Newington showroom • Serving Connecticut
Verified flooring case study • West Hartford, CT • Completed July 2026
Install new solid hardwood despite severe unevenness in the existing floor assembly
Residential Project · Residential Home
The problem
The homeowners wanted new solid hardwood in a pre-1900 West Hartford home, but after the existing hardwood was removed and disposed of, the exposed subfloor was far too uneven for a direct installation. Solid hardwood needs a flat, stable surface beneath it — install over an uneven assembly and the boards won't sit level, which shows up as gaps, movement, and an uneven finish.
Rather than forcing the new floor onto the old assembly, the team added 3/4-inch plywood to build up the floor, improve the installation surface, and add support beneath the finished flooring — then installed Appalachian Signature Collection Red Oak Excel Honey solid hardwood across approximately 200 square feet. The preparation and installation stayed within one coordinated flooring scope and were completed in one full day.
Project overview
The homeowners wanted new solid hardwood in a pre-1900 West Hartford home, but the exposed subfloor was far too uneven for a direct installation. After removing and disposing of the existing hardwood, the team added 3/4-inch plywood to build up the floor, improve the installation surface, and provide added support beneath the new flooring. The preparation and installation stayed within one coordinated flooring scope on this project. Appalachian Signature Collection Red Oak Excel Honey solid hardwood was then installed across approximately 200 square feet. The work was completed in one full day.
Project facts
Project photography
Each image and caption identifies the portion of the verified project that is actually shown.
Scope of work
Subfloor preparation came first in this older home.
Common questions
On this project the exposed subfloor was far too uneven for the planned solid hardwood, so we installed 3/4-inch plywood to build up the floor, improve flatness, and add support beneath the finished flooring. A new plywood layer creates a fresh, stable fastening surface when the old assembly can't be corrected on its own.
Older homes often have floor assemblies that don't meet the flatness and stability a modern hardwood installation needs. In this pre-1900 home the exposed subfloor was too uneven for direct installation, so plywood preparation came first — the same evaluation happens on any older home before we commit to the installation plan.
On this project, yes. The hardwood removal, plywood preparation, and installation of approximately 200 square feet of solid red oak were completed in one full workday as one coordinated flooring scope.
Appalachian Signature Collection Red Oak Excel Honey solid hardwood, installed across approximately 200 square feet of the residential living area after the plywood preparation.
Products and planning
Use these resources to compare the materials, preparation, and installation services involved in this project.
Flooring Advice
Focused answers for the questions that need more room than a buyer's guide.
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Read the guidePlan a project like this West Hartford installation
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