12 Step Guide to Laying Wooden Flooring

Before you reach for the telephone book for some help in installing your wooden floor, read our 12 step installation guide, because it may be much easier than you first presumed.

There are also several things to remember before installing your wooden floor.

It is necessary that you inspect the wooden planks before you begin installation. If you can see any visible defects or problems with the wood, you must not continue to install them.

Before you begin installation, you must make sure that you are in the correct lighting conditions, you must make sure that you are installing under daylight or good artificial light conditions, this is so you can clearly see any defects in the wood.

You must also make sure that you have acclimatised the wood before you begin installation. The planks must be acclimatised for around 48 hours at a temperature above 17A� and humidity between 40-65% in the room.

Storage is also important; store the packages flat on a base without opening them.

When installing the planks, remember not to install anywhere near water as any water that gets into the wood can cause permanent damage. You must not install planks into a room which is permanently moist or wet, for example a bathroom, because it carries a high risk of water penetrating the wood.

Any surface that you are installing onto must also be completely dry. Any bumps or dips in the base surface must also be evened out before the floor is installed.

By following the 12 steps, you will find you will successfully install your own wood floor.

1. Centre and align the planking area and cut the first row to size.

2. Use the spacer wedges to guarantee a wall spacing of at least 15mm towards all walls and structural parts within the room.

3. The first and last rows of planks are screwed down vertically from the top. The screws should be places about 15mm from the edge or alternatively you could use nails.

4. Above the tongue the planks are screwed at a 45A�angle.

5. The last plank of the first row is cut to the right size- don’t forget to include the wall spacing. The cut off piece is used as the starting piece for the second row.

6. Join the planks together using a hammer and hammering block.

7. If desired, you can use an installation aid is tool, this will greatly facilitate the screwing process of your solid wood planks.

8. Being a combination tool, the installation aid can also be used as a metal heel bar to help with inserting the last plank pieces.

9. Use a cut-off piece to transfer the course of the wall to the last row of planks.

10. Cover the gaps all around the flooring area with matching skirting.

11. You are done!

12. On a suitable subfloor you can also go for all over adhesion as an alternative installation method which offers low build-up height and a low level of ambience sounds.