When installing main features of the home it is quite hard to put a precise timescale on it, so there is no simple answer to how long it will take to install a wood floor. However here is a rough guideline, an experienced fitter should be able to fit approximately 40m2 per day subject to floor thats being laid and the sub floor.

Once you have received your solid or engineered wood flooring it is strongly advised you allow the natural product to acclimatise in the room it is going to be laid in. A solid wood floor needs more time to acclimatise than engineered wood flooring. The minimum time needed for a solid wood floor to acclimatise is 7 days, and for an engineered wood floor is 5 days. When you are allowing your wooden floor time to acclimate its important the room will be the same temperature as when you will be living in the property, this offers the floor more stability and will minimise the risk of any expansion and contraction which might take place over the years.

Many wood floors on the market are already pre-finished, this reduces the fitting time by quite a substantial amount. There are many different flooring shades and finishes on the market offering a wide range of selection however if you can’t manage to find the exact shade and finish you are after you can always purchase an unfinished floor which you can stain and finish yourself. Staining and finishing your own wood flooring allows you to experiment with different shades and finishes to find the right protection and colour however this can add quite a bit off time on to the installation side, which can result in higher labour costs, but when purchasing wood flooring it is always advised you take no short cuts and go with what you will be happy to live with over the next 20 years

If you sub floor is not completely level it will add time on to fitting your wooden floor, as you will firstly need to install some plywood or lay some screed as wood flooring needs to be laid on to a completely level sub floor. Also prior to fitting a wooden floor you need to make sure the floor you are lay on to is dry, as a wooden floor can react to dampness.

There are a few different ways of fitting a wood floor and the most common way is to glue the floor straight down onto the sub floor, whilst also glueing the tongue and grooves together. Another way is to lay the floor as a floating floor where you only glue the tongue and groove together, which gives the floor more room for expansion and contraction and finally the other way of fitting wood flooring would be to secret nail the floor down into the floor boards or plywood making a saving on glue.

When getting a wood floor fitted it is always advised to allow a professional to carry out the work, as wood flooring is a valuable product and it can be very cost effective if it goes wrong.

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