What Actually Happens When Expert Fitters Install Your Wood Floor

Elephant & Castle transforms more rapidly than any other London District. New developments emerge on the site of the defeated shopping mall. Conversions of period properties share space with Victorian terraces that braved the air raid. In essence a strange mix of everything. See hardwood flooring and installation.

We get this question all the time by many of our customers.. “What actually goes on during a professional install?” Good question. Well allow us to walk you through the process, one by one, no shortcuts.

Step One: The Site Survey Nobody Talks About

Room walk before any wood hits the ground- we, look for joist direction, check subfloor moisture content, existing damage and door clearances. Exciting. Not optional.

If you skip this stage and find halfway through that your subfloor is out by 8mm over the room dimensions, you will be sanding a screed floor at 6pm on a Tuesday rather than being finished on the prescribed day. We’ve done it!

Step Two: Removing the Old Flooring Properly

Old carpet strips can be removed. Old laminate can be levered up. Sometimes the tiles get knocked out totally but it is a loud process and always explained to the neighbours beforehand.

This stage shows us what was really beneath. Sometimes it’s a perfectly fine subfloor. Sometimes it’s 70 years worth of newspaper wrapping and a mouse skeleton from 1987. Either way, we have to and sort it out before we proceed.

The Preparation Phase Most DIYers Skip Entirely

This is where “Noob” jobs and”Pro” jobs really diverge. Preparation always tends to take longer than you think, and it always looks boring and unglamorous, so no one ever posts photos of it on Instagram.

Sub floors are made flat. Membranes are laid in areas susceptible to damp. Test readings are logged because there’s no way in the world you’re willywangy the moisture level of a floor when you’re about to shell out several hundred quid for a hardwood flooring and installation.

We leave our materials to acclimatise in the room for a few days at least. Wood, for example, needs to adapt itself to the actual humidity and temperature of the room just before installation. Rush it and you will probably see some cracks in a matter of weeks when the central heating finally gets working to the full.

Step Three: Laying the First Rows Correctly

The opening rows establish the standard for the whole room. An error at the start will multiply out over all the subsequent boards. Here we add spacers at the walls to cover expansion gaps, always checking with a straightedge rather than relying on vision.

This stage just takes forever for a reason. Rush here and you set up issues that are revealed months down the lineand by that stage the floor is already built and there is no-one around to lift it back up.

Step Four: Cutting Around Obstacles

All rooms have their share of oddities. Door openings. Rads.

Enclosed storage areas that were leveled off improperly back in 1973 when the house was built.

Trimming boards to fit in these spaces takes time and a little experience.

Did a couple of hardwood installs in flats, where literally none of the angles in the room were 90 degrees. Nothing in old buildings is square after 100 years. It takes a good fitter to work with it, not against it.

Final Fitting, Finishing, and the Walkthrough

Once the floors are complete to the main floor area, skirting boards are replaced or quadrant beading inlaid to cover the expansion gaps. The floors are then given an all-over clean and checked, followed by a walk round with the customer.

Here is where we may also we have a brief mention of care instructions. Which products are to be avoided. How often to reseal if it’s solid wood. Most installers just miss out this section altogether and then wonder why customers are ringing up six months later a little confused as to why the floor is starting to look a little dull.

Why the Order of Operations Actually Matters

Skipping steps or rushing through a procedure brings more problems into the picture. If you fix skirting without checking your floor level, you’ll leave some gaps. If you ignore the need for acclimatisation, boards will move later and chaos will ensue. If you don’t perform your subfloor prep properly, everything else you build on top of it will be flawed.

The correct sequence the best Wood Floor Fitters London teams use is because it has had thousands of installs, not because it looks nice on a list.

What else do owners inquire about: Will laminate flooring withstand the demands of a crowded London apartment?

Yes, the laminate of today is more than capable of being used for heavy-traffic and busy flats and properties in Elephant & Castle where rush-kid hair and great unwashed paws leave a huge amount of debris crawling about the floors. Built properly, laminate is very scratch resistant and will not fade, and is cheap compared to the price of a good solid hardwood.

We provide an affordable laminate flooring installation service that follows the same prep procedures as our hardwood jobs. The same checks on the subfloor, the same duration of acclimatisation, the same meticulous fitting. The only difference is the cost of the material. That’s the reason why laminates are the convenient and reasonable choice for tenants, landlords, and tight-fisted property owners.

What Separates Experienced Fitters From Everyone Else

Of course, after 20+ years installing floors in the capital, there are some things you learn that no manual can teach. So, which subfloors in historic buildings hide damp? Which woods match up with which property styles. How do you identify a problem so you can resolve it before the costly repairs.

We have trade memberships and full public liability insurance with each job guaranteed in writing for materials and workmanship. That is not a sales pitch. That is how genuine wood flooring installers work after over twenty five years in the trade.

All done from all new build and historic conversions we have inverts around the Elephant & Castle area which means we have learned the pitfalls of this area before we have even come through your door.

Don’t leave it to an unskilled fitter to learn his craft on your floor. Ring us on 020 3322 7001 now and arrange for a proper fitting by people who have been there and done it ten thousand times before. Or look us up at flooringfitterslondon.org.uk to look at some completed work and see the kind of high standards we apply.

Pre-book here as well. Due to Elephant & Castle undergoing a long-term renaissance, flooring teams haven’t stopped working in the area, and available scheduling times go fast once the news gets out. Call today, reserve your installation date, and get that worn down carpet out of your house today.