We want you to be delighted with your purchase from the Woodland Floors Warehouse. In order to ensure the best results for your new floor, there are various preparations that we recommend prior to fitting.

Laminate Floor Preparation

• Before fitting takes place you should allow laminate to acclimatise for at least 24 hours in the environment where it will be laid.
• The unopened packs should be laid flat, away from radiators and fires, and the room should be heated to normal room temperature and be completely dry (including all paint, wallpapers or plaster in new build houses).
• Ensure the floor is clean and clear of rubbish and that the surface is even. If the floor is uneven, differences of up to 2mm can be levelled by use of soft board.
• We advise carrying out moisture checks in the sub floor in advance of fitting.
• When fitting laminate on a ground or concrete floor, we strongly recommend that a damp proof membrane is laid first which will prevent moisture rising and warping the boards.
• We recommend that laminate underlay is then laid to provide heat and sound insulation. It will also provide flexibility to the planks
• LAMINATE FLOORING SHOULD NEVER BE LAID OVER EXISTING FLOORCOVERINGS.

Installation of Laminate Flooring

• Starting with the first row, lay the panels from left to right, with the grooved sides facing the wall and using the spacers to leave a 2cm expansion gap against the wall.
  
  
• To cut the last panel of the first row, turn it and lay alongside the panels already installed, in such a way that the tongue will face each other. This will ensure the correct size is cut.
  Note: If you use a hand saw, cut the panel with the decorative side facing you; if you use a power saw, turn the decorative side down.
  
  
• Push panels together by hand then tap into place with tapping block which is grooved to fit the panel tongue. Do not hammer directly onto the panels, always use the special tapping block which is grooved to fit the panel tongue

Last Row

• When you reach the last row, you may need to trim the panels to width.
  
  
• Place the panel to be cut on top of the ones already installed in the previous row, with the tongue towards the wall. Then place another panel against the wall - do not forget to use the spacers, mark the cutting line with a pencil and cut the panel. After cutting, fit the panel with your hands and adjust with the pull bar.

To Complete Installation

• Remove all spacers, ensuring the expansion gap is completely clear of debris and re affix original skirting to the walls to cover expansion gap or fit decorative skirting or quadrant to existing skirting. Fix threshold or expansion profiles.

Solid Wood Preparation

• As with laminate flooring, Solid Wood must be acclimatised prior to fitting.
  
  
• The packs of solid wood should be laid flat in the room of fitting for a period of 14 days. Parquet flooring should be left wrapped, but solid wood must be opened to allow the correct level of acclimatisation. The room of fitting should be dry and heated to normal room temperature.
  
  
• If the solid wood is to be fitted onto concrete flooring, prior to fitting, the concrete should be tested to ensure it contains a moisture content no greater than 4%. If you are in any doubt we will be happy to arrange an on-site survey to carry out this test. We also recommend using a liquid moisture barrier on concrete sub-floors whenever fitting solid wood.
  
  
• Solid wood is a natural product that will expand and contract depending on the humidity of the room. Extreme fluctuations in both temperature and humidity may cause the planks to swell or shrink (this can sometimes occur in winter when central heating reduces the amount of moisture in the air). Therefore, it is important to always keep the room temperature at a constant level, and to maintain humidity levels in the region of 50-65%
  
  Top Tip: To keep humidity levels correct, you can use a humidifier as well as plants or flowers with watering troughs in order to retain the right amount of moisture in the air.
  
  
• We don't recommend fitting solid wood in bathrooms, conservatories or on top of under floor heating systems, due to the extremes of heat and humidity. Parquet, laminate or engineered planks will be more suitable in such room areas.
  
  
• In most cases solid wood will darken in the first 6 months, so for this period we recommend not using any other floor coverings on the wood, such as rugs, as the colour change may be more apparent.

Installation of Solid Wood Flooring

Fitting solid wood flooring can be very complicated and there are many pre-fitting requirements that may vary depending on the product purchased.

For specific advice and tips on fitting solid wood flooring please contact us on 0191 414 1434 or visit us at one of our outlets where a dedicated member of our team will be more than happy to talk you through the process. We also have a number of professional fitters who we can recommend to fit solid wood flooring.