How a Flooring Installation Works With Harmony
A flooring installation with Harmony Flooring runs in three steps: you reach out, we visit and measure for free, and we handle everything from tear-out to cleanup. The person who comes out to measure is the same person who orders your floor, lines up the installers and checks the finished work.
You’ll get the schedule in writing before work starts. For typical timelines by floor type, see our flooring installation FAQs. For every stage from tear-out to the last room, read what to expect from a flooring replacement.
Call, Text or Email Us
Tell us what’s going on with the floor and which rooms you’re thinking about. Then we’ll figure out together whether you come see samples or we come to you.
Free In-Home Visit
We measure the rooms and check the subfloor. On a basement slab we run a moisture test before anything else. Then we go through samples with you at your kitchen table. You get one written price. No pressure. No surprises added later.
We Handle the Rest
Tear-out, haul-away, delivery, subfloor prep, install, cleanup. Your contact schedules all of it and checks the work when it’s done. The installers are people we’ve worked with for years. When it’s finished, you still have the same phone number and the same person on the other end.
Installation by Floor Type
What matters in a Madison house
How a floor gets installed depends on the floor. Vinyl plank and laminate need a flat base, hardwood needs time to get used to your house, tile needs a stiff floor, and carpet starts with the right pad.
Vinyl Plank (LVP) Installation
Rigid core vinyl plank is the one we suggest most for basements and open main floors. It clicks together, floats and forgives small dips in the subfloor. Thin glue-down vinyl needs a very flat, smooth floor under it. On a basement slab, the moisture test comes first. The planks are waterproof, but the floor as a whole isn’t flood-proof, so what’s underneath still matters. See the vinyl plank flooring in Madison we carry.
Laminate Installation
Laminate floats too, and it wants a subfloor that is flat and dry. We check both at the in-home visit. The planks sit in your house for a bit before install so they get used to the temperature and humidity. Most laminate is water-resistant, not waterproof, so it only goes in a basement that stays dry all year. Compare styles of laminate flooring in Madison, WI.
Hardwood Installation
Hardwood needs time in your house before it goes down. The wood sits for several days so it adjusts to your humidity, and the humidity gets checked first. That step matters in a Wisconsin winter, when the furnace runs October into April and indoor air turns bone dry. The NWFA range for wood floors is 30 to 50 percent RH and 60 to 80 degrees F. Solid hardwood is our first pick for main-floor rooms, never a basement. Browse the hardwood floors we carry in Madison.
Tile Installation
Tile can’t flex, so it needs a stiff, flat floor under it. We check that before we give you a price, and on a slab we look for moisture and cracks. Where the concrete has cracks, a crack isolation membrane often goes down first so a crack in the slab doesn’t show up in your floor. Tile goes in stages because the mortar and grout need time to set. See the tile flooring in Madison in our showroom.
Carpet Installation
A good carpet installation starts with the pad. In a basement we check the slab for moisture first and usually suggest a pad with a moisture barrier. At the in-home visit we measure every room and look at the stairs. In cold weather the carpet needs to warm up indoors before it’s stretched, and your contact checks the seams when it’s done. Find carpet in Madison for bedrooms, stairs and family rooms.
Getting Your Home Ready
Getting your home ready for a flooring installation mostly means clearing small things and planning around a few busy days. Furniture moving, tear-out and haul-away come with the quote, so leave the heavy pieces to the installers.
- Small items. Pack up breakables, lamps, electronics and anything on closet floors in the rooms getting new flooring.
- Pets. Plan a quiet room away from the work, or a day out for a nervous dog. Doors open a lot on install day.
- A clear path. Make room from the driveway to the work area so new flooring can come in and the old floor can go out.
- Heat or air running. Keep the house at its usual temperature and humidity from delivery day until the job is done. That’s what the new floor gets used to.
- A backup room. If your kitchen or only full bath is in the project, decide where you’ll cook or get ready while it’s out of use.
- Your questions. Painting, new trim or a new appliance coming? Tell your contact before the install date is set.
Our home prep checklist goes room by room.
Madison Houses Have Their Quirks
Madison houses bring a few local quirks to every flooring installation: damp basement slabs, older homes that have settled, dry winter air and road salt at the door.
Basements. The slab gets a moisture test before anything else. If the concrete is damp, we’ll say so, and the plan changes before the floor goes in. That’s why rigid core vinyl like the floor in this photo is so common down there. Our basement flooring buyer’s guide walks through the options.
Older homes. Houses on the Isthmus and near the lakes often hide an extra layer of old flooring or a floor that has settled over the decades. We check what’s under the old floor at the in-home visit, so the plan fits the house. See flooring for historic Madison homes.
Winter air. From October into April the furnace pulls indoor humidity way down, and wood floors can gap. Acclimation and a humidity check come before any wood goes down. Our guide to indoor humidity for wood floors explains the numbers.
Salt at the door. Salt season runs November into April, and entries take wet boots every day. Porcelain tile or waterproof vinyl plank usually belongs at the door rather than wood.
Where We Coordinate Installations
We coordinate flooring installations in Madison and pretty much anywhere within 45 minutes of the Capitol. That includes Middleton, Fitchburg, Verona, Sun Prairie, Waunakee, DeForest, Stoughton, Oregon, McFarland, Monona, Cottage Grove and Windsor, plus the towns in between. See every town we serve.
The showroom is at 2125 S. Stoughton Rd in Madison, open Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM. Evening and weekend appointments are available on request. Come see floors in person, or tell us about the room and we’ll bring samples to your house.
Let’s Plan Your Flooring Installation
Give us a call and tell us about the room. We’ll take it from there.
Flooring Installation Questions
Straight answers. See all our FAQs, or call and ask.
Who installs the floors I buy from Harmony Flooring in Madison?
The trusted local installers we coordinate. They’re people we’ve worked with for years. The same person who measured your home lines them up, schedules the work and checks the finished floor. You never get bounced to another department.
How do I find good flooring installers near me in Madison?
Look for someone who measures in person, checks the subfloor for moisture and gives you one written price. Then ask who schedules the installers, who checks the work and who you call afterward. With Harmony Flooring, that’s one person from start to finish. Stop by the showroom at 2125 S. Stoughton Rd or call 608-221-5500.
Is installation included in your flooring price?
Yes. After the free in-home visit you get one written price for the floor and the installation. Tear-out, haul-away and moving furniture are in the quote too, so you don’t have to hire anyone else. No surprises added later.
Can new flooring go over my existing floor?
Sometimes. It depends on what’s down now and what’s going in. A new floor needs a flat, solid, dry base, and carpet always comes up before a hard floor goes down. Some floating floors can go over a flat, tight hard floor when the maker allows it. We check at the free in-home visit and tell you which way your room should go.
What happens if something isn’t right after my floor is installed?
You call the same person who ran your project. When the job is done, you keep the same phone number and the same person on the other end. If something’s not right, they pick up the phone, take a look and tell you what it needs.
Installation Guides
Written for houses around here, not for everyone everywhere.
Talk to the Person Who’ll Run Your Project
Call or text, Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM. Evening and weekend appointments available on request.
