Hardwood Floor Installation in Scranton, PA
Scranton Hardwood Floors installs new hardwood floors in homes across Scranton and Lackawanna County. We install solid and engineered hardwood, in red oak, white oak, maple, and hickory. We lay floors in new rooms, replace floors that are too far gone to save, and extend old floors into rooms that never had one. Every installation includes subfloor prep, moisture testing, and a finish you pick.
Solid or Engineered Hardwood
Solid hardwood is one piece of wood from top to bottom. It is the right floor for most rooms above the basement in a Scranton house. It can be sanded and refinished for decades. Engineered hardwood has a real wood top layer over a layered core. It moves less when the humidity changes, so it is the right choice over concrete, in finished basements, and over radiant heat. We will not sell you solid wood for a room where it will fail.
Matching New Wood to an Old Floor
A lot of our installation work is not a whole new floor. It is new wood that has to look like it has always been there. A wall comes down between the kitchen and the dining room. A bathroom gets remodeled and the hallway floor now stops short. An addition needs to connect to a 1920s living room. We match the species, the board width, and the direction of the rows. Then we weave the new boards into the old ones so there is no straight seam. After sanding, both floors are finished together and read as one floor.
Subfloor Prep
A floor is only as flat and quiet as what is under it. Before we install, we check the subfloor for loose boards, soft spots, and dips. We screw down anything that moves and level the low spots. In older homes, we often find plank subfloors that have loosened over the years. Fixing them now stops squeaks before the new floor goes down.
Acclimation and Moisture
Northeast Pennsylvania swings from humid summers to dry, heated winters. Wood moves with that. New boards sit in the house for several days before installation so they reach the home's normal moisture. We test the wood and the subfloor with a meter and do not install until the numbers are close. This is the step that keeps a new floor from gapping in January or cupping in July.
Prefinished or Finished in Place
Prefinished boards come from the factory already sealed. They go in fast and you can walk on the room the same day. Site-finished boards go in raw. We sand them flat and apply stain and finish in your home. The result is a smoother floor with no grooves between boards, and any stain color you want. If the new floor has to match an old one, it must be finished in place. See our custom staining page for color options.
What It Costs
Installed hardwood in the Scranton area usually runs $9 to $16 per square foot for solid oak, finished in place. That covers the wood, subfloor prep, installation, sanding, stain, and three coats of finish. Engineered and prefinished floors often cost less to install. Exotic species, wide planks, and patterns like herringbone cost more. Removing an old floor or carpet is quoted as a separate line. We measure the room and write down the real price at the free estimate.
Before You Replace an Old Floor
If your house already has hardwood, even under carpet, check it first. Old-growth oak from the 1920s is harder and more stable than most new wood. Most of these floors can be restored or repaired for less than a new floor costs. We will tell you which one makes sense.
Planning a new floor? Call (570) 755-8741 and tell us about the room. We will set up a free estimate.
Should I choose solid or engineered hardwood?
Solid hardwood is the better floor on a wood subfloor above grade. It can be sanded and refinished many times over its life. Engineered hardwood is the right choice over concrete, in basements, and over radiant heat, because its layered core moves less with humidity. We will tell you which one your room calls for at the estimate.
Can you extend my old floor into a new room?
Yes. This is common in Scranton when a wall comes down between a dining room and a kitchen. We weave new boards into the old floor so the rows run through without a seam, then sand and finish both together. The old and new wood end up the same color under one finish.
How long does new hardwood need to sit before it is installed?
The boards sit in the room for several days so they settle to the home's normal humidity. We check the moisture of the wood and the subfloor with a meter before a single nail goes in. Skipping this step is the main reason new floors gap in winter or cup in summer.
Is prefinished or site-finished hardwood better?
Prefinished goes in faster and the room is usable the same day. Site-finished boards are sanded flat after installation and finished in place, which gives a smoother surface with no bevel between boards, and a stain color of your choice. For matching an existing old floor, site-finished is the only way to get a true match.
Do you install hardwood on stairs?
Yes. We install new oak treads and risers when the old stairs are carpet-grade pine or too worn to refinish. New treads are finished to match the floor at the top and bottom of the staircase.