Wooden Flooring; Worth a bit of DIY?
Everyone loves getting a new floor for their home; not only does it offer you a refreshing change, but if you buy solid wooden flooring, it can actually raise the value of your house.
In addition to this, but if you are looking to sell your home in the near future, solid hardwood flooring has been shown to actually sell a house quicker than one without.
Although engineered flooring itself certainly doesn’t devalue your house, it is generally considered inferior to the above; most people don’t realise however that it is actually better for the environment as it takes less wood to manufacture and because of that process, the wood can withstand higher amounts of moisture and temperature change.
The decision as to which flooring you choose is however totally up to you as Every Home deserves a good floor. Also to your choice, is whether you want to lay the floor yourself, or hire somebody to do it for you.
Although laying your own floor may seem somewhat outlandish, it is a form of DIY that more and more people are enjoying as there’s nothing like putting in a good few hours of hard work before stepping back and admiring your masterpiece.
Installing Engineered Flooring
The process of fitting engineered flooring into your home has never been easier! Thanks to the revolutionary, click and lock system which is crafted into every single piece of wood, the task is a relatively easy one to undertake. For this, all that you will need is a nail gun (if you choose to nail the wood to the floor), and some sheets of underlay, which acts as a damp proof membrane; a must have if you’re installing engineered flooring.
Installing Solid Hardwood Flooring
Although the tools involved in the installation of solid hardwood flooring is basically the same, it is however a little trickier to install solid planks of wood into your floor. Not only do you have to think more thoroughly about the amount of wood that you need, but you also have to consider the conditions of the room that the floor is being installed into.
Before you begin the installation process, you must ensure that the underfloor is completely dry so that there is a natural moisture equilibrium in the room that will not cause irritants within the wood and cause moisture to absorb into the wood.
You may also want to consider acclimatising the wood to the air, making sure that all sides of the wood receive equal exposure to the wood so that each part of it receives the right amount of exposure.
Also during the laying process, make sure that you have left adequate room for the wood to expand; avoiding the possibility of cracking and impairment.
Although this process does seem perhaps a little complex, it is one that when done right, provides vast amounts of satisfaction and appeals to the dreams of any DIY geek!
