Is hickory hardwood flooring too hard to install in older Calgary homes with uneven subfloors?

Hickory hardwood is one of the most challenging species to install in any home, and older Calgary homes with uneven subfloors make that challenge significantly harder — but it's not impossible with proper preparation.

Hickory sits at 1,820 on the Janka hardness scale, making it one of the hardest domestic hardwoods available. That hardness is a double-edged sword. It resists dents and wear exceptionally well, which is why it's popular in high-traffic homes. But that same density makes it unforgiving during installation — it's harder to nail, harder to cut cleanly, and far less forgiving of subfloor imperfections than softer species like oak or maple. Every hollow spot, hump, or dip in the subfloor telegraphs through hickory more noticeably than it would through a more flexible species.

Older Calgary homes — particularly those built before 1980 in communities like Ramsay, Inglewood, Parkdale, or Bowness — commonly have subfloors that have settled unevenly over decades, with variations well beyond the industry standard of 3mm over 1.8 metres. Some have original 1-inch board subfloors laid diagonally over joists, which are structurally sound but notoriously uneven. Others have had multiple layers of flooring installed over the years, creating height inconsistencies at doorways and transitions. Before hickory — or honestly any hardwood — goes down, the subfloor needs to be assessed and corrected. Self-levelling compound can address low spots, and high spots need to be planed or sanded down. Skipping this step with hickory will result in hollow-sounding sections, squeaking, and premature nail pull-through.

Calgary's Climate Adds Another Layer of Complexity

Hickory is also one of the more dimensionally reactive hardwoods — it moves more with humidity changes than oak does. In Calgary's extreme dry winters, where indoor humidity regularly drops to 15-20%, hickory will gap noticeably without a whole-home humidifier maintaining 35-45% relative humidity year-round. Chinook events compound this — a rapid swing from -25°C to +10°C in a single afternoon causes sudden moisture changes inside the home, and hickory responds to those swings more dramatically than more stable species. If you're committed to hickory, a whole-home humidifier isn't optional — it's essential infrastructure.

Hickory's natural colour variation is also worth mentioning. It ranges from nearly white sapwood to dark chocolate heartwood within the same plank, which some homeowners love and others find overwhelming. That variation is especially pronounced in wider planks (5 inches and up), which are also harder to keep flat in Calgary's climate.

Practical Guidance

If you're set on hickory's look and hardness, engineered hickory is a smarter choice for most Calgary homes than solid hickory. The plywood core dramatically reduces seasonal movement, it can be installed over concrete with a moisture barrier, and it handles chinook humidity swings far better than solid. Engineered hickory runs roughly $9-14 per square foot installed, compared to $10-15+ for solid hickory installed.

If you do proceed with solid hickory nail-down, budget $2-6 per square foot for subfloor levelling and repair before the hardwood goes in — this is not optional, it's the foundation of a successful installation. The subfloor must be plywood (not OSB for nail-down hardwood), structurally sound, and flat to within 3mm over 1.8 metres before a single plank goes down.

This is firmly a professional installation job. Hickory's hardness dulls saw blades faster, requires a well-maintained pneumatic floor nailer with proper pressure settings, and demands an experienced installer who knows how to read the subfloor and manage the layout. An inexperienced installer will crack planks, blow out tongue-and-groove joints, and create a floor that squeaks within a year.

Get your subfloor assessed before you commit to any hardwood species. A good flooring contractor will walk the floor, identify problem areas, and give you a realistic picture of what prep work is needed. Calgary Floor Installers can match you with a local flooring professional for a free estimate — find one through the Calgary Construction Network directory at calgaryconstructionnetwork.com/directory?trade=flooring.