SUB FLOORS

A wood flooring contractor’s responsibility is not only a matter of professionally fitting the hard or softwood floor to comply with best practice, but also to ensure that other trades have correctly prepared the sub-floor and premises prior to work commencing. The sub-floor, being the foundation of the wood floor, should not be compromised.

Sub-floor tolerances
Sub-floors must be inspected and tested to make sure that they are within acceptable tolerance parameters. Both the flatness and levels of the sub-floor must be within tolerance. The sub-floor moisture content must also be measured with a BS 8203 hygrometer to ensure tolerances are met. The floor installation team must also ensure that the environment in which the floor is to be installed is within tolerance. Incorrect relative humidity percentages and room temperatures will adversely affect an installation.
If the wood floor is being installed above an underfloor heating system, the heating system must be correctly cycled prior to installation taking place; this process alone can take up to two weeks. To see how to correctly prepare a sub-floor click on the button below.