Having new flooring installed means a little bit of chaos before the calm. But the serene new look you will have when it is all complete will be worth the temporary displacement of your personal items and schedule.

Be prepared for some dust! Removing the existing floors will bring to surface sand and dirt that is underneath your carpet and pad. Removing existing tile and wood will create a lot of dust and residue as part of the process.

Here are some tips that will help you prepare for your new flooring installation.

CARPET REMOVAL
Before the installers show up, vacuum the existing carpet. This will reduce the amount of dust and dirt that flies up in the air.

WOOD and TILE REMOVAL
This is going to be messy and there is no easy way to avoid the dust that will be created, but here are some suggestions that will make clean up easier.

Cover surfaces with plastic that can be rolled up and thrown away later. Use a heavier plastic if possible. Consider also covering your cabinets, dressers and drawers in other rooms. Close the doors to the room that are not being remodeled and put plastic at open areas between the door and floor.

Don’t be surprised if you still find dust in these areas and room as it can still travel through the air conditioning vents, but the amount will be significantly less!

VINYL
Fortunately, vinyl removal is the least messy of all flooring surfaces which it comes to removal. If the vinyl is in good condition, meaning no tears or loose areas, it may not even need to be removed at all as many flooring surfaces can be installed over existing vinyl.

Other Ways to Prepare for New Flooring:

Move any times off of your dressers, entertainment centers, tables, etc. in the rooms the new flooring is being installed in. Store them in another room not getting new flooring. Bathtubs are great places to set things as well as kitchen counters if you are having rooms other than these remodeled.

Pick up anything off the floor of your closets.

Any clothing that hangs down to the ground, can be looped up higher with a second hanger, or removed from the closet altogether.

Empty out all bookshelves unless they are built in.
Unplug all electronics. Remember to label your wires for ease of assembly later.

Make plans to secure your pets. This is extremely important for the safety of your pets, especially if you are not home during the installation. Installers need to go in and out of your house to their vehicles several times. A dog or cat can easily slip out of the house during these times.

Remodeling also can be stressful on the pet as well and may cause them to become agitated. Temporary boarding or asking a friend to watch them in their home are both great solutions.

Your flooring experience should be a happy one with as less stress and upheaval as possible. Anything you can do to make the process smoother will result in a more positive installation experience!