Installation Advice

Floor Preparation

When deciding on purchasing new flooring clients do not always realise that there is cost involved with preparing the sub-floor. Floor preparation is a must when laying your new flooring in order to achieve the best finish. Without adequate floor preparation, the floor may not be level and this can cause multiple issues.  For example, gaps, squeaking and movement.

Floor preparation costings are difficult to quote for as the cost can only be fully determined once the pre-existing floor has been lifted. However, we can get an indication of cost when we visit the site and place a level down. This will tell us how even or uneven the floor is. However, it won’t tell us what flooring is beneath or how many layers there are.

Floor preparation consists of 3 steps: grinding, priming and filling. Please do not be surprised if your floor is not flat, even new builds often require floor preparation. We need a very flat surface for floating laminates and glue down timber. On the areas where the floor is higher, we need to grind it down and in the areas that have lower spots we will need to fill it. Depending on the flooring being laid different primer and underlay may be used.

As you will have guessed floor preparation holds a lot of unknowns. There are a couple of other things that can be discovered once the pre-existing floor is uplifted:

ASBESTOS – in older homes there may be old vinyl flooring that contains asbestos. Once discovered we cannot touch it and you will need to get professionals in to remove it. It is highly dangerous once it has been exposed.

However, if one is aware their flooring contains aesbesos and it has not been exposed it is possible that we can put a leveling compound over top and lay the flooring over top.

 

ROT – sometimes leaks and rotten floors are discovered. If your subfloor is chip board and there are soft spots please get this checked before proceeding with flooring installation.  Visually you can check the floor yourself for discolouration. Pay particular attention to wet areas, such as the laundry, hot water cylinder and bathroom areas.

 

LAYERS – layers of flooring throughout the decades. Multiple layers of flooring creates a lot more removal work.

 

Dust

Floor Preparation (in particular) creates dust. This cannot be avoided. Minimised yes, prevented no, so please expect this and protect anything you don’t want to get dust on by covering or removing items. Please understand that while we will attempt to minimise dust by using extraction attachments on our tools and closing doors that don’t need to be opened we cannot completely prevent the spread of dust.

For your own health it is suggested that you’re not present while we undertake floor preparation. We wear protective equipment such as a respiratory mask and earmuffs to minimise our exposure. A lot of dust is created and the tools we use reach very high decibels. This is a good day for you to be out of the house.

 

How to Prepare for Installation Day

• Ensure there is appropriate site access.
• Ensure there is adequate lighting and power.
• Remove all furniture and possessions from the areas where the floor is being laid.
• Disconnect and remove electrical goods such as computers, televisions, dishwashers etc.
• Cover or remove anything that you don’t want dust on – couches, curtains etc.
• Areas should be swept/ vacuumed before installation takes place.
• All building, painting and tiling (and the like) should be completed and building materials removed.
• Paint - if new paint is present ensure the manufacturers instructions on drying times have been followed. Newly painted areas are particularly prone to damage. We recommend you keep a small amount of paint for any possible touch ups.
• Note: we are not responsible for removing doors, putting them back on, nor trimming.