Wood flooring is always a good choice, it looks stylish, is durable, and is surprisingly easy to lay. It can be used in virtually any room of your home. But, in order to get the perfect finish, you need to pay attention to several key factors before and while you lay your wood flooring.
The following will help you get it looking perfect:
Choose The Right Floor
It should be obvious but choosing the right wood flooring is harder than you think. To start with you need to consider whether solid wood, engineered, or laminated is the best option for you.
While solid wood is more expensive, it is generally more durable and you can even sand stains and scratches out of the surface in order to restore the floor.
But, it’s more than just the specific type of wood flooring, you also need to consider the style. Classic options, such as this herringbone flooring never really go out of style. They can look stunning in almost any room and are worth considering.
Of course, there are a variety of shades of wood floors and other patterns. Because this is an investment you should take your time and make sure you choose the perfect floor for you, your taste, and your home.
Preparation Is Everything
The key to creating perfect wooden flooring is to get the preparation right. That means you need a level floor, free of dust, and strong enough to support the weight of solid wood.
In practice, this often means you are laying on a concrete floor, although wood flooring can be laid on a floating floor.
You’ll need to use a self-levelling compound to ensure the floor is level and then verify this with a spirit level. It’s also important to ensure the moisture content is below 16% for wooden subfloors and 6% for concrete floors. If it’s higher than this you’ll have to reduce moisture exposure before laying your wood floor.
Don’t forget, the subfloor also needs to be thoroughly cleaned before you can add the glue to hold your wood floor in place properly. That means sweeping, vacuuming, and mopping to ensure it is dust and debris free.
Acclimatise The Wood
Fitting the wood floor yourself is possible, providing you follow the instructions issued with the flooring. But, before you start any installation it is important that your wood floor is acclimatised. That means you place the wood packets in the room for at least seven days prior to fitting it.
This gives the wood chance to adjust to the moisture level and warmth of the room. In turn, this will ensure that, when laid, the floor doesn’t warp after laying.
A wood floor will naturally expand and contract, that’s why you always leave a gap around the edge of the room. Giving it time to acclimatise will help to ensure it isn’t damaged after laying.
When you’re ready to lay your wood floor remember to take your time, this will help to ensure it looks perfect.
