Two weeks before: acclimatisation and access
We deliver material to site to acclimatise, usually five to seven days before fitting, so it needs a dry, heated space at normal living temperature — not a garage or a conservatory. Tell us about parking restrictions, permit zones, narrow access, lifts and any building management sign-in at this point rather than on the morning.
The week before: furniture and fittings
Rooms need to be empty. We can move heavy items as an agreed extra, but curtains, blinds down to floor level, valuables and anything breakable should be dealt with by you. Empty the bottom of wardrobes if they are staying in place, and lift anything stored under beds.
- Take down floor-length curtains and blinds
- Empty and, where possible, dismantle heavy furniture
- Disconnect and pull out appliances if flooring goes beneath them
- Clear a path from the front door to the room being fitted
Heating and underfloor heating
If you have wet underfloor heating, it must be commissioned and run through its full warm-up and cool-down cycle before fitting, then switched off 48 hours beforehand and brought back up slowly afterwards over several days. Getting this wrong is the single most common cause of gapping in a new wood floor. We will give you the schedule in writing.
Doors, skirting and thresholds
New flooring raises the floor level, so internal doors usually need trimming. Tell us at survey whether you want us to do it. Decide too whether skirting is coming off and going back on, or whether scotia beading will finish the perimeter — it changes the look and the price, and it is much easier to decide before the boards are down.
On the day
We arrive between 8 and 9am, protect the route in, and work with extraction running. Please keep pets and small children out of the working rooms — adhesives, trims and power tools make that non-negotiable. Water and a socket are all we need from you. We clear our waste, sweep down and walk the finished floor with you before we leave.
After we go
Stay off a newly finished wood floor for 24 hours, keep furniture off for 72, and leave rugs off for a week while the finish cures. Put felt pads under every chair and table leg before anything goes back. For glued floors, avoid washing the floor for the first fortnight.