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

What happens between the slab and the finished floor

Nail-down and glue-down over concrete, milestone by milestone. The full written specification — grits, adhesives, and finish schedules included — is on Our Process.

Moisture testing

Calcium chloride readings on the slab and moisture checks on the wood, against NWFA guidelines, before anything is installed.

Subfloor preparation

Floors floated flat to within NWFA tolerances; CDX plywood and vapor barrier for nail-down, urethane mastic for glue-down.

Installation

Nail-down over felt or glue-down in Bostik urethane mastic — method chosen by the readings and the material, not by habit.

Sanding

Coarse to fine grits with edge work and crack filling between passes, until the floor reads as one surface.

Finishing

Stain and finish systems from wax to water-based polyurethane, applied on schedule with screening between coats.

The specification

Read the exact process we install by

Our process, in full →

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.

The line items, in full →

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 have milled, installed, and finished hardwood for decades.

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.