CRF Services Ltd
Floor laying for homes
A new floor changes how a room feels more than almost anything else. Danny lays floors as part of interior refreshes and renovations, and on their own where the rest of the room is staying as it is.
It starts with the floor underneath
Every finished floor is only as good as the surface below it. Squeaky boards, dips, humps and loose sections all show through a new floor, and some will damage it over time. Before laying anything, Danny checks the subfloor, fixes down loose boards and deals with uneven areas so the new covering sits flat.
In older homes it is common to find a mix of boards, patches and old coverings stuck down in layers. Taking these up and starting from a sound base takes longer but avoids problems later on.
Details that make a floor look right
The places that give a floor away are the edges: the doorways, the thresholds between rooms and the joins against skirting. A neat floor runs cleanly under door linings, meets the next room at a sensible threshold and finishes tight to the wall.
Doors often need trimming once a new floor goes down, particularly if it is thicker than the old one. That can be planned into the same job so you are not left with doors that scrape. The door fitting page covers that part of the work.
What a flooring job covers
Depending on the room, floor laying usually involves:
- Lifting old flooring and clearing the room
- Fixing loose boards and checking the subfloor
- Levelling or preparing uneven areas
- Laying the new floor and cutting around obstacles
- Fitting thresholds and trims at doorways
- Trimming doors where needed so they clear
Planning around the rest of the room
Flooring sits in the middle of the order of work. Plastering and any messy jobs should be finished first, and skirting is usually fitted afterwards so it sits neatly on top. If the room is being refreshed more widely, Danny can plan the flooring alongside the carpentry and interior work so it is done at the right stage.
Rooms need to be cleared before a floor goes down. Let Danny know if there is heavy furniture that needs moving, or if a room has to stay usable, so the work can be planned around it.
Choosing a floor
Different floors suit different rooms. Kitchens, hallways and bathrooms take water and heavy wear, so the covering there needs to cope with both. Living rooms and bedrooms can take warmer, softer options. You choose the flooring, and Danny is happy to talk through how different types behave once laid.
When you enquire, include the rooms involved, rough sizes, photographs of the current floor and a note of the flooring you are considering. That makes it much easier to give a clear quotation.
Letting materials settle
Some types of flooring need to sit in the room for a period before they are laid, so they adjust to its temperature and humidity. Laying them straight from a cold van or garage can lead to gaps or lifting later. Check the instructions that come with your flooring and have it delivered in good time. Heating left at its usual level in the days before helps too. Once the floor is down, follow the maker's guidance on when furniture can go back and how to clean it. Felt pads under chair and table legs are a cheap way to protect a new floor from scratches.
This work is part of our House Interiors service.
Common questions
Floor laying for homes questions answered
Have a job in mind?
Tell Danny what needs doing and get a clear, no-obligation quotation.