Flooring · Sanding · Refinishing

Hardwood flooring installation, sanding, and refinishing in Austin

Choose, install, sand, finish, and maintain — with moisture testing before the first board and care documentation after the last coat. This is the same NWFA-guideline process we have run for decades.

Two constructions

Solid or engineered: the honest comparison

Solid hardwood

Solid hardwood flooring is exactly what the name implies: a solid piece of wood from top to bottom, milled from a single piece of lumber. The thickness of solid wood flooring can vary but generally ranges from ¾” to 1/2”. One of the many benefits of solid wood flooring is that it can be sanded and refinished multiple times. Due to its expansion and contraction, in reaction to changes in moisture and temperature, solid hardwood floors are only recommended for rooms at ground level or above.

Best for

Long-term homes where future refinishing matters
Traditional solid wood construction
Projects whose subfloor and moisture conditions support it

Engineered hardwood

Engineered wood flooring is real wood flooring that is manufactured using multiple layers of different wood veneers. The sub-layers (i.e. underlying plywood veneer core) can be of the same species, or different species. The grain of each layer runs in different (perpendicular) directions, which makes it very stable. This means that the wood will expand and contract less than solid wood flooring during fluctuations in humidity and temperature. The top layer (wear-layer) of engineered wood flooring consists of high-quality wood. This type of flooring can be re-sanded and finished, some engineered floors (depending on construction) can be refinished as many times as solid wood flooring. Engineered floors can be nailed or stapled to a wood sub-floor, or glued down to a wood sub-floor or concrete slab. This makes engineered wood floors ideal for slab and basement installations, but they can be used in any room either above or below grade (ground level).

Best for

Slab installations and wide plank designs
Stability through Texas humidity swings
Clients who want real hardwood, not a printed substitute

The installation process · nail-down

What happens between the slab and the finished floor

Nail-down over concrete, step by step — exactly as our crews run it.

Moisture testing

Moisture test concrete sub-floor. Check moisture content of wood and concrete before installation of wood flooring. Check NWFA (National Wood Flooring Association) guidelines on moisture content for your area of the country.

Subfloor prep

Float floor flat to 1/8” in an eight (8’) foot radius. Install ⅝” OR ¾” CDX Plywood with gaps of ¼” at butt edges of plywood, ½” at walls. Lay plywood over 6 mil black polyethylene vapor barrier, lapping seams 6”. Install 15 lb. felt, rolled over sub-floor, butt edges.

Nailing

Nail flooring over felt, leaving 1/16” washer run parallel with grain as needed per wood choice. Leave ½” expansion gap at walls. Use Power-nailer Model #45C for ¾” wood OR Power-nailer Model #50C for ½” wood.

Sanding

Sand using coarse 40-grit, medium 60-grit, fine 100-grit screen. Sand and vibrate edges with 100-grit or 120-grit sand paper. Apply filler to fill cracks between sandings.

Sealing

Seal floor with floor stain such as Poloplaz. These floor stains are self-sealing and will not reactivate.

Finishing

For Wax Finishes: apply two (2) coats stain, steel wool between all coats, then apply wax. For Polyurethane Finishes: one (1) coat stain/sealer followed by two (2) coats oil-based polyurethane, screen between coats of polyurethane. Water-based Polyurethane: one (1) coat stain/sealer followed by four coats of finish, screen between coats of finish.

The installation process · glue-down

The glue-down method, same discipline

When the readings and the material call for glue-down, the sequence changes but the standards do not.

Moisture testing

Moisture test concrete sub-floor with Calcium Chloride test kit. Check moisture content of wood and concrete before installation of wood flooring. Check NWFA (National Wood Flooring Association) guidelines on moisture content for your area of the country.

Adhesive and installation

To spread adhesive, use a ¼” x ¼” square-notched trowel. Spread adhesive in a 2’ wide by length of floor at a rate you are accustomed to so that the mastic does not set up too fast. Install planks in adhesive and continue process until entire area is installed. Roll floor with 50 lb. to 80 lb. roller to make sure adhesive makes good contact with flooring. Do NOT allow traffic for a MINIMUM of eight (8) hours on floor, or as recommended by manufacturer of adhesive. Let adhesive set up twenty-four (24) hours before starting sanding process, if unfinished.

Sanding and finishing

Sand with 40-grit sandpaper to flatten. Sand with coarse, medium and fine grit sandpapers. Vibe and screen floor. During drum sanding, fill cracks with Timbermate Wood Filler. Water-based Polyurethane: one (1) coat stain/sealer followed by four (4) coats of finish. Screen between coats of finish.

Sanding & finishing

Finish systems we run every week

Final finish recommendations are project-specific — confirmed over real samples at the showroom, not from a swatch photo.

·Rubio Monocoat
·DuraSeal
·Bona
·National Coatings
·Poloplaz
·Italian reactive stains
·flat urethane
·oil-based polyurethane
·water-based polyurethane
·wax

What's included in our price

No surprises hiding under the floor

Grading

True-to-grade lumber and flooring from the number one lumber supplier in the USA.

True moisture testing

Calcium Chloride Tests -- Three (3) for the first 1000 sq. ft. and one (1) for every 1000 sq. ft. of additional area.

Professional sand and finishing

Our professional sand and finish crews are experienced in all types of finishes. This experience lends them the ability to judge distinguishable differences and the varying appearances of finished floors; from natural to colored floors. And of course, our crews respect your trades' finished work.

Professional installation

Never sub-contracted. You will see the same skilled craftsmen on your projects time after time. Not uncommon for builders to see these same craftsmen on different job sites spanning 20 – 30 years. We adhere to The National Wood Flooring standards and specifications.

Care and maintenance

Maintenance procedures are completely explained and thorough demonstrations are done with the homeowner(s). Documentation of all materials and products used for your flooring installation and/or finish provided for your files. Maintenance materials provided to get your client started on the right foot.

Materials

Urethane mastic (moisture cure urethane adhesives specifically designed for hardwood flooring), not latex or glues. Three (3) coat finishes.

Common questions

Hardwood flooring, answered directly

What is the difference between solid and engineered hardwood?

Solid hardwood is one piece of wood from top to bottom and can be refinished many times. Engineered hardwood has a real hardwood wear layer over a layered substrate, which makes it more stable through humidity and temperature changes — especially on slabs and in wide planks.

Can hardwood floors be installed over concrete?

Yes. ACE installs over concrete subfloors with both glue-down and nail-down methods, always starting with calcium chloride moisture testing and subfloor flatness preparation to NWFA-guideline tolerances.

Can ACE Hardwood sand and finish floors?

Yes. Our sand and finish crews work with traditional stains, oil and water-based polyurethane, Rubio Monocoat, DuraSeal, Bona, reactive stains, and specialty systems.

Does ACE Hardwood provide care instructions?

Yes. Every job ends with maintenance procedures explained and documentation of the materials and products used on your floor, so future care and repairs start from facts.

Is my floor a good candidate for refinishing?

It depends on the remaining wear layer, existing damage, previous finish type, moisture conditions, and how much color change you want. Bring photos to the showroom and we will tell you honestly.

The showroom

See the wood before you choose it

Compare species, grain, width, texture, and finish in person at our West Lake Hills showroom — and talk through your project with people who mill, install, and finish hardwood every day.

Visit the showroom Talk with a specialist

Find us

923 Westbank Dr.

Austin, TX 78746 · West Lake Hills

Monday – Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Walk-ins welcome.