An image of a man installing new hardwood floors - for an estimate on how long a flooring install takes in Atlanta, GA, contact Footprints Floors.

How Long Does Flooring Installation Take in Atlanta, GA?

November 22, 2022

Getting new flooring affects your day-to-day life, so understanding the process and time required will help the project go smoother and put you at ease.

If you are looking to install new floors, you’re probably wondering how long installation will take. Unfortunately, there is no one answer, as it depends on many factors regarding flooring type, desired pattern, environment and project size.

At Footprints Floors in Atlanta , we can estimate how long an installation might take for hardwood, laminate, and tile. We’ll also answer any other questions you have about flooring installation. Getting new flooring affects your day-to-day life, so understanding the process and time required will help the project go smoother and put you at ease.

Hardwood Flooring

Every project, home, and hardwood flooring is unique. Prep and installation can take anywhere from 8-13 days, starting when your flooring arrives. Here’s some basic information about why hardwood flooring installation typically takes longer than other types of flooring.

Acclimation

Acclimation will likely be the longest part of your flooring installation project. Hardwood flooring needs time to adjust to the moisture in its environment. The minimum time to acclimate hardwood is five days, but seven days is better. In some cases, acclimation may take up to 10 days. During this time, your hardwood flooring will expand or contract as it adjusts. If you install the wood right after it arrives, expansion or contraction can cause gaps or buckling.

Installation

Depending on the project, installing hardwood flooring can take around 1-3 days. Typically, a crew of two installers can do about 750-1,000 square feet of flooring per day. Small spaces with minimal obstacles may only take a day, but larger areas and multiple rooms will take longer. Obstacles like fireplaces, cabinets and stairs complicate installation, so projects take longer. Installation may take twice or even three times as long if you request an intricate pattern with your wood, like herringbone or parquet.

Laminate Flooring

Laminate wood flooring can be a great alternative to hardwood. It’s usually much cheaper than hardwood and more durable, making it a great choice for renovations and families with young kids or pets running around. Installing laminate flooring is also quicker, with an average of just 3-5 days.

Acclimation

Although laminate wood flooring is not natural wood, it still needs time to acclimate to your space. The particleboard core of the boards is moisture sensitive and can expand and contract, causing gaps or buckling in your floor. Laminate needs a minimum of 48 hours to acclimate, but a full three days is best.

Installation

A crew can lay laminate flooring for a 1,000-square-foot space in about a day. Similar to installing hardwood flooring, obstacles or obstructions will add more time to the project, as will detailed patterns.

Tile Flooring

Tile floors are beautiful, and because of the many materials tile can be made from, you can get imaginative and create stunning and intricate flooring. Laying tile flooring differs from hardwood or laminate because instead of boards that interlock together, you are working with individual tiles (or sets of tiles). These tiles first need to be set in place. Then, thin-set and grout needs to be applied and allowed to dry. On average, tile flooring can take anywhere from 4-6 days. Here’s a breakdown of the tiling process and how long each step usually takes.

Preparation

Tile does not need to acclimate the same way hardwood or laminate does. However, letting tiles adjust to your environment and temperature for about 24 hours is recommended to avoid cracking. Additionally, there may need to be a primer added to the subfloor to help the tile adhere. Overall, the preparation for tiling can take 1-2 days.

Installation

The size of the tile and the room will affect how long it takes to lay tile flooring. Laying tile in one average-sized room can take a professional about a day. Still, detailed patterns and smaller tiles will make the process take longer. And, of course, obstacles like fireplaces, cabinets and so on can complicate the installation and add time.

After the tile is set in place, thin-set will need to be applied, which takes about 24 hours to dry. After the thin-set has dried, grout has to be applied between all the tiles. Grout also takes about 24 hours to dry, so the overall time needed for drying is about two days. With drying times, installing tile flooring can take three or more days.

Trust the Professionals

Getting new floors is a large project. From picking your materials, preparing the floor, laying the boards or tiles, and cleaning everything up, trying to do everything yourself can be overwhelming. And there are so many ways things can go wrong. Instead of trying to do it yourself, let the professionals at Footprints Floors take care of it for you!

With Footprints Floors in Atlanta , you can purchase your flooring from anywhere to get the flooring you truly want. Once you’ve found the flooring of your dreams, we’ll provide affordable and quality services for installation. Contact us today for a free estimate on your next flooring project!

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Key Takeaways

Installation timelines vary by flooring type and project complexity.
Proper preparation, like acclimation, is essential to prevent issues like warping, gaps, or cracking.
Working with professionals helps ensure an efficient installation process while reducing the stress and risk of costly mistakes.

Introduction
Hardwood Flooring
Laminate Flooring
Tile Flooring
Trust the Professionals

Noel Brewick

Sandy Springs Owner

I have been the proud owner of the Footprints Floors Sandy Springs / Alpharetta area franchise since 2019. I was born and raised in Mitchell, South Dakota (home of the world’s only Corn Palace!). My wife Laura and I have resided in Sandy Springs since 2013 and are blessed with two beautiful daughters, ages eight and ten. I attended the University of South Dakota, majoring in business administration and was captain of the swim team. After college I moved to Denver and was employed by Sherwin-Williams Paint Company for five years before transitioning into the bedding industry. For 22 years prior to Footprints Floors, I was employed by Serta Simmons Bedding Company in six different cities across the country. I served in a wide range of positions in both sales and finance, from account manager Director of National Accounts and VP of sales.

My most enjoyable part about being a part of Footprints Floors is working with customers to make their flooring dreams a reality! My guiding principle is to only recommend products or processes that will achieve the customers vision while also staying in budget and adding value and beauty to their home. In my spare time I enjoy spending time with my family, keeping up with my daughter’s various activities, golf, swimming and travel.

About The Author

Matt Therriault

Peachtree City Owner

Matt Therriault is the proud owner of the Footprints Floors Peachtree City and is no stranger to the home renovation industry. After moving to Atlanta from Chicago with his wife and two daughters about 7 years ago, Matt started a business called Peachtree City Home Rescue, and began working small remodeling jobs all over southern Georgia. Matt is a former firefighter, paramedic, and professional renovation expert. He uses his extensive knowledge of the flooring industry, as well as his skills in communicating with customers and individuals in the community to ensure that every customer not only has a great looking floor after the project, but that the experience as a whole is a memorable professional one. He has high standards of honesty, integrity and professionalism and brings these with him to every project and every customer he interacts with. Matt enjoys spending time with his wife and daughters and is excited to expand the Footprints Floors quality, experience, and service to the Southern Georgia area.

About The Author

Tim Busbee

Northern Atlanta Owner

Tim Busbee is the proud owner of Footprints Floors of Northern Atlanta serving the area from Marietta to Cumming and North Georgia. Born and raised in Savannah, GA, Tim graduated from Georgia Southern University with a BA in Marketing and then moved to Atlanta to pursue his professional career. While in Atlanta, Tim met his wife, Dani, who is an accomplished equestrian rider who competes, trains horses, and coaches students in a variety of English disciplines. Tim and Dani are now living in Woodstock GA with their two beautiful children Avery & Miles.

Prior to joining the Footprints Floors family, Tim spent the previous 10+ years of his professional career in Corporate America with Enterprise Holdings where he rose through the leadership ranks, ran multiple territories, mentored hundreds of employees, and received accolades for his teams' high level of customer service performance. Tim is excited to bring his many years of customer-centric service, professionalism, and integrity to the local flooring industry in Northern Atlanta.

In his free time, Tim is an avid Atlanta sports fanatic, loves being outdoors, doing anything competitive and he especially loves spending time with his family and making his kids laugh!

About The Author

Kevin Moore

East Atlanta & Duluth Owner

I spent most of my professional career as an I.T. Professional Services Program Manager. I have worked for many great companies such as IBM, Cisco, The Home Depot, Synamedia and BetterCloud to name a few. After my wife was brave enough to make a career change from Corporate Accounting to an AMI Certified Montessori Teacher (and loves it!), I decided that it was time for me to make a change as well. I have always been an active DIY'r and HGTV junkie and felt that I missed my true calling for construction management. After searching for several years, I decided to make a career change and opened my Footprints Floors franchise in 2021. I really enjoy helping my customers complete their projects to improve on their most important asset; their home. I believe that all customers deserve an honest, reputable and fair contractor that will aspire to deliver 5 star results. Those are the principles that guide me daily.

I have a wonderful wife, 2 young adult children, 2 cats, a sassy Husky and have resided in the Atlanta Metro area for the past 18 years. I am an avid runner and also love to roller skate, hike, kayak and play in the dirt.

About The Author