What You Can Expect To See When Your New Wood Floors Are Installed
You now have your boards selected. You’ve studied the samples under all the lights in your house. The call has been made. Now the day has finally arrived and if you have never had wood flooring installed before — you may be wondering what it means when they show at the door.
Spoiler: it isn’t as stressful as you think, unless you don’t know what to expect.
Integrate and remove clutter in the Room.
This is where most London home owners fall down. I’ll move a few things becomes the fitters spend the first 45 minutes shuffling your gran’s sideboard into the hall.
De-crate the room prior to day fitting. Everything. All of this furniture and rugs and lamps and kids’ toys under the radiator. The floor fitters are not there for Tetris with your belongings.
In a smaller home – a flat in Brixton, for example, or a mid-terrace in Lewisham – space for storage is already limited. Plan two days, not two hours, ahead of time!
The crew arrives — what goes on in the first hour?
Don’t just walk in swinging tools are what good wood floor fitters London residents rely on. The first thing any seasoned team will do, is make an evaluation of the subfloor. This is the base of all other things and this is more important than most people realize.
They’ll check for:
Timber and damp are sworn enemies — moisture levels are critical.
• Levelness – even slight dips make boards creak or buckle later on
• Old adhesive, damaged concrete and loose floor boards below
If a project isn’t quite right, they’ll let you know before the final plank gets installed. This transparency is a sign of a crew with enough experience to understand that taking shortcuts leads to call backs. Whether it’s Victorian subfloors in Brixton terraces or poured concrete in a modern Southwark apartment, nothing surprises us at Best Flooring Fitters London.
So why did your boards sit there for 2 days?
If your fitter ordered the wood a day or two prior to fit, this was not laziness on his part, but good practice. Timber breathes. It gets bigger and smaller as the temperature and humidity change. It’s best to leave it in the room where it will be used so that it can acclimate before it’s permanently installed.
Move this step too quickly and the boards will move after they’re installed. This will leave you with leaks in winter and ‘squeaks’ in summer. Wait two days for a year of frustration to avoid.
The Noise. Oh, the Noise
This is something you will not be warned about.
Installing the floor may not be very quiet – at least not around London. Sanders, nail guns, saws – if you’re doing that at home that day, go somewhere else. Seriously. Coffee shop, mate’s place, a library. That will not save your video calls!
This is particularly true about old homes where subfloor preparation is a more lengthy process. A Victorian floorboard that’s been here since 1903 is not easily defeated.
What is the True Time of a Task?
Completely dependent on the task or work. One medium sized living room and a nice clean subfloor? A good team can be accomplished in a day. Stairs, strange corners, or a subfloor that requires levelling compound, and you’re facing a couple of days or more.
Give your fitters a clear idea of the space prior to their arrival. The worst surprises are those that could have been discussed during the quoting phase. A skilled wood floor fitters London professional will provide you with a realistic estimate — not one that they are just trying to win a contract with you and will let you down later.
How About Furniture and Radiators?
Radiators may occasionally have to be detached from the wall to enable them to fit correctly. Sometimes but not always. If your fitters say it’s required, take their advice—this is because a bodged edge behind a radiator is not a very good look and can cause issues with board movement.
When it comes to furniture going back: wait. Don’t rush it. Heavy loads should not be returned to some adhesive-down floors for 24 hours. The floating floors should be able to accept furniture on the day of installation, but check with your fitters first before moving the sofa back in.
Finish and Snag Check
A Good Fitter will Take you through the Job before they go!
Do a proper walk through before the van leaves. If necessary get on your knees to check the edges, doorways, tricky corners. Check the perimeter expansion gaps (Yes they should exist – they are hidden by the skirting/beading).
If something doesn’t seem right, mention it. Right then. Not 3 weeks later when you have forgotten who did what. A proper team will never balk at a snag check. It’s part and parcel of the job.
People Also Ask
How much will laminate floor fitting cost in Brixton and is it worth it?
Fair question. The installation of laminate flooring in Brixton and throughout South London can differ depending on the size of the room, the condition of the sub floor as well as the quality of the laminate flooring. What we can say is this: When it’s done right, laminate flooring is one of the most cost-effective choices you can make. It’s able to stand up to the chaos of everyday life – kids, dogs, shoes that should have been left at the door – and it really does look good for years.
We have been fitting laminate floors in Brixton for over 20 years and we are known for fitting laminate flooring for an affordable price. We are not the lowest price you’ll see on a comparison site. But we’re the ones you don’t have to call back to fix! London residents know that they should only choose floor installation london that won’t need repeating.
If you’re considering laminate for your home in Brixton, you should make this choice you’re considering laminate for your home in Brixton, you should make this choice. We would prefer to show you a dozen jobs we have done in the area before talking you into it using brochure speak.
Why to Trust Best Flooring Fitters London
Best Flooring Fitters London have been active in the London flooring trade for more than 20 years. We have fitted floors in hundreds of properties in Brixton, Peckham, Clapham, Stockwell and wider – houses, flats, HMOs and commercial properties.
Our fitters know how to fit solid wood, how to fit engineered board, how to prepare the subfloor and how to fit underfloor heating. This isn’t a side hustle. It’s the trade.
We have a reputation for fit-outs that do not create callbacks, transparent pricing, and honest evaluations. We have been getting the most work from word of mouth in South London for many years.
We quote upfront. We attend when we say that we will. We aren’t ‘gone’ when the last board is off. When there’s an issue we go back and we correct it.
Ready to Book? Don’t Hang About.
London’s best fitting slots book up quicker than one may imagine—particularly as autumn approaches, and everyone realizes the floors must be vacuumed before the holiday visitors arrive.
Book a day for your fitting by calling 020 3322 7001 and discussing your fitting with our team of experts. We’ll walk you through the process, provide you with a full and proper quote and let you know what to expect without the waffle, no pressure.
For more information on laminate and wood floors in London, check out https://flooringfitterslondon.org.uk/.
You’ve already completed the difficult part of selecting. Just let the Best Flooring Fitters London residents truly trust the remaining.
Best Flooring Fitters London — over 20 years of floor installation London homeowners rely on.