring can usually recover from flooding, while engineered wood that swells or delaminates should be replaced. Weigh that before you choose for a ground floor that has taken water.
Keeping the floor you already have
If the house still has its original wood floors, compare a new install with hardwood floor refinishing before you tear anything out.
Built for New Orleans
How does hardwood hold up in New Orleans humidity?
NOAA describes the city's climate as humid, and NWFA notes that wood gains moisture and can swell in humid conditions. So the install follows the indoor climate and moisture limits set by the flooring maker and NWFA.
Indoor humidity before and after the install
Hallmark, one hardwood maker, requires 30 to 55% relative humidity (35 to 55% for hickory) during the install and for the life of the floor, with the room held at year-round conditions for at least a week beforehand. NWFA's installation guidelines say permanent heating or air conditioning should run at least 5 days before the flooring is delivered. Other makers set their own range, so we follow the guide for your product.
Raised homes over a crawl space
The shotgun is probably the most common historic house type in New Orleans, according to the city's Historic District Landmarks Commission, and raised center hall cottages often sit on piers 5 feet or more above grade. A wood subfloor needs a well-ventilated crawl space below it, and Hallmark wants the crawl space ground fully covered with black polyethylene of at least 6 mil.
Slab homes
Concrete gets a relative humidity test before any wood goes down. NWFA's current guidelines recommend more drying or a Class 1 vapor retarder when a slab reads above 80% relative humidity, so we'll talk through which one suits your floor and what the flooring maker approves.
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How it works
Hardwood floor installation, step by step
Here's the sequence for a typical hardwood floor installation.
- 01
Check the site
We look at the subfloor or slab, the crawl space and the room's humidity before the wood arrives.
- 02
Acclimate the wood
NWFA's guidelines say the wood subfloor should be no more than 2% wetter than solid plank boards 3 inches or wider, so we take meter readings of both.
- 03
Prep the subfloor
Loose or damp areas get fixed first, and dips get leveled. See subfloor preparation.
- 04
Install
Boards go down by the method the product's guide calls for, with an expansion gap left at the walls.
- 05
Finish and walk through
Unfinished boards are sanded and finished on site, prefinished boards get their trim and transitions, and then we walk the floor with you.
What affects the cost of a hardwood install?
Every quote starts with a look at the house. These are the things that move the number.
Solid or engineered
The species and board width matter too.
Removing the old floor
What's coming up, and how it was fastened, changes the work.
Subfloor and joist repairs
Raised homes sometimes need boards or framing fixed before new wood goes on.
Moisture work
A crawl space vapor retarder or a slab moisture barrier adds a step.
Finishing and stairs
Finishing on site adds drying days, and stairs add labor.
Where we install hardwood and how to get a free estimate
We install hardwood across New Orleans, Metairie, Kenner, Gretna, Mandeville, and Covington. See the full list of towns on our service areas page.
For a free estimate, tell us whether the house is raised or on a slab and the rough square footage of the rooms. If you're leaning toward solid or engineered wood, mention that too.
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Reviews
What Customers Say About TurnKey Floorings
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