Here are some pictures of some of our wood flooring installations. They are not professional photographs, they are taken during and after installation.
Here is a job we completed for a furniture company in Nottingham, 220 square Metres of QuickStep White Varnished Oak UF915.
We took out the old flooring and installed the new in 2 days (long days)!
There are a few things to consider when installing a solid wood floor, the main thing is, how will it be installed? If you have a concrete floor, the floor will first need to be sealed with a liquid DPM (damp proof membrane). We use Sika MB Primer/DPM, this is a two part liquid which is mixed, then poured and rolled on to the concrete floor, this needs to be left to dry, normally overnight. The liquid DPM has some levelling properties however, if the floor is not quite level, a levelling compound will need to be laid. We use Ball Stopgap two part levelling compound. The powder and the liquid are mixed together and it is poured on to the floor over the dried liquid DPM, it is then spread out where it self levels with a little help from a spiked roller and a trowel. This usually needs a day or two to dry out. Once all of the sub floor preparation is done, planning the floor lay out begins. If there is a fire place this is normally a good place to start a feature can be made with a simple mitre detail around the Hearth, This can be cut before glueing and laid out dry at first. Doors will need to be marked for trimming (if needed) and taken off, the door frames will need to be undercut to allow the floor to be fitted under, allowing for expansion at all times. Now to lay the floor. We use Sika T55 or T54 wood floor Adhesive, this is a special flexible wood flooring adhesive which allows the floor to move naturally. The adhesive is spread out and the floor laid on to it. When the floor is completely laid we will apply the finish (if needed), we use Osmo oils or Bona Lacquers. Most of our floors come pre-finished and pre-treated, so need no additional finishing. We then install the new skirting boards. We can supply and install a wide range of skirting boards and Architrave to compliment your new floor, from "off the shelf" MDF with a range of sizes and mouldings, Pine or oak which we can make to your specification. We will then paint, oil or lacquer. If your sub floor is timber of chipboard, then the installation is completely different. If we're lucky enough to take up your old floor coverings and find a good, solid chipboard floor with no squeaks or gaps then we can pretty much "secret nail" an oak plank floor directly to it. we like to use an underlay to insulate and cut out some noise. If we find floorboards which are in good condition and running 90 degrees to the way we want to run the new boards, then again, we can nail directly to this with a breathable underlay. If the boards are in a poor condition or they are running in the same direction as you want the new wood floor, then the best option is to take up the old floor boards and replace with 18-22mm moisture resistant chipboard, this is a good opportunity to install some thermal and/or acoustic insulation, which we can do. The new Hardwood floor can then be nailed to the new sub floor. Its important to remember that, your new hardwood floor will only be as good as the sub floor it is laid on to, so its important to get this right. After we have finished the wood floor installation, we will then leave your room(s) clean, ready to use and enjoy.