wooden flooring?

pizzathehutt

pizzathehutt

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Hi Guys

Have any of you on here tried fitting wooden flooring before?

not the cut and shut stuff I mean actual pine or timber floorboards

is this a complete nightmare and should i suck it up and pay someone in to do or is it possible to diy yourself?

any info would be greatly appreciated :)
 
Do you mean replacement floor boards to be covered with something or solid wood to be on show with no gaps, perfectly flat and smooth?
The former I'd say was pretty easy to do yourself, the latter, probably best left for a pro or get some laminate/engineered timber and do it yourself.
 
Clarkspie&chips said:
Do you mean replacement floor boards to be covered with something or solid wood to be on show with no gaps, perfectly flat and smooth?
The former I'd say was pretty easy to do yourself, the latter, probably best left for a pro or get some laminate/engineered timber and do it yourself.
Click to expand...

I thought as much, yeah the latter. thanks
 
No worries, try and get something with a warranty too as even though the floor might look great when they've finished, it will swell and shrink over time and if it's not laid right you might get bulges and splitting.
 
Bare in mind future accessibility as well. No point getting a fancy looking floor if you have any problems with your electrics for instance. People don't tend to be too happy when you tell them you've gotta take a crow bar to it to access whatever service may be underneath (I've had the conversation many times and it never goes down well :? :? :? )
 
I have laid a bit of laminate flooring over the years with reasonable results.
A year or so ago we had three a joining rooms done in oak laid onto concrete floor, so no services underneath, so no issues there.
We found a great self employed guy to do the job, as this was going to go down and never come up whilst we live here.
Overall the job was not cheap, but the end result is fantastic.
I am sure that most of us could lay this stuff, but I doubt anyone could get the "pro" finish.
As a tip, if going for oak I researched differnt types and went for Engineered flooring boards.
This is a layer of oak on a plastic sub base. The reason being is that this combination does suffer from movement, expansion and splitting as much as only real wood boards.
Also bear in mind that if going for Engineered boards the thickness of the wood part has a bearing on the price, so the moral is that not all boards are created equal!
Then don't firget the underfloor membrane, this must stop moisture and is different depending on what use the floor gets, a bit like carpet underlay, from memory ours nearly 10mm thick!
I have always been told that the best carpet will feel cheap on cheap underlay, and believe that the same goes for wood flooring.
My advice would be that if you intend to stay put for a while, pay someone to lay it for you.
Good luck.
 
Yeah, just to echo what the other guys have said, laminate, real wood or engineered wood floors will expand, contract, warp and generally change shape.

You either need to take the skirting off and put that over the top of the edge or use beading so it can move. If you fit one badly you can **** it up and make the floor look ****.
 
Yeah I think your taking the right decision if you don't know much about flooring. I've worked with wood for years and everything the guys have advised you is sound advice.
Yes you could probably have done it yourself but like was pointed out it's the little problems like the skirting and possibly having to adjust doors also if the flooring finishes up at different levels. Everything is also alot easier once you have the proper tools and equipment.
I don't know how things work out your way but price around for guys. And don't necessarily go for the cheapest guy although he still could be the best. Try to get alook at a few other jobs they have done around your area before you make your decision.
Also I'd advise you once you do buy the flooring store it in the room where it's to be laid for at least a week. Or the longer the better if possible and keep it at normal room temperature. This will give it time to adjust because it more than likely has been stored for a long period in cold temperatures and could be holding moisture.
 
Straight forward if you take the skirts off. Only issue there is having to redecorate after. If you've just got painted walls its not too much of a hassle, but paper could cause a headache. Depends how much of a perfectionist you are I guess
 
i had a wood floor which I laid myself on batons, it sucked and creaked everywhere I walked, did this because my floor wasn't level, anywho the missus wanted a log burner fitted so the floor had to come up, I put another wood floor down but this time got the pro's in to level the floor and put the wood down, it was expensive at just under 2k but well worth it as the finish is a million times better than the one I put down, and guess what no creaks wahhhooo
 
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