Since 1986 — hardwood only. Yvan and his lead craftsman Oscar on your floor from start to finish. Free in-home estimates.
A new hardwood floor is a forty-year decision, and the difference between a floor that lasts and one that doesn't is almost entirely in the first day of work — the moisture reading, the acclimation, the layout, and the nailing pattern. We've been installing hardwood in Oakland homes since 1986, and we still start every job the same way: with a moisture meter and a conversation about how you actually live on the floor.
We install solid and engineered hardwood in white oak, red oak, walnut, and wider planks, laid straight or in patterns like herringbone. We'll talk you through species and cut — plainsawn, rift and quartered — and how each takes stain and ages in Bay Area light. We acclimate the wood to your home before a single board goes down, because a floor laid green is a floor that gaps and cups.
We're proud to do good work. That means a tight board fit, properly staggered joints, the right underlayment for your subfloor, and a finish schedule built for how much traffic and sunlight your room actually gets. We don't hand the job off to a sub — the same two pairs of hands are on your floor from the first board to the last.
Why Choose Us
Wood is delivered early and allowed to reach equilibrium with your home's moisture and humidity before installation. No shortcuts, no cupping six months later.
We help you choose between white oak, red oak and walnut, and between plainsawn and rift-and-quartered, based on how the grain takes stain and wears over time.
Yvan and Oscar, his lead craftsman of 27 years, are on your floor from layout to final board. No rotating subs, no nameless crew.
Our Process
01
Free in-home visit. We measure, read the subfloor moisture, and talk species, cut, plank width, grade and layout.
02
You get a written estimate with the species, finish system, and a clear timeline — not a number scribbled on a card.
03
Wood is delivered to acclimate. We lay out, rack the floor with proper joint stagger, and nail or glue per the subfloor.
04
Site-finished jobs get sanding, stain, and finish coats with full cure time. Final walkthrough and care instructions.
What's Covered
The full range of installation work we take on — every item handled by the same two craftsmen, start to finish.
Solid oak and walnut for wood subfloors, engineered for concrete or below-grade — we recommend the right one after seeing the space.
The species Bay Area homes ask for most. We bring samples and talk grain, color, and how each takes stain and ages in your light.
From standard 2¼-inch strip to wide-plank boards — laid straight, with proper joint stagger and tight board fit.
Diagonal, herringbone, and bordered patterns for homeowners who want the floor itself to be the detail.
We read the subfloor moisture, flatten as needed, and use the right underlayment and fastener schedule for a stable floor.
We take up old hardwood or other flooring, prep the subfloor, and haul off the debris — a separate line on the estimate.
From bare subfloor up — acclimation, layout, nailing or glue-down, and finish schedule built for the household.
Clean transitions to other rooms and surfaces, and baseboard / shoe-mold work that finishes the floor properly.
Before & After
Customer Reviews
"Responsive, reliable and reasonable. Yvan installed new oak flooring in a section of an older home. He matched the new flooring to the rest of the house beautifully. He exceeded expectations in each stage of demo, installation, finish and cleanup."
Richard C., Santa Margarita, CA
Yelp · 2020
"Yvan and his crew did a wonderful job on my floors. 150 year old hardwoods repaired and restored to a perfect warm and solid Victorian finish. Yvan is lovely. He is punctual and thorough and really conscientious. I would recommend him without hesitation. His price is fair and he spent an hour with us picking out the final color. He is a craftsman and cares deeply about his work."
Wh H., San Rafael, CA
Yelp · 2019
FAQ
A typical room takes one to three days for installation, plus acclimation time before we start and cure time after finishing. Whole-home installs run longer. We give you a real timeline in the written estimate.
It depends on your subfloor, whether you're above or below grade, and how many times you may want to refinish down the road. Solid oak can be refinished many times; engineered is better over concrete or in basements. We'll recommend one after seeing the space.
Yes. Removal and disposal of existing flooring is a separate line on the estimate. We take up old hardwood, carpet, or other flooring and prep the subfloor so the new wood goes down flat and stable.
Typically several days to reach moisture equilibrium with your home. We meter the wood and the subfloor and won't lay boards until the readings are in range. Skipping acclimation is the single biggest cause of cupping and gapping.
White oak is the most common choice for Bay Area homes — it takes stain evenly and wears beautifully. Red oak, walnut, and wider planks are popular too. We'll bring samples.
Installation itself is cleaner than sanding, but we contain the work area, protect your home, and clean up thoroughly at the end of each day.
Over a concrete slab we install engineered hardwood with a glue-down or floating method — solid nail-down hardwood is not appropriate over slab because there's no wood subfloor to nail into. We'll read the slab for moisture first, because slab moisture is a real issue in Bay Area condos and mid-century homes.
For prefinished installs you can walk on the floor the same day the last board goes down. For site-finished installs, figure on the room being off-limits through the sanding, staining and finish-cure schedule — usually several days to a week. We give you the full schedule before we start so you can plan around it.
From our home base in Oakland to Berkeley, Marin, San Francisco and beyond.
Free Estimate
Tell us about your floors. Yvan calls you back personally.
Yvan works every job personally. Call or request a free in-home estimate.