How to install solid wood flooring? Luxury Flooring and Furnishings discuss

For those of us who are DIY savvy, installing our new flooring can be a bit of an enjoyable, interesting challenge. Once you know how however, it’s not something you forget so be careful that you don’t become your family’s free fitter! Here are the steps and different methods you can get stuck into to get your wooden flooring solid and secure.

Before thinking about installing real wood flooring, it’s important that the product has been left to properly acclimatise for at least seven days before laying it. This is due to it expanding under heat and damp.

The method you use is identified by which subfloor. If a concrete subfloor is being used then gluing is the advised, however if there are any uneven parts then lay plywood down to smooth it out.

It is sometimes necessary for damp proof membrane to be placed down, designed to prevent moisture rising through the wood. 

Whichever method you decide on, its recommended that a threshold or relevant material is used for further expansion gaps if you are laying the flooring over 7.5 linear metres.

If this is not done, you run the risk of the floor buckling as it doesn’t have enough room to expand. 

Nailing method

After you have left the wood to acclimatise, start by lying the flooring at the longest wall leaving an expansion gap of around 10mm. 

Insert fixings ensuring that the joints at each end of the board are around 100m apart. 

Lastly, remove all spacers and fit threshold strips around the perimeter of the floor to cover the expansion gaps.

Gluing method

Dry lay the first boards by starting at the longest wall in which the tongues of the first couple of rows should face the wall leaving expansion gap of around 10mm.

Pull up the first couple of rows and apply the adhesive evenly to the subfloor. Lay the flooring on to the adhesive ensuring spacers are used creating an expansion gap of 10mm.

It is recommended that all floor is pre-measured and to only lay a couple at a time, working from the longest wall to the other side of the room.

Once all floor is laid, remove all spacers and fit threshold strips around the perimeter of the floor to cover the expansion gaps.

The main thing to remember is take your time, do not do this in a rush. Your wooden flooring is designed to last years if installed correctly and all the recommended protection materials are used.