Before your floor is delivered there are a few important checks we recommend to ensure your floor can be stored to acclimatise and then installed correctly.
Ordering Enough Flooring
We recommend using an experienced installer who will survey your space and ensure the correct amount of flooring is ordered. However, if you are planning to measure the area yourself, here are some helpful tips:
How to Measure Your Floor Space Accurately
Sketch a Floor Plan
- Draw a simple plan showing all rooms and adjoining spaces that will be floored.
- Include doorways, built-in furniture, and any fixed features.
- Break the space into basic rectangular sections to make measuring easier.
Measure Each Section
- Use a tape measure to record the length and width of each rectangular area.
- Add these dimensions to your sketch.
Calculate Total Area
- Multiply the length × width of each rectangle to get the area.
- Add the areas together to find your total floor space.
Add Extra for Wastage
Flooring often needs cutting to fit. Be sure to order extra to allow for this, depending on the type of floor:
- Engineered Plank and SPC Plank – Add 5-10% to the overall floor area
- Herringbone & Chevron – Add 10-15 % to the overall floor area
- Baroque Design Panels – Add 15-20% to the overall floor area
Complete All Wet Trades
Wet trades should be complete and fully dried which includes floor screeds and any plastering or rendering. It is important to carry out a relative humidity test or RH test.
Complete Main Decorating
Ideally all other work except some secondary decoration to skirting and architraves should be completed. This will help prevent any damage to the floor. Decorating dust and paint spills are one of the most common causes of damage to freshly laid wood floors, so where possible it is a good practice to complete and clean any sanding. Paint walls and ceilings and limit the risk of any paint spills. Skirting and architrave may have to be completed after the install and tape can be used to mask the floor. Important: Beware of leaving masking tape on the floor for longer than is necessary to complete each coat, tape should be removed between each coat and not left for longer than a day, this is especially important if the floors are heated.
Do Not Cover Floors for Long Periods
Avoid using non-breathable protective sheets. These can trap moisture, cause condensation, and lead to staining or surface damage. If You Must Cover the Floor:
- Ensure no dust, grit, or debris is trapped beneath the cover, this can scratch the surface.
- Use breathable coverings only.
- Avoid taping directly to the floor surface for extended periods.
- Do not leave down for longer than a week
Complete Kitchen Installation
Where possible, fixed furniture such as kitchen units should be installed before laying your wood floor. There are two key reasons for this:
To prevent accidental damage Installing the kitchen first reduces the risk of scratching or damaging your new floor during building or fitting works. It is also important not to cover a wood floor for long periods, as this can affect its finish.
To allow for natural movement Wood floors are designed to expand and contract naturally with changes in temperature and humidity. Installing heavy kitchen units (especially those with appliances and stone worktops) on top of the floor can restrict this movement. This can lead to gaps forming around the perimeter, creaking or stress noises and in more extreme cases, floors lifting or causing structural issues.
If you are laying flooring around kitchen units, kickboards and end panels can be trimmed or adjusted to allow the floor to slide underneath, while still maintaining expansion gaps.
Preparing the Site Before Installation
Before installing your wood floor, it is essential to make sure the site is properly prepared to avoid damage and ensure a successful installation.
Wet Trades Must Be Fully Complete and Dried
All wet works such as screeds, plastering, and rendering must be fully dry before the flooring arrives.
A relative humidity (RH) test should be carried out to confirm the subfloor is within acceptable moisture levels.
Complete All Major Works First
Ideally, all work except for final decoration to skirting and architraves should be completed. This minimises the risk of damage to your new flooring.
Paint and Decorating Risks
Dust and paint spills are among the most common causes of damage to newly installed wood floors. To avoid this:
- Complete sanding, painting of walls and ceilings before flooring is laid.
- If skirting or architrave needs finishing after installation, use masking tape carefully.
Important:
- Only use low-adhesion masking tape.
- Remove tape between coats of paint and do not leave it on for more than a day, especially on heated floors.
Subfloor & Site Preparation
Before installing your wood floor, it is essential that the subfloor is properly prepared. The surface must be structurally sound, stable, and free from any movement. For timber subfloors, any exposed joists should be covered with load-bearing plywood, OSB, or flooring-grade chipboard. Existing floorboards must be securely fixed to prevent creaking or shifting underfoot. Where levelling is needed, this can often be achieved by relaying or correcting the structural base or, in some cases, applying a flexible fibre-reinforced levelling compound.
Concrete screeds must be fully cured before installation and moisture levels should be tested to ensure they are within safe limits. If levelling is required, high spots can be ground down or addressed with a suitable compound.
In properties where different types of subfloor meet, such as concrete and timber, it is important to create a level and consistent surface. This can be done by overlaying both areas with a bonded layer of plywood (between 6–21mm thick). If this isn’t possible, expansion gaps and transition profiles should be used where the two surfaces join to allow for natural movement.
Underfloor Heating (UFH)
When installing wood flooring over underfloor heating, special care is needed. Ideally, the heating system should be encased within a screed or self-levelling compound, allowing direct contact with the flooring via a flexible adhesive. The underfloor heating must be fully commissioned and in use for at least two weeks prior to installation to check for any faults, such as leaks or uneven heating. It’s also important not to use the UFH system to speed up the drying of screeds, as this can weaken the structure.
The system should be turned off 48 hours before the floor is laid, and the surface temperature of the floor should never exceed 27°C. Your UFH provider can advise on the best way to control and monitor the temperature to ensure compatibility with your wood floor.
Final Checks
Before installation begins, the site should be assessed by the installer. This includes checking moisture levels in the subfloor and taking relative humidity (RH) readings to confirm the environment is suitable for wood flooring. We strongly recommend reviewing our full installation guide or speaking with a qualified installer if you are unsure.
Once Your Flooring Arrives
Your flooring should be placed in the room where it will be fitted and left to acclimatise for at least 72 hours. Packs should remain unopened during this time, as the wood adjusts naturally to the site’s temperature and humidity. It’s normal for some boards to bow slightly, this usually settles once they are installed in a random staggered pattern.
Before You Use The Room
Before moving furniture in you should allow 24 hrs for the floor to settle. If joints were bonded with PVAC adhesive for a floated installation or if the floor was fully bonded to the subfloor with an MS adhesive both will be fully cured in 24 hrs. If your floor was secret nailed to the subfloor or it was a floated click/locking floor it should still be left for 24 hrs.
