Over recent years wooden floors have eclipsed the more traditional choices of carpet or lino and have become a permanent fixture in many of our homes. Wooden floors are hardwearing, and are a practical choice in areas such as hallways and playrooms where spills or marks are a continuing issue with carpets. For families with children, wooden floors are even more practical.
Although at first it may seem complicated, laying a wooden floor is something that nearly everyone can tackle with confidence.
Measuring Up Before Laying A Wooden Floor
Before heading out to the shops to choose the wood, it is important to accurately measure up the room.
Wood is sold in packs covering a certain area, it is always wise to buy extra to allow for mis-cutting or poor measuring.
Choice of flooring for your wooden floor
Wood, laminates and veneers are the main types of wooden flooring and the most popular system for installing at home is the floating floor.
Boards are glued or nailed into place, but not attached in any way to the floor below.
The tongue and groove design of the boards means that they slot together tightly and give a professional finish to the floor.
Many different wood finishes are available, with some of the most popular being oak, beech and cherry.
The type of wood chosen will depend on the overall colour scheme and design of the room.
Laying the Floor
Some types of boards are designed to be laid directly onto concrete or floorboards, but most will need a layer of plastic membrane and insulation beneath.
This layer also cuts down on noise heard beneath when boards are laid in an upstairs room.
Start working from the corner, cutting the boards to size as you go.
Tricky areas around corners and doors will take longer to measure and cut than straight lines, but it is important to take time over the measuring and cutting for a good quality finish.
Glue or pin the boards into place as you work.
This sort of wooden flooring does not take long to lay, and it is not unreasonable to expect that an average sized room would take a few hours to complete.
Finishing Off
Once the floor has been laid, stay off it for at least a few hours to allow the glue a chance to dry.
Vacuum up all of the dust and sawdust from the cutting, and think about the finishing stages of the job.
Beading around the edges of the floor will hide the cut edges, and can be painted to match the skirting boards or stained to match the floor.
Beading is available in a variety of styles and sizes and can be matched to the rest of the interior design.
Maintenance
Wooden floors are low maintenance and just require to be vacuumed and mopped to keep them looking in a pristine condition.
Boards which become chipped of scratched can be easily replaced, as long as you have kept an extra pack of two of the boards to ensure an exact match.
Don't Want To Spend Your Time DIY Laying A Wooden Floor?
If you'd prefer to bring in a professional flooring contractor or wooden flooring tradesperson, rather than spending your time laying a wooden floor, Top Tradespeople can help.
You can use our free services to find and compare quotes from up to 4 local tradespeople for wood flooring laying. Simply complete our job posting form above and we will do the rest on a no-obligation basis of course.
