This article was originally featured on Mannington.com.

Is your home in need of new flooring? As with any home improvement project, the fear of the unknown is inevitable. To help relieve some of that worry, Mannington has put together a guide of what you can expect when you have new flooring professionally installed in your home.

Prepare the room. First, check to see if preparing the room is included in your installation quote. If it’s not, prior to the installer’s arrival, it’s important to remove any personal items in the space to be refloored. This includes furniture, clothing, toys, and breakable items. Disconnect any electronics that could get in the way of install, including light fixtures, televisions, and computers. It’s also important to ensure your home is an optimal temperature. Flooring is best installed when your home’s internal temperature is between 65-and 85-degrees Fahrenheit.

Look out for dust. During install, you can expect to see a bit of dust and debris. This is typical when removing your existing floor and installing the new one. Installers will do their best to keep dust at a minimum, but it’s not completely avoidable. Pro tip: cover your doorways so the dust doesn’t enter other rooms in your house. Rest assured that any mess created during installation will be cleaned up upon the completion of your job.

Know that unseen issues could pop up. Issues like loose-subflooring, rot, insect damage, or mold, can be discovered once your old flooring is removed. Many of these issues are almost impossible to detect until your existing floor is taken out, but they’re not uncommon. If any of these issues present themselves during your install process, be aware that an additional cost may be added to your final bill, depending on the extent of the damage.

There will be excess materials. When ordering your new floors, a waste factor of 5-15% is added to your order, depending on the product. Unforeseeable issues can affect the quality of the material, which means that some portions of your flooring could be delivered with damage. The additional percentage helps to cover that possibility and ensure there’s enough material to complete your install. It is also recommended that you keep any extra material for possible repairs in the future.

Flooring may appear slightly different. When you’re shopping for flooring, you’re shopping from a sample size. Once the floor is installed in your home, both natural and artificial lighting can affect the way the flooring appears. It may vary slightly in the shade or texture you remember from the sample, so it’s important to make your selection carefully. To help ensure your new floors appear as you thought they would, place the sample under the various types of light that present themselves in your home.

Finish the room. Damage to the floor often occurs when appliances, furniture and fixtures are moved back into place. Whoever is responsible for finishing the room should use proper flooring protection to complete the job like thin sheets of Masonite for moving appliances and felt/furniture pads for furniture legs and support bases.

Ease your mind! Know what to expect so that you can prepare for your next flooring installation.