Floor Installation
Timber, engineered, laminate and hybrid flooring installation.
We cover 3 regions and 126 suburbs across Victoria. Pick your area below. Each page covers the councils, site conditions and permit considerations specific to that part of the state.
What floor installation actually involves
Most flooring problems are moisture problems or movement problems, and both are decided before the first board goes down. A subfloor that is too wet will cup or lift engineered and timber flooring weeks or months later, and no amount of installation skill prevents it.
Timber and engineered boards also move with humidity. They need to acclimatise to the house before installation and they need an expansion gap at every perimeter and fixed object. A floor laid tight to the walls has nowhere to go when it expands, so it lifts in the middle.
Technical requirements
- Subfloor moisture testing before installation
- Acclimatisation periods for timber and engineered board
- Expansion gaps and perimeter detailing
- Acoustic underlay requirements in apartments
How the job runs
- Test subfloor moisture and flatness, and rectify before proceeding
- Deliver material and allow it to acclimatise in the room it will be laid in
- Install acoustic or moisture underlay where required
- Lay with correct expansion gaps at perimeters and fixed objects
- Install trims, scotia or skirting to conceal the gap without pinning the floor
What goes wrong
The failures we get called out to fix are consistent. These are the ones worth asking any builder about before you engage them.
- Laying over a subfloor that was never moisture tested
- Skipping acclimatisation to hit a deadline
- No expansion gap, which shows up as a floor that lifts or peaks
- Pinning skirting through the floor, which stops it moving
Tell us the address, we will tell you what applies
Tell us the address and what you are planning.
We reply the same business day.
Floor Installation by area
3 regions, 126 suburbs. Each page is specific to that area.
Common questions
These answers apply wherever the job is. Anything specific to your area is on the relevant area page above, and anything specific to your property is a conversation.
Can I lay new flooring over existing tiles?
Sometimes. The tiles have to be sound, flat and properly bonded, and a quick tap across the floor finds the hollow ones that are not. The other constraint is height. Every added layer raises the floor, and that has to work at doorways, at the bottom of stairs and where the new floor meets carpet or an external threshold. Doors can be trimmed. A step up into a bathroom that was level before is harder to live with.
How long does flooring need to acclimatise?
Timber moves with the moisture in the air around it, so it needs to settle at the conditions it will actually live in before it goes down. That means in the room, spread out, with the house at a normal temperature. Packs left sealed and stacked in the garage have not acclimatised no matter how long they sat there. The period varies by product and the manufacturer sets it. Ignoring it is how you get gapping in summer or cupping through winter.
What subfloor moisture level is acceptable?
The flooring manufacturer sets the limit, and it varies by product and adhesive, so the number that matters is the one in their instructions. It gets measured rather than estimated. New slabs are the usual problem because concrete holds construction moisture for months, and a slab that looks and feels dry can still read high. Laying over a slab that is out of range is also the fastest way to void a warranty, which matters because moisture failures tend to show up well after the invoice is paid.
Which flooring suits underfloor heating?
Tile and stone work best because they conduct heat rather than resist it. Engineered timber is generally a safer choice than solid timber, since the layered construction is more stable through heating cycles. Thick underlay and dense carpet work against the system by insulating the room from its own heat source. Every suitable product carries a maximum surface temperature, and the floor sensor has to be set to respect it. Run it hotter and the damage is gradual, so it is usually noticed too late.