General instructions when preparing to lay a new floor:

• It is best to store the floorboards in the living room for at least one week, so they can acclimatise to the room’s temperature and humidity;
• In addition, it is important that the subfloor is dry and stays dry. For this reason, you should not under any circumstances clean the subfloor with water;
• Ensure that the room is properly cleared.

When laying solid wooden floorboards, the following tools are required:

• Folding ruler
• Square tool
• Screwdriver
• Utility knife
• Electric drill
• Jigsaw
• Crowbar
• Hammer

Laying the floor:

1. Roll out a section of damp-proof foil on the floor and lay it out to about one centimetre up against the wall.
2. Lay the first planks using cork expansion strips set one centimetre from the wall. This is also known as the expansion seam. If the wall is not straight, ensure that the floor is parallel to the wall.
3. Apply glue to the groove of the floorboard, after which the second row of sections can be hammered into the first one. Use a leftover piece of wood between the hammer and the floorboard in order to prevent damage.
4. Cut the planks to the right length using a jigsaw. Next press the end section into place with a crowbar.
5. When one full line of insulating foil is laid, the next section can be laid. The second layer of foil is taped to the previous one.
6. The last of the boards usually need to be cut to size. Here the instruction also applies: keep about a centimetre of the wall clear using cork expansion strips.

The skirting boards:

1. Skirting boards are used with a floating floor. Secure the skirting boards to the wall using plugs and screws. They need to be removable before applying pre-tension.
2. Use a mitre saw to ensure perfect alignment of the inner and outer corners.
3. Reinforce the mitre at visible corners with a small nail.
4. The height of the skirting board is first marked at the door frame and then cut properly.

Central heating pipes

1. Lay the boards out on the floor and mark where the cutouts need to be, or measure the distance from the central heating pipes in relation to the floor. Use a square tool and a folding ruler.
2. Ensure that the drill holes are at least 5 mm wider than the diameter of the central heating pipes.
3. Starting from the drill holes, saw two angled lines towards the wall, then saw a line halfway between the drill holes.
4. This will ensure that the cutout piece will fit perfectly and can be glued in place after the floor has been laid, if you want to glue it.

The door

There is a considerable chance that the subfloor and wooden flooring are higher than the threshold. If this is the case, remove the threshold and cut the door 55 mm above floor level, ensuring that you can lay the wooden floor under the door. Protect the edges of the floor with an aluminium bumper.

Applying oil to wooden floors

Wooden floors are usually treated with filler / joint sealant. This is a transparent resin that is easily mixed with the sawdust produced when you saw the boards. Using a small putty knife, the irregularities can be filled with that resin. After half an hour, it will be dry and can be sanded. The treated parts will then get the same look as the rest of the floor. Please note: prepare half of the contents of the tin before you begin, so it does not dry out too quickly.

Sanding

First the floor needs to sanded down with a random orbital floor sander (100 grain). Per sandpaper side, you can sand about 20 to 25 m2.  Each sanding disc can be used on both sides (40 to 50 m2). This coverage may vary per type of wood, so ask for advice if you are unsure.

Make sure that the floor is clean. You can use a vacuum cleaner or a soft broom for that. The oil will be absorbed into the wood, so it will generally not be bothered by the presence of dust.

Apply the oil as soon as possible after sanding. The sanding will have opened the wood pores well, ensuring an optimal bond / absorption.

Instructions for applying oil mechanically:

Treatment

Before you apply the oil, the floor needs to be checked if it is thoroughly dry. Avoid draught over the floor, but ensure proper ventilation of the room.

A distinction can be made between three types of oils:

• Colour oil
• Pigment oil
• Transparent natural oil

Please note: pigment oil and colour oil need to be shaken regularly before and during application. The pigments tend to sink to the bottom.

Finishing the floor

After eight to ten hours, the floor can be finished with a small amount of maintenance oil, about 1 to 2 decilitres of oil per 10 m2. A trigger sprayer is useful for this purpose, plus a cotton cloth to buff the oil. Rinse the cotton cloth well with water after use and hang it outside or store it soaking wet in a plastic bag. Otherwise, there is a risk of spontaneous combustion.

Hardening

The oil has to harden for 36 hours. During this time, the floor must not come into contact with any water. Walking over the floor is possible, but caution is recommended.

Instructions for applying oil by hand:

Treatment

Just as with applying oil mechanically, if you will be applying oil manually, the floor needs to checked if it is thoroughly dry. A room temperature of about 18 degrees is best for this. Make sure there is plenty of ventilation, but avoid a draught in the room.

A distinction can be made between three types of oils, which are generally the same as for mechanical application:

• Colour oil
• Pigment oil
• Transparent natural oil

Please note: pigment oil and colour oil need to be shaken regularly before and during application. The pigments tend to sink to the bottom.

Finishing the floor

After eight to ten hours, the floor can be finished with a small amount of maintenance oil, about 1 to 2 decilitres of oil per 10 m2. A trigger sprayer is useful for this purpose, plus a cotton cloth to buff the oil. Rinse the cotton cloth well with water after use and hang it outside or store it soaking wet in a plastic bag. Otherwise, there is a risk of spontaneous combustion. 

Hardening

The oil has to harden for 36 hours. During this time, the floor must not come into contact with any water. Walking over the floor is possible, but caution is recommended.

Applying and distributing the oil

You can apply and distribute the oil in three ways: with a cotton cloth, a sturdy sponge or a wide paintbrush. Always start in a corner and fan out from that point. Always make strokes along the length of the planks. Make sure that the seams are not neglected.

Rubbing in

Rub the oil into the wood with a polishing machine until the pores and the wood no longer absorb any oil. Excess oil can be removed with a cotton cloth to prevent the formation of shiny spots.

Rubbing dry

Put a white pad on the polishing machine and rub the surface of the floor dry with it. You can reverse the pad halfway.

Laminate
Laminate is a synthetic material that is composed of several layers. By using several layers, certain characteristics are achieved that could not be acquired using other materials.

Laminate flooring
Laminate flooring usually consists of three to four layers and is comparable to parquet flooring. The first layer usually consists of ‘melamine’, the second is the core and usually consists of high-density fibreboard, the third layer consists of paper decorated with the organic wood structure, and the final and fourth layer is the top layer.

There are four types of laminate flooring:

1. DPL (direct pressed laminate): constructed as explained above;
2. HPL (high pressured laminate): constructed as explained above, but without a top layer;
3. CPL (continuous pressed laminate): constructed as explained above, but the top layer is slightly thinner;
4. DLP (direct laminate printing): the decorative layer is missing in this version.

With cheap laminate, the top layer is usually thin and wears easily. The quality of the laminate is indicated with a number, varying from 21 (low quality) to 34 (high quality).

Laying laminate flooring

Because the wood inside the laminate can expand or shrink, it is important to lay the laminate leaving at least 1 centimetre of distance from walls, doorsteps and pipes. To fill these gaps, you can use adhesive moulding. Waterproof laminate can combat the effects of moisture, just like laminate with fibreglass membrane layer creates excellent dimensional stability and makes it more fire-resistant.

There are several ways to lay laminate flooring:

• Random bond. This is the cheapest way of laying laminate flooring, where the part that is used for the last section is used again to lay a new section.
• Stretcher bond
• Cross bond

Gluing the laminate

The first row of laminate sections are only glued at the top ends with special PVAC glue. With the subsequent laminate sections, only one side and one end will be glued to the already laid floor. Tensioners will keep the sections together after that. After the glue has hardened, these will be removed.

Click-lock laminate

The laminate sections will be clicked into each other at the ends, not unlike gluing. Exactly how they fit together depends on the type of click-lock laminate. When buying laminate flooring, instructions on how to lay that specific type are often included.