A new wood flooring is a highly desirable finish for period properties, but sometimes, opening up the existing floor can be a bit like ‘Pandora’s Box’ – you’re never quite sure what surprises await beneath.  We have put this guide together to help Architects, Designers and Homeowners prepare for the various time and budget challenges which can present themselves through the Floor Fitting process.
 
Exploratory Works: Opening Up the Floor and Understanding the existing Build-Up
Before any new flooring can be laid, it's sensible to investigate the existing subfloor. This may involve ‘opening up’ a small section of the floor to understand the layers and materials present. You need to identify the existing build-up; everything from original joists and floor battens, to previous floor finishes. Understanding the condition and structure of the subfloor will guide your decisions on how to proceed with the new flooring. Once you’ve done this, the real work can begin!
 
Removal of existing.
The top layers of flooring will need to be removed entirely to expose the whole of the floor (all existing carpet, underlay etc. all goes). This typically exposes the ‘original floorboards’ or the base layer before you reach the joists. How much of this you want or need to remove depends on their conditions and the design intent. Check all of it but the main walkways and thoroughfares in the building obviously bear the brunt of use over time, so we’d expect to see the most degradation there or around areas where bathrooms may have once stood. This is a good time for the Design team to get together with the CONTRACTOR site team, and walk through – identify what can be kept, and what needs replacing.

• Contingency Budget for repairs: £25-£50 psqm (labour and materials)

 
Uneven Floors
Older buildings move over time, and may have joists that have weakened or are not level.  Strengthening these joists can be necessary to ensure they can support the new floor. Firring strips may also be needed to level the surface before laying the new flooring. Properly preparing the framework is crucial to avoid future issues such as uneven floors or structural instability. If you have areas which are sloping, it may be sensible to budget for removal and replacing of the subfloor in these areas.
Contingency Budget for repairs:

• £25 psqm (labour and materials) on large areas

• £100 psqm (labour and materials) on small areas

 
Squeaking: Eliminating Squeaks and Addressing Other Issues
Squeaking is a common issue in period properties, often due to bowed floorboards, old pipes, or cables rubbing against the wood. You may not notice it while the existing build up is in place, but once you’ve exposed the whole floor, the noise can feel amplified. You certainly can’t lay new wood flooring on top of an uneven or squeaky floor. Before laying new flooring, it’s essential to identify and eliminate these squeaks. This might involve removal and replacement of damaged boards, securing loose boards, addressing bowed areas, and ensuring that any old pipes or conduit beneath the floor are not rubbing on the underside of the boards. This is particularly important in the walkways with the highest footfall. We would recommend another visit to CONTRACTOR site team at this stage to approve / sign off subfloor before moving on to the next stage.
 
Insulation: Thermal consideration
The depth of the subfloors may vary slight between joists depending on how busy those channels are with legacy and existing pipework, electrical conduit etc. Whether you a refurbishing a house or an apartment, the requirements for which type of insulation you use will vary slightly, but its usually good practice to use some insulation – it can have some acoustic benefits as well between floors.
 
Materials: Choosing the Right Flooring Materials
Selecting high-quality materials is essential for creating a durable, and aesthetically pleasing floor finish. Depending on the specific requirements of the property and how much floor height you have to play with, you might consider the following options as subfloors:

• Plywood: offers a strong and stable base.

• Solid Floorboards: ideal for a classic look and feel in period properties.

• T&G Chipboard: Provides a smooth and even surface, particularly useful in areas where carpet or vinyl will be laid.

Each material has its benefits, and the choice will depend on factors such as the existing/ remaining build up and time/cost considerations (floorboards the most expensive and time consuming).
 
Underlay: Acoustic Considerations
Acoustic insulation is particularly important if you’re working in a lateral property which has neighbors beneath or if noise transmission is a concern to the Building Management / Building Control. There are many types of acoustic underlay and the specification will likely depend on the types of subfloor (concrete or wooden joists) and the acoustic engineers requirements for the building.

In Period Properties, you typically find timber joists and timber floorboards. Our preference for acoustic underlay in these properties, would be 6-10mm db Matting. This has great impact and noise reduction characteristics but is also rigid enough to adhere the timber floor finishes directly on to.

BEWARE: some high spec acoustic matting, is very soft. Therefore, you cannot fix wooden flooring directly onto it. These tiles requires another layer of flooring on top! So you would need to factor that into your budget considerations, as well as design considerations on floor height.
 
Fitting the Floor
The all important fitting! The fitting should be done with precision to ensure tight joints and a level surface. There are any number of boards and manufacturers to choose from. Just make sure you ensure sufficient lead time. And if possible, try to ensure that your entire order comes from one batch. If a manufacturer sells you 75 sqm now and 80 sqm from the next batch, say ‘no thanks!’ – even if they offer a good deal. Whilst these ‘same batches’ might look the same on the surface, we have found that they can come from different source suppliers and can have entirely different tongue and groove shapes – which makes them a real nuisance to fit together and may require time consuming adaptations.
 
Protection: Preserving the Timber Floor
Once you have fitted the floor, there are probably going to be a few weeks where you or other subcontractors will need to walk through the area which has just been fitted. This is a very important time to make sure that the floor is properly protected.  Before sanding or applying any primer, we would recommend a breathable felt membrane (1.5mm) is laid directly on top of the wooden floor. Then on top of this, we recommend laying a more rig protective layer, such as correx and /or hardboard, depending on the anticipated footfall through the remainder of build programme.
 
Fitting and Lacquer: Ensuring a Perfect Finish
Once the rest of the build is complete and assuming the floor is unoiled, you may need to sand, prime and oil the floor to finish. This will enhance its appearance and durability, and allows you to adjust the colour of the floor finish to some degree (seek manufacturers guidance
on the most suitable oils to use).

Hopefully you’ll find this practical ‘Guide to fitting a wooden floor in period proerties’ useful. If we may be helpful on your next project, please Contact Us below.

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