You’ve signed the contract, chosen your species, and your installation date is on the calendar. Now what? The week before your hardwood floors go in is just as important as the installation itself. Proper preparation prevents delays, protects your belongings, and helps the crew work efficiently — which ultimately saves you money.
At Skyline Flooring, we’ve completed thousands of installations across Sherman Oaks, Encino, Beverly Hills, Calabasas, and dozens of other LA and Ventura County communities over 20+ years. Here’s our complete preparation guide based on real-world experience in Southern California homes.
Step 1: Acclimate Your Hardwood (3-7 Days Before Installation)
Wood is a natural material that expands and contracts with moisture changes. Acclimation lets the flooring adjust to your home’s temperature and humidity before it’s locked into place.
- Engineered hardwood: Typically needs 48-72 hours of acclimation. Because engineered planks have a cross-layered plywood core, they’re more dimensionally stable — a big reason we recommend them for roughly 75% of our LA projects.
- Solid hardwood: Needs 5-7 full days, sometimes longer if delivered during Santa Ana wind season when indoor humidity can plummet below 20%.
- Where to store: Stack the boxes in the rooms where they’ll be installed. Leave them unopened but cut the plastic wrap so air can circulate. Keep HVAC running at your normal settings — don’t shut off the AC to “save money” during this phase.
Most LA homes sit on post-1950 concrete slab foundations. Slabs transmit moisture differently than raised wood subfloors, so acclimation is even more critical here. Your installer should test slab moisture with a calcium chloride or relative humidity probe before laying a single plank.
Step 2: Clear the Rooms (2-3 Days Before)
Everything needs to come out of the rooms being floored. This sounds obvious, but it’s the number-one cause of installation-day delays.
Room-by-Room Checklist
Living Room / Family Room:
- Remove all furniture — sofas, coffee tables, entertainment centers, bookshelves
- Take everything off shelves and out of built-in cabinets if the flooring runs underneath
- Disconnect and move electronics, TVs, gaming consoles, speakers
- Roll up and remove existing area rugs
Bedrooms:
- Disassemble bed frames and remove mattresses
- Empty closets completely if flooring extends inside (it should — it looks far better)
- Remove nightstands, dressers, desks
- Take down any floor-length curtains that might interfere with baseboard removal
Dining Room:
- Move table, chairs, buffets, china cabinets
- If you have a chandelier that hangs low, ensure the crew can work underneath it safely
Hallways:
- Remove wall-mounted items that could vibrate loose from demo work — mirrors, framed photos, floating shelves
- Take down baby gates
Where does all this stuff go? Most of our clients use their garage, a spare bedroom that isn’t being floored, or a temporary storage pod in the driveway. If you’re doing the entire house, consider a short-term storage unit — PODS and similar services are widely available across the San Fernando Valley.
Step 3: Handle Appliances and Fixed Items
Refrigerator: If the kitchen is part of the project, the fridge needs to come out. Plan to empty perishables into a cooler. Our crew handles the disconnect and reconnect of the water line if it has an ice maker.
Washer/Dryer: If they’re on the same level being floored, they’ll need to move. Make sure the gas dryer line can be safely disconnected — we recommend having a plumber handle gas connections.
Toilets: If we’re running flooring into bathrooms (less common with hardwood, more common with LVP installations), toilets get pulled and reset. We handle that.
Baseboards: Our crew removes and reinstalls baseboards as part of the job. If you have custom or historical trim you want to preserve, let us know in advance so we can be extra careful.
Step 4: Prepare for Dust and Noise
This is especially important if you’re living in the home during installation — which most of our clients do.
- Dust barriers: We hang plastic sheeting over doorways to rooms not being worked on, but you should also cover electronics in adjacent rooms. Sawdust is fine and gets everywhere despite best efforts.
- HVAC filters: Buy a replacement filter to swap in the day after installation finishes. Your current filter will get loaded with dust.
- Noise: Expect nail gun compressor noise, saw cuts (we set up the miter saw outside or in the garage when possible), and demolition sounds if old flooring is being removed. Warn your neighbors — in Sherman Oaks and Studio City, many homes share walls or are close together.
- No-go zones: Fresh hardwood and especially freshly applied finish need time to cure. Keep everyone — including pets — off the floors for the time specified by your installer.
Step 5: Plan for Pets
This is a big deal in Los Angeles, where practically every household has a dog. Here’s how to handle it:
- Board your pets or arrange for a friend/family member to keep them during the install. An anxious dog in a house full of strangers using loud tools is a recipe for disaster.
- If pets must stay home, confine them to a room not being worked on that day — with the door closed and a note on it.
- Cat owners: close off pet doors and keep cats in a single room. Cats will find the one gap in the plastic sheeting and walk across wet polyurethane at 2 AM.
- After installation, keep pets off new floors for 24-48 hours (prefinished) or up to 72 hours (site-finished with oil-based poly).
Step 6: Set Up a Temporary Living Space
If you’re having multiple rooms done, your daily routine will be disrupted. Plan ahead:
- Set up a temporary “base camp” in a room that won’t be touched until later in the project
- Stock up on paper plates and disposable utensils if your kitchen is out of commission
- Consider a small microwave and mini-fridge setup in a bedroom or garage
- Identify which bathroom will remain accessible each day
What to Expect Day by Day
Here’s a realistic timeline for a typical 1,200 sq ft installation in a Sherman Oaks or Encino home:
| Day | Activity | What You’ll Experience |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Demolition of old flooring | Loud, dusty. Crew removes carpet/tile/old wood. Debris hauled out. |
| Day 2 | Subfloor prep & leveling | Grinding, patching, moisture testing. Leveling compound may need 4-24 hrs to cure. |
| Day 3-4 | Hardwood installation | Nail gun sounds, saw cuts. 300-500 sq ft/day for straight lay. Herringbone is slower. |
| Day 5 | Trim, transitions, cleanup | Baseboards reinstalled, T-moldings placed, final sweep and inspection. |
For site-finished floors, add 2-3 days for sanding and finishing plus cure time. Read our detailed installation timeline guide for more specifics.
The Night-Before Checklist
- Confirm start time with your installer (our crews typically arrive between 7:30-8:00 AM)
- Clear a path from the front door to the work area
- Make sure the garage or driveway is available for the saw setup and material staging
- Leave the HVAC running at normal settings
- Ensure pets are secured or offsite
- Park your cars to leave room for the crew’s truck and trailer
- Have your installer’s phone number handy for day-of questions
What NOT to Do
- Don’t wax or seal your concrete slab yourself. Some homeowners try to “help” by applying a sealant. This can interfere with the adhesive or moisture barrier your installer plans to use.
- Don’t remove baseboards yourself unless you’re experienced. Improper removal damages drywall and the trim itself.
- Don’t skip acclimation to speed things up. We’ve seen floors buckle within months because someone wanted to “save a few days.”
- Don’t schedule other contractors during installation week. Painters, plumbers, and electricians need to work before or after flooring — not during.
Ready to Get Started?
Proper preparation makes the difference between a smooth, on-schedule project and a stressful experience. At Skyline Flooring, we walk every client through a detailed prep plan specific to their home before installation day. With 20+ years of experience and a perfect 5.0-star rating on Yelp from 109+ reviews, we make the process as painless as possible. Contact us today or call (818) 300-2205 to schedule your free in-home consultation.