Find a Flooring Fittter you can trust in Stroud.

Though both solid wood and engineered wood can be installed on a concrete sub-floor, the processes are quite different from each other. Solid wood is produced from a single plank of wood which can be reactive to both temperature and humidity changes which is capable of making the wood expand or contract. Hence, the different approach to solid wood and engineered wood flooring installation on concrete. Here, we’ll discuss how you can lay solid wood on your concrete.

First and foremost, you’d have to determine the method you’ll use to attach the planks to the floor. Is it floating whereby you only have to lay the wood flooring on the concrete after fitting the right underlay? You can also go for the most popular installation method which is gluing your floor with a flexible wood adhesive (to be applied to both the boards and the sub-floor). Or perhaps you’d prefer to use the traditional method of nailing the boards to the concrete (the nails will be covered as you lay the subsequent planks and the groove locks with the tongue).

After making this decision, you’d have to ensure that the sub-floor is well prepared for the installation. This implies checking the wood’s moisture content (mustn’t exceed 7 to 8 percent). Also inspect the floor to ensure its neat, if not, clear out the dirt or debris and make sure the surface is flat to avoid post-installation problems.

In the event whereby you discover a high moisture content, you’d want to acquire a damp proof membrane. This will not only enhance the floor’s stability, but also prevent shrinking or warping of the wood due to changes in humidity or temperature.

It is crucial to note that the preparation of the sub-floor is equally as important as the laying of the planks as this can go a long way to improve the durability and strength of your floor. Click here to learn more about wood flooring.

Wooden flooring is very popular flooring option amongst home and property owners in the UK and understandably so. It adds to your space’s curb appeal, it’s quite easy to maintain, it adds to the value resale value of your property if you later wish to sell and lots more. If you’re looking to have wooden flooring installed in your home, you have two options which includes doing it yourself or calling in a professional – the latter being more advisable. However, by following some simple but essential steps, you can also install your wooden flooring successfully by yourself. These includes determining the site is in the best condition before installation, removal of all floor coverings and underlay for a more stable and durable installation and incorporation of the right expansion gap of about 10mm to 12mm which would be maintained around the floor’s perimeter.

Wooden floor fitting can be done on two types of sub-floor - Concrete and Plywood. To install onto concrete, you can follow the guide below:

• Incorporate flexible wood on concrete adhesives.
• With the help of a 3mm toothed trowel, spread above 2 board widths of adhesive along the starting wall sub-floor, beginning at a corner of your room.
• Position the first row of flooring into the area that is glued using the tongue facing opposite the wall.
• Put 10mm spacers against the wall to see to the consistency in expansion gaps.
• Make sure the joints are at a minimum of 150mm apart from the first row when fitting the second row.
• Utilize pre-cut smaller boards if you’re to start a new row with staggered joints.
• Continue with this nailing method and make sure the 10mm expansion gaps are consistent around the floor’s perimeter.

To install onto plywood, you can follow this guide:

• Make use of a porta-nailer.
• Position 10mm spacers against the wall - parallel with the installation direction.
• Fit the first row using the tongue facing opposite the wall and with the help of the porta-nailer or flooring nailer.
• Lay the second row and make sure the short end joints are at a minimum of 150mm apart from that of the first row.
• Utilize pre-cut smaller boards if you’re to start a new row with staggered joints.
• Continue with this nailing method and make sure the 10mm expansion gaps are consistent around the floor’s perimeter.

Being the primary material used in wooden flooring installation, the floorboards are the main supply costs. With that in mind, you should also know that there are a large variety of wooden flooring types to select from, each with their unique pros and cons which should all be considered before making a purchase decision. If you’re looking to get the supply cost of wooden flooring in the UK, then you’ve come to the right place! Here is a basic price guide of various and some of the most popular types of floorboards.

If you wish to go for an engineered wood flooring, this looks better when compared to laminate and is more affordable than solid wood. You can expect to pay within the range of £20 to about £100 per square metre for this wood flooring type.

Laminate flooring, on the other hand, is also quite cheap, easy to install and quite hardwearing, however it tends to warp over time as a result of exposure to moisture and it also happens to be the least attractive of all the other flooring types. You can expect to pay within the range of £10 to about £50 per square metre for this wood flooring type.

Solid wood flooring is a great option with a better look and feel to it. However, it also tends to warp over time and more difficult to install as against laminate. You can expect to pay within the range of £20 to about £100 per square metre for this wood flooring type.

Parquet flooring is long lasting and very attractive, but quite expensive to have fitted.  You can expect to pay within the range of £25 to about £200 per square metre for this wood flooring type.

What Is Engineered Wood Flooring?

Engineered wood flooring is produced through the fixing of several layers of wood together with a solid wood as the top or wear layer. Due to its ability to hold its ground when faced with frequently changing temperature and humidity, it happens to be one of the most popular types of flooring. As a result of its ruggedness, engineered wood flooring can be easily fitted with under floor heating and in special areas like conservatories. And apart from its usually stunning visual appeal and ability to be floated over an underlay, the engineered wood flooring is even becoming a lot more popular amongst home and other property owners.

Given the fact that engineered wood flooring is made up of several layers of wood, it may be almost impossible to tell the difference between it and a solid wood flooring just by looking at both. It can also be mistaken for a laminate flooring which is basically an image of wooden flooring placed onto a high density fibreboard.

The planks of a engineered wood flooring is crafted in such a way to ensure the it does not expand or contract unlike the solid wood counterparts. What’s more? There are several benefits that comes with installing an engineered wood flooring. They include:

• Its very easy and simple to install

• When compared to solid wood flooring, it’s more cost effective.

• It can be utilized alongside an under floor heating

• It can be loose laid, meaning it does not need to be fixed in position

• It is available in multiple varieties of wood and finishes

• It can be incorporated alongside an underlay including thermal barriers

• It can be utilized in areas with a fluctuating humidity and temperature.

• It is available in different kinds of thickness.

Click here to learn more about wood flooring.

Do you have a busy household or a thriving business? When you have a carpeted stairs faced with a high traffic on a regular basis, you know its going to take quite a beating over time. As a result, the carpet tends to start looking tired and worn out almost immediately especially if it isn’t designed to withstand such an heavy usage. Hence, the importance of taking an extra little time when deciding on which new stair carpet or stair runners to purchase and install so as to identify those with sturdier properties which are designed to last and also durable. This way, regardless of the amount of traffic it faces on a regular basis, it’ll always stay looking smart and healthy with good maintenance efforts. In this post, we’re going to consider the best carpet for stairs with a high foot traffic. Let’s take a look!

When looking for a good carpet for a heavy traffic stairs, you need to be able to identify hard-wearing stair carpet runners most of which will be clearly labelled as such. These carpets are designed to handle a high level of footfalls primarily because of the way they’re manufactured and materials incorporated. These materials include sisal (one of the best materials to look out for when you’re shopping for a hard-wearing stair carpet) and polypropylene which is an extremely popular material used in hard-wearing carpets due to its incredible features.

Apart from the materials incorporated, a lot of the strength and resilience also comes from the way in which the fibres are constructed and woven. The most reliable types of carpet weaves to look out for when choosing a high traffic stair carpet runner includes flatweave, wilton weave as well as needlepunch.

Getting the perfect carpet for your home can be seem as a bit tricky especially with the wide range of carpet options available in the market today. Most often than not, several home and property owners simply go to the store and purchase a carpet that they find the most aesthetically appealing and within their budget, neglecting its suitability for their homes. This can often turn out to be a disaster especially when there’s a total mismatch. For instance, when you have a busy household or thriving business with a heavy footfall, but you go on to install a carpet that’s not designed to withstand such a high traffic. If you’re looking to select the best carpet for your home, then you’ve come to the right place! In this post, we’re going to look how you can identify the best carpet for your home to help you make the best informed decision.

Basically, there are two carpet styles which includes loop pile and cut pile. For the loop style pile, individual ends are linked into the backing to ensure a continuous loop. While for the cut style pile, the loops are cut to ensure that each ends are sticking up through the backing - similar to a sheer cut pile.

Furthermore, fibre is critical material when it comes to carpet and the three main types of fibres used today includes polypropylene, polyester as well as nylon. Furthermore, the most popular choice today when it comes to natural fibre is wool. However, wool’s high price makes it less common and often considered as a luxurious option. For heavy traffic areas, the best carpets are usually loop pile styles to ensure maximum value is derived from your asset. On the other hand, if you want an easy-to-clean carpet, then olefin and polyester should be on the top of your list.

Are you looking to renovate your home or property by laying a brand new carpet? Or perhaps your current carpet has started giving indications that it’s well past its glorious days and needs to be replaced. Regardless of the reason why you wish to recarpet your home, you’d probably find yourself asking the same question almost every home and property owner in a similar situation asks - how much does it cost to recarpet a house? Well, you’ve come to the right place! In this post, we’re going to take a good look at house recarpeting costs.

Generally, carpet fitting costs can be within the range of £5 per square meter to about £30 per square meter. However, when it comes carpet costs itself, a short and accurate answer can’t be provided. This is due to the fact that carpet costs can vary largely based on a number of factors which includes the weaves, the texture, the material incorporated ( such as wool, cotton, polyester, polypropylene and more), the pile depth, the colour as well as the brand. What’s more? You’re probably going to want varying carpet types for different areas of your home. For instance, you should use a more robust material for your stairs than what you’d probably get for your living area.

Overall, if you want a low budget carpet, you should be able to get one anywhere within the range of £5 per square meter to £10 per square meter.  On the other hand, if you have a mid range budget, you can expect to find carpets anywhere within the range of £15 per square meter to £20 per square meter. And finally, if you’re looking for luxurious carpets, the price starts at £30 per square meter.

With a large variety of carpet types in the market today, it can be incredibly difficult to separate the “the boys from the men. To a great number of home and property owners, what matters is the visual appeal as well as the affordability of the carpet. Once they find one that fits the bill, they simply purchase ignoring the suitability of the carpet for their homes. In several cases, this will often turn out to be disastrous especially when it happens to be a total mismatch. For instance, when you install a carpet that’s not designed to withstand a heavy footfall in a highly busy household or booming business. If you’re looking to get the best possible carpet, then you’ve found the perfect company. In this post, we’re going to consider the best carpet type to help you make informed purchase decisions going forward. Let’s take a look!

Primarily, loop pile and cut pile are the two types that are available in the market today.

• The loop style pile. Here, the individual ends are linked into the backing to ensure a continuous loop.
• The cut style pile. For this carpet style, the loops are cut to ensure that each ends are sticking up through the backing - similar to a sheer cut pile.

There are three main types of fibres used today in carpet construction that you should consider. These includes polypropylene, polyester as well as nylon. Furthermore, the most popular choice today when it comes to natural fibre is wool. However, wool’s high price makes it less common and often considered as a luxurious option. For heavy traffic areas, the best carpets are usually loop pile styles to ensure maximum value is derived from your asset. On the other hand, if you want an easy-to-clean carpet, then olefin and polyester should be on the top of your list.