Solid Hardwood Installation
One species, one solid board, sandable for decades.
Solid hardwood is milled from a single piece of oak, hickory, maple or walnut and nailed to a wood subfloor. Its long-term advantage is simple: it can be sanded and refinished many times over its life, so a scratched floor becomes a new floor instead of a replacement project.
It is the most climate-sensitive option we install, which makes acclimation and humidity control part of the job rather than an afterthought.
Where it works well
- Main floors over plywood subfloors
- Older Boise North End and Nampa-area homes matching existing wood
- Owners who plan to stay and want a floor they can renew
- Site-finished projects that need a custom stain match
What to watch out for
- Not appropriate directly over concrete slab
- Seasonal gapping is normal in a dry winter and usually closes back up
- Site finishing adds days for cure time and requires the house be quiet during it
- Narrower boards (2¼"–3¼") move less than wide plank in our climate
How we install it
- Acclimation
- Wood sits in the conditioned house until its moisture content is in range with the subfloor. Rushing this step is what produces gaps and cupping later.
- Nail schedule
- Cleats or staples at the manufacturer's spacing, tighter at the perimeter and at board ends.
- Finish
- Prefinished for a fast turnaround and a factory-cured surface, or sand-and-finish on site for a seamless, custom-color floor.
Subfloor requirements
Plywood or OSB over a crawlspace or joist system, moisture-tested first.
Typical rooms
Main-level living, dining, bedrooms, hallways, stair treads.
Solid Hardwood questions we get asked
- Can you match my existing hardwood?
- Often, yes. Matching depends on species, board width and finish age. We look at the existing floor before promising a seamless blend, and sometimes recommend a deliberate transition instead.
- Prefinished or site-finished?
- Prefinished is faster and immediately durable. Site-finished gives a flatter, seam-free surface and full color control, but the house is out of service longer.
- Is solid hardwood a bad idea in Idaho?
- No — it just needs the right subfloor, real acclimation, and reasonable indoor humidity. Where a slab or a wet room is involved, we point you to engineered or vinyl instead.
Planning a solid hardwood install?
Send the rooms and rough square footage and we will schedule a measure.