Wood flooring is a beautiful, organic and natural material. Thanks to the policies on sourcing that we and the companies supplying the products we sell subscribe to, it is also sustainable and ethical. A properly-installed and maintained wood floor should provide your home with character, beauty and warmth, giving you something to be proud of and that will serve you well for many years.
But to ensure that this is the case requires that the installation of the wood is carried out properly. While surface damage can be sustained at any time during the lifetime of the wood, the most serious problems tend to be those that occur when the floor is installed. By carrying this out correctly, this can be prevented.
The underfloor is one of the first considerations you should pay attention to. If it is uneven, this could make the floor unstable, so your first task is to check this and take any remedial action necessary, which may depend on the sort of underfloor it is. Another issue is whether the underfloor is made from wood or concrete, which will dictate the sort of flooring underlay you put down. If it is concrete, then the underlay must have a moisture barrier. However, in any instance you should make sure the concrete floor is not too damp. This can be tested with a hygrometer, with the maximum RH permissible being 75 per cent.
Moisture is an issue for wooden flooring because the material will expand with heat and damp. The wetter it is, the more the floor will swell. For this reason, you should make sure your new floor is exposed to the atmosphere of the room it is to be laid down in for 48 hours before installation, in order to acclimatise. If you do not do this, the wood may be too dry when laid and then swell, which can cause distortions known as cupping and crowning, or even buckling.
The products in our range are laid down in different fashions. Those with plank width of 150 mm or less can be floated on an Elastilon Underlay, which comes with a peel-and-stick adhesive already added. For this, a waterproof membrane must be placed below to protect from any damp.
Some floors can be nailed down onto a wooden underfloor, or a concrete one with the use of battens. This will require any wood floor below to be in good shape and if it is not, a half-inch layer of plywood should be laid on top first. Chipboard subfloors are not strong enough to take nails and you should not try to install your floor onto one in this way.
Gluing down a floor is only feasible if the subfloor is even and has no imperfections. Lumps of paint or other material should be removed before you start, but do not use solvent-based strippers, as these can counteract the glue you use to fix the floor down.
By following these tips, you should find that your new solid wood floor is firmly established and ready to provide you with years of trouble-free service. And if you need any help, our experts are on hand to provide advice and assistance.
