A Camberwell Flat is Different from a House Floor Install Flats bring issues to the table houses don’t: shared walls with downstairs neighbours who will notice every noise, lease conditions hiding in plain sight on page fourteen stipulating precisely what type of flooring you can lay, and more. Having fitted numerous Camberwell flats, we see these every single day, and rarely do people discover them until it’s too late. Get in touch with 020 3322 7001 – before you buy your flooring, not afterwards, as some of these problems are far easier to get sorted at the plan stage.
The Noise Problem Nobody Tells You About Most leasehold flats will carry a lease clause dictating the minimum noise level or sound insulation rating for hard flooring.
Ignore this and downstairs neighbours legally can force you to rip up your new floor. It has happened. We’ve attended fittings where the fitter never asked about the lease conditions at all. Soundproof acoustic underlay should solve this.
It’s rated in decibel reduction, and any qualified fitter will ask about the lease before ordering the material, not after laying half the floor.
It negates the entire problem, yet it’s the most common problem overlooked by fitters charging for the quickest, cheapest install possible. Transporting Your Materials Is A Separate Challenge Camberwell has many Victorian period conversions which don’t boast lifts. Lugging several boxes of engineered wood flooring up 3 flights of stairs doesn’t sound that bad until you’ve physically done it, whilst running late, on a sweltering hot day and navigating a tight stairwell with a sharp turn on the landing.
It affects timing, can add a little to the cost, and should be anticipated upfront when a quote is provided, so there aren’t any surprises come installation day. Subfloors in Flats Are Incredibly Varied Ground floor flats frequently sit on concrete bases. The upper floor will typically be a timber joist subfloor, often the original ones from decades past, or one that’s been replaced at some point with something of dubious quality.
Each base demands a different strategy with regard to vapour barriers, fixings and type of underlay.
Anything else and you’ll have issues within a few months, not years. People Also Ask: Can laminate flooring be used in flats with restrictive lease conditions? Yes, and it’s usually the simplest route in to adhere to acoustic conditions for leases. Laminate with acoustic underlay usually meets all decibel reductions that the vast majority of leases require.
It doesn’t come with the high price tags associated with solid timber flooring, nor the installation complexity engineered flooring often involves within flat setups.
Our inexpensive laminate flooring installation service accounts for the selection of acoustic underlay, leaving you to stop speculating over whether you might eventually fall foul of a lease condition. It is often the smoothest, safest option for any London flat requiring flooring installations. Dealing With Tight Space and Tricky Shapes Flats often come with narrow hallways, smaller rooms, and spaces that were designed long before modern day “open plan” living was dreamt up.
Meticulously cutting planks for radiators, pipework, awkward corners require more precision and care than the vast majority of DIY jobs expect. Our London wood flooring installers carryout precision cuts around such obstacles on each and every occasion we are asked to. Not when we feel like it, not when the mood takes us.
It’s the normal process.
Working WITH Building Management Not AGAINST Building Management Several Camberwell buildings require advance notice of any disruption, particularly if your flooring renovation involves removing existing carpets or anything that could disturb the existing floorboards etc. A quick email or phone call before you book your fitters usually saves a lot of potential friction later. Generally, all of our reputable hardwood flooring Specialists will cover off this communication with building management, outlining what documentation is needed and notice periods, rather than expecting each tenant to figure it out. WHAT WE’VE LEARNED FROM 20+ YEARS FITTING FLATS The flats that have had issues have always missed off one of these three: Lease Compliance – Did your fitter ask?
Subfloor Condition – did your fitter assess or just dive straight in?
Acoustic Underlay – did your fitter install it even though you didn’t ask? Miss off any of these elements and the floor may look OK on installation day and the downstairs complaint arrives within a few months. As specialists, we ask the three important questions prior to quoting – without exception.
Retrofitting these answers later on will cost far more than doing it properly the first time around. Each fitter we’ve employ is fully covered by public liability insurance and each job comes guaranteed. But more importantly, we have a wealth of knowledge when it comes to Camberwell flat fittings and are experienced in identifying potential issues before they become major expense issues.
It’s knowledge you cannot simply get from a quick Google search.
It’s what makes a floor last for years versus a letter from the freeholder 6 months after installation. Booking A Flat Installation Is Not Complex Once we have completed a site visit, we can provide you with an assessment of the subfloor type and your lease conditions should you choose to share. A site visit typically provides clarity on any particular site issues such as stairs and tight doorway. Most Camberwell flat floor installations take about a week or two from the date the booking is confirmed, depending on when materials are available.
Call 020 3322 7001 today for a frank breakdown on exactly what your flat needs, be that laminate with a compliant underlay, or engineered wood installed by experienced fitters.
More details about our recent work in Camberwell flats can be viewed at flooringfitterslondon.org.uk.
Flats aren’t more complicated to fit properly. They just expose poor work more quickly than houses do as there is always someone living beneath. Remember to search ‘Wood Floor Fitters London’ before you book.
And more crucially, listen for them mention acoustic underlay or lease clauses without you needing to prompt them.
If none of the topics come up, they haven’t been in this position previously. Houses tolerate errors. Flats rarely do – especially when those mistakes are picked up by your downstairs neighbour and not yourself on inspection day. One final thing: insist on everything in writing; type of underlay being supplied, lease requirements agreed, how the issue is dealt with if it is to fail sound inspection later – a good contractor should have no problem putting this to paper.