When Should I Fit My Oak Flooring?
8th Jan 2016
During a building or renovation project, organising the right time to do the various jobs is key. As suppliers of oak flooring, we are commonly asked when is the best time to fit the oak flooring and what jobs need to be done prior to this.
Prior to the fitting of your oak flooring, the subfloor of course needs to be completed and in a suitable state. This means that jobs such as underfloor heating systems or the laying of battens should be completed prior to bringing oak flooring into your home. For concrete subfloors, it is important that the moisture content is less than 4%. This can be checked by using a moisture metre. If the moisture content is higher than this, your oak flooring is not ready to be fitted.
With the subfloor in a suitable condition, you should also be ensure that the rest of your room is ready. Any plastering work that needs to be carried out should be completed prior to you bringing oak flooring into your home. This plastering should then be given time to fully dry. Failure to do this could result in the oak flooring taking in the wet moisture causing excessive expansion of the boards. This same rule should also be followed for any painting and decorating work.
With your the work in your room now complete, you now want to ensure the room is suitable for the oak flooring to acclimatise. The acclimatisation process involves leaving the oak flooring in the room in which it is going to be fitted, so that it naturally adjusts to its surroundings. Solid oak flooring is normally left for around 2 weeks to acclimatise. Engineered oak flooring normally requires around 7-10 days. To prepare for this process, you should ensure the room is adjusted to your "natural living conditions". This means that any heating you would ordinarily have on in your day to day lives should be on during the acclimatisation process.
If you would like to discuss the scheduling of fitting your oak flooring further with us, please give us a call on 01538 304584.
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