THE ElmWood Flooring Difference
ElmWood focuses on all types of flooring. Unlike other flooring companies, we understand all types of flooring, from wood, tile, and carpeting.
Largest Product Product Product Selection:
ElmWood provides our clients with the largest product selection of all types of wood flooring, tile, and carpeting available in Chicago. From unfinished to prefinished (both engineered and solid woods), to reclaimed, exotics, and gym floors, we have more to choose from to ensure we have the perfect product available for you when you’re ready to choose the right flooring for your home or business.
EWF – Executive Management
Award Winning: Winning: Winning:
With an A+ rating from the BBB, ElmWood Flooring stands as Illinois’s premier wood flooring company, renowned for excellence in installation, craftsmanship, and product selection. Established in 1976, with over 48 years of experience, we are committed to delivering exceptional results on the first attempt. Recognized as a leader in the Midwest, we take pride in enhancing the appearance of your home or business through our outstanding flooring installations and remodeling services.
What will ElmWood Flooring ElmWood Flooring ElmWood Flooring do for me?
We recognize that many of our customers may have never undertaken any work on their floors and may not be familiar with the process of installing new flooring or refurbishing existing wood floors. To ensure you are fully informed before making a decision, we have provided a general overview below of the steps and procedures involved in hardwood floor installation or refurbishment.
Best Possible Pricing – No Middleman
ElmWood eliminates intermediaries in obtaining its products. Unlike other wood flooring companies, ElmWood maintains exclusive partnerships with leading mills and manufacturers across the United States. By working directly with them, we ensure our clients receive the highest quality products at the most competitive prices, passing those savings directly to you.
What is the process of refurbishing process of refurbishing process of refurbishing old hardwood floors?
The first step is of course removal of any furniture and carpeting from the room that needs flooring work done. Please note: ElmWood and its employees are not responsible for moving furniture, this is the responsibility of the home or business owner. Unless you cannot move an item, because of age or not having anyone around to help you, we will have our workers move an item for a small labor fee.
Before we start the actual work, we will first vacuum your floor to make sure it is clean and there is no debris that could get in the way during the process of refinishing your floor.
We use Hummel 220 belt sanders for most surfaces, an orbit sander for edges, and hand sanding for corners. The sanding starts with a coarse grit (20′) and progresses to finer grits (40′, 60′, 80′, 100′-120′), depending on floor condition. If staining is required, we finish with a 220′ buff before sealing with 3 coats of oil-based or 4 coats of water/alcohol-based polyurethane.
After sanding down your floor, we will smooth it out using a buffer.
After your floor has been sanded, we will sweep and vacuum it to make sure it is free of any debris and dust.
Some flooring professionals consider this stage optional but we do not skip it, since it ensures that the floor is free of even the finest dust and debris (as well as moisture or any possible contaminating agents) and we can safely move on to staining. Some floors need to be water popped! before staining the floors, this opens up the wood so that the stain will take better and look even throughout the floor.
If the client chooses to – we will apply seal coating before applying polyurethane (often referred to as poly for short). If water-based is used, we will apply 4 coats or 2 to 3 if alcohol or oil-based coat is used. After each coat, we will buff the entire floor before applying the next coat. Depending on the selection of the coat, a different look will be achieved. Our flooring professional will advise you of the difference beforehand and explain our 10-year warranty that applies regardless of which option is chosen.
Your floor will need to dry for 8 hours after the oil-base (poly) coat or 2-3 hours after water-based is put down, which means we can apply 2 coats in one day depending on humidity levels – higher humidity means longer drying time. Once the floor is dry, you can walk on it and put lighter objects, such as area rugs back in its place. For any heavier objects, such as furniture, we ask that you allow additional 48 hours before putting them on your newly refurbished wood floor, it may be dry enough to walk on but the heavy items will leave a mark in the finish if put back too soon.
How long does it take to refurbish refurbish refurbish a hardwood floor?
The total time required depends on the extent of damage to the floor and the size of the area that needs refinishing. Following the outlined steps, refurbishing a floor in a moderately sized room would take a minimum of three days, with a maximum timeframe of four to six days, plus an additional 24 to 48 hours for drying. Typically, if work begins on a Monday, it would be completed by Friday, allowing the weekend for the final drying process.
What is the process of installing new hardwood floors (including pergo and laminate)?
Removing furniture
Once again, we begin by removing furniture and clearing out the room. If necessary, additional moving fees may apply depending on the number of items that need to be relocated.
Floor prep
Preparing your floor for installation involves removing carpeting, tiles, or any existing flooring, as well as leveling the surface and ensuring the floor grade is even.
Putting down subfloor
Either sheetrock (for tiles), plywood (for wood floors), or none of the above for a floating floor.
Actual installation
We install flooring using methods like cut-and-fit, gluing, nailing, floating, or interlocking. Pre-finished flooring is ready immediately, while unfinished flooring requires additional finishing.
Staining
After sanding, buffing, and cleaning, we apply a stain or seal coat if requested, followed by 3-4 coats of water-based or 2-3 coats of oil/alcohol-based polyurethane, buffing between each layer.
Clean the floor with mineral spirits
Once finished, we clean the floor with mineral spirits, so they look like they were never touched. if deemed necessary, tack ragging may be used as well.
What Clients Clients Clients say about ElmWood Flooring?
No Sub-Contractors – Complete In-House Service In-House Service In-House Service
ElmWood takes pride in employing highly qualified, skilled, and knowledgeable craftsmen who possess expertise in all aspects of construction and flooring. When you choose ElmWood for your products and services, you can be assured that the work in your home or business will be carried out exclusively by ElmWood employees—no independent contractors involved. Our team members are certified professionals who have successfully completed rigorous training programs to ensure your project is done correctly the first time, with a level of quality that will be evident upon completion.
We are Certified
