Published March 16, 2026 | By ATX Floor Installer
How to Prepare for Flooring Installation
You've chosen your new flooring, signed the contract, and the installation date is on the calendar. Now what? A little preparation on your end goes a long way toward making install day run smoothly, protecting your belongings, and helping your new floors look their best from day one.
We install flooring in homes across Greater Austin every week, and the projects that go the fastest and turn out the best are always the ones where the homeowner took a few steps beforehand. Here's your complete preparation checklist.
Two Weeks Before Installation
Acclimate Your Flooring Material
If you're having hardwood or engineered hardwood installed, the flooring material needs to acclimate in your home before installation. This means the boxes of flooring are delivered to your house and left open in the rooms where they'll be installed for 3 to 7 days, depending on the product and manufacturer requirements.
Why does this matter? Wood expands and contracts with changes in temperature and humidity. If it's installed before adjusting to your home's environment, it can gap, buckle, or cup after installation. Austin's humidity levels fluctuate significantly between seasons, so acclimation is especially important here.
LVP and tile don't require acclimation, though bringing LVP to room temperature for 48 hours before installation is recommended by most manufacturers.
Confirm Your HVAC Is Running
Your home's HVAC system should be running and maintaining normal living temperatures during acclimation and installation. This is critical in Austin where summer temperatures routinely hit 100 degrees or higher. If your AC isn't running during a July installation, adhesives won't cure properly, hardwood will absorb excess moisture from humid air, and the finished floor won't perform as expected.
If you're doing a remodel and the HVAC isn't operational yet, let us know so we can plan accordingly.
One Week Before Installation
Move Furniture Out of the Work Area
All furniture needs to be removed from any room receiving new flooring. This includes:
- Living areas: Sofas, coffee tables, entertainment centers, bookshelves, side tables, lamps, and rugs.
- Bedrooms: Beds, dressers, nightstands, and anything stored under the bed.
- Closets: Empty the floor of every closet in the work area. Shoes, boxes, storage bins, and anything on the closet floor needs to be moved. This is the one people forget most often.
- Home offices: Desks, chairs, filing cabinets, computer equipment, and cords.
Move everything to rooms that are not being worked on, the garage, or a portable storage unit. If you need help with heavy items like a piano, pool table, or gun safe, let us know in advance and we can arrange for furniture moving as part of the project.
Remove Wall Decorations Near the Floor
Take down anything hanging on walls in the work area that could fall from vibration during installation. Framed photos, mirrors, and shelves near the floor line are particularly vulnerable. It only takes a minute to remove them and saves the risk of something crashing down during demolition or nailing.
Decide About Old Flooring Removal
If you have existing flooring that needs to come up (old carpet, tile, vinyl, or damaged hardwood), decide whether you want to remove it yourself or have us handle it. We include demolition and removal in most of our quotes, but some homeowners prefer to save money by doing this part themselves.
If you remove old flooring yourself, make sure the subfloor is clean and free of staples, nails, tack strips, and adhesive residue. Leave the subfloor prep (leveling, patching, moisture testing) to us.
The Day Before Installation
Secure Pets
Our installers love dogs (and cats), but installation day is not safe for pets in the work area. There will be sharp tools, exposed nails, adhesive fumes, and an open front door for carrying in materials. Plan to keep pets in a closed room away from the work area, at a friend's house, or at doggy daycare for the duration of the installation.
Plan for Dust and Noise
Flooring installation creates dust and noise. Demolition of old flooring is the loudest and dustiest phase. Cutting hardwood, tile, or LVP produces sawdust and fine particles. We use dust containment measures whenever possible, but some dust will travel.
- Close doors to rooms outside the work area.
- Cover electronics and sensitive items nearby with sheets or drop cloths.
- If anyone in the household has respiratory sensitivities, plan to be away during the dustiest phases (demolition and cutting).
- Change your HVAC filter after installation is complete.
Clear a Path
We'll be carrying heavy boxes of flooring, tools, and equipment in and out of your home. Clear a path from the front door (or whichever entry is closest to the work area) to the rooms being floored. Protect any finished flooring in hallways with drop cloths or cardboard if needed.
What to Expect on Installation Day
Timeline
Installation timelines vary by material and scope. As a general guide for Austin-area projects, check our detailed breakdown in How Long Does Flooring Installation Take?. For a typical 1,000-square-foot project:
- LVP: 1 to 2 days
- Hardwood (glue-down): 2 to 3 days
- Tile: 3 to 5 days (including grout cure time)
- Demolition of old flooring: Add half a day to a full day depending on material
What Our Crew Does
On installation day, our crew will:
- Remove existing flooring (if included in your scope)
- Inspect and prepare the subfloor (leveling, patching, moisture testing)
- Lay underlayment or vapor barrier if needed
- Install the flooring material room by room
- Install transitions between rooms and at doorways
- Reinstall or replace baseboards and quarter round
- Clean up all debris and do a final walkthrough with you
Austin Summer Installations
If your installation is during Austin's summer months (May through September), keep your AC set to 72 to 76 degrees throughout the installation and for at least 72 hours afterward. This is especially critical for glue-down hardwood and tile installations where adhesives and thinset need specific temperature and humidity ranges to cure properly. Running the AC also keeps the installers working safely and efficiently in the heat.
After Installation: First-Month Care
When Can You Walk on Your New Floors?
- LVP (floating): Immediately after installation. Walk carefully for the first 24 hours while the planks fully settle into position.
- Hardwood (glue-down): Light foot traffic after 12 to 24 hours. Full traffic and furniture after 24 to 48 hours, depending on adhesive type.
- Tile: Stay off the tile for 24 hours after setting. After grouting, wait another 24 to 48 hours before walking on it. Avoid heavy furniture for 72 hours.
When to Move Furniture Back
Wait at least 24 hours for LVP and 48 hours for hardwood and tile before moving furniture back. Use felt pads on all furniture legs. Lift furniture into place rather than dragging it across your new floors. For heavy pieces like refrigerators and pianos, use plywood sheets as runners to distribute the weight.
First-Month Tips
- No wet mopping: Use a damp mop only. Excessive water can seep into seams before they fully seal, especially with hardwood.
- No rugs for 30 days on hardwood: If your hardwood floor was site-finished, wait 30 days before placing rugs. The finish needs time to fully cure and breathe. Area rugs placed too early can cause discoloration.
- Watch for gaps: Minor gaps between planks during Austin's dry winter months are normal for hardwood flooring. They typically close during the humid summer. If gaps are wider than a dime, contact us.
- Run your HVAC consistently: Maintaining stable indoor humidity between 35% and 55% is the best thing you can do for hardwood floors in Central Texas. Dramatic swings in humidity cause the most damage over time.
Ready to Get Started?
Preparing for flooring installation doesn't have to be stressful. Follow this checklist, and your install day will go smoothly. If you haven't scheduled your project yet, request a free estimate and we'll walk you through the entire process from material selection to post-installation care.