Every flooring project requires careful planning upfront to avoid extra time and costs later, says Richard Renouf.

For many contractors the priority is to get the sizes, get the order, get the product installed and get the heck out of there, preferably with full payment! Experience shows, however, every flooring project needs to be thought through carefully before the details are agreed, prices are quoted and work commences. Time spent at an early stage can save many hours and considerable extra costs.

All of the British Standards that relate to flooring include a section entitled ‘Exchange of information’. These sections give details of questions that need to be considered and we can use these to create a check list – or several checklists for different products – that will help sales people and estimators to ensure as many issues are dealt with as possible and that a professional result is assured.

Here are some of the key issues that should be considered.

Where is the flooring going to be installed? Which building(s) and which areas within them. If these are agreed, they can be checked at the quotation stage and it can be useful to itemise them so a customer doesn’t have any misunderstandings about exactly what is going to be covered.

What is the condition of the subfloor? All British Standards have four basic requirements and an additional one which also should be considered. Is the subfloor surface sound, or is it crumbling, cracking, contaminated (laitance or plaster are amongst the possible contaminants that would need to be removed), or insecure? Even timber-based subfloors can be affected by sagging, rotting, insects and other damage that may require attention so the subfloor remains sound for the life of the floor covering. Is it smooth?

This will help prevent a rough surface showing through the floorcovering and will give the best bond when using adhesive. Is it flat? Or are there undulations or height variances that are greater than the manufacturer’s stated tolerance? British Standards identify three grades of surface regularity (flatness), but don’t actually specify which one is appropriate and for this the manufacturer’s instructions must be consulted.

At this stage I’ll also mention ‘level’. It’s not the same as flatness and in some circumstances, such as ramps in premises adapted for mobility impaired users, it may not be necessary, but it can affect the laying of a smoothing compound and the client may assume the new flooring will be level, so discussing this will also help to avoid kickbacks.

The final subfloor requirement is dryness. This is important for all subfloors, not just screeds. Timber floors must be dry and stable and flooring should be acclimatised to be in equilibrium with any kind of subfloor to avoid dimensional changes at or after installation. Keeping a record of your readings is also really helpful if there are queries later.

All these subfloor requirements can be dealt with during the installation process, so this is an opportunity to get the price right and avoid having to ask the client for additional money when simple issues are discovered too late.

What is the flooring and how should it look? Some products are simple, but with the vast range of designs such as herringbone, geometrics and stripes, including bespoke layouts, matching the product to the customer’s wishes and expectations will ensure you and the installers are getting things right.

How will the flooring be used, and what specific requirements will this mandate? The volume of foot traffic, use of castor chairs and trolleys, what will be done in the room and any specific requirements such as fire resistance, acoustic reduction, stains and abrasion resistance, and the trims and other accessories needed to complete job should all be taken into consideration.

It’s worth thinking about how the areas will be accessed when it comes to delivery and installation. How will delivery be achieved? Will the fitters vans be able to get close to site? Will there be parking or congestion charges, and will the job require the fitters to stay overnight? The site may have special health and safety or other requirements, especially if they want to keep the building in use during the installation period.

It’s also essential to consider what the conditions will be like at the time of installation – the right temperature (and stable from then onwards), other trades finished and out of the way, room to acclimatise the product in the environment for a long enough period, and so on. All these factors can be discussed and agreed so everyone is fully aware of how the best job can be achieved.

The last section in this brief list – and this is far from exhaustive – is the question of maintenance. Good guidance will help the client to have realistic expectations of the product and how they should look after it. It’s also an opportunity to consider entrance and exit matting and other features that will enhance the appearance, use and longevity of the finished flooring.

A professional approach not only ensures the best job, it also helps to minimise the ‘we don’t have time for that, just get it down’ pressures that cause so many flooring failures.
www.richard-renouf.com
Richard Renouf is an independent flooring consultant