Getting ready
What to do before your new floor is laid
Once your floor is ordered, your install day gets booked. A few simple things make that day go smoothly. Most of it comes down to one thing. An empty room. Here is what we take care of. And what helps if you do it before we arrive.
Clear the room first
Rooms need to be empty for us to work safely. That includes furniture, rugs and anything stored on the floor. It also gets us a better result. If moving it yourself is not practical, tell us. We can move it as part of the job.
What happens to your old floor
Taking up your old carpet, vinyl or tiles is part of the job. We take it away when we go. Old carpet is quick to lift. Old glued-down vinyl or tiles take longer. That is because old adhesive sometimes needs scraping or grinding back first.
Doors and skirting
A new floor often sits at a slightly different height to what was there before. So doors sometimes need a trim to still open and close properly. Skirting boards sometimes need a small cut. Or a scotia strip gets added to hide the expansion gap around the edge of the room. We check this at the measure. It is in your price, not a surprise on the day.
Kids and pets
You can usually stay home while we work. If you have young kids or pets, it helps to keep them clear. Keep them out of the work area while tools are out. Keep them out until the new floor is ready to walk on too.
If you live in a unit
Many bodies corporate have a rule about underlay. It requires acoustic-rated underlay under any hard flooring, to control noise for the unit below. If you live in a unit or townhouse, check your by-laws before booking. Let us know what you find. It affects the underlay we use, and it can change your quote. It is much easier to sort before your install day than after.
Can you stay in the house while we work?
Usually yes. Click-lock floors like SPC, hybrid and laminate have little to no smell. There is no wet glue involved. You can generally walk on them again almost straight away. Glue-down or sheet vinyl has an adhesive smell for a few hours. It helps to open windows while it airs out. New carpet can carry a mild smell for a day or two while it settles.
We work room by room. So the rest of the house stays usable while one room is out of action.
One room at a time, if that suits you better
You do not have to empty the whole house at once. We can do one room at a time. The rest of your home stays usable that way. You only need to clear what we are working on that day.
A quick checklist
Before install day, it helps to have:
- Furniture and rugs cleared from the room, or a plan for us to move it
- Breakables and anything precious moved somewhere safe
- A plan for kids and pets to stay clear of the work area
- By-laws checked if you live in a unit with a body corporate
- Easy access to the property on the day
Questions about this
Ready for a new floor?
We come out, measure up, and give you one price. It is free.