Laying flooring for the first time can be a daunting task. First, you have to find the right tools for the job, choose which room to lay, pick what floor to use and finally begin construction. There’s a lot to consider throughout the process and at first can seem an insurmountable mission. But don’t fear! Whether you’re planning to lay luxury vinyl click flooring, herringbone floor or real wood, these tips can help you on your DIY journey.

Tip #1: Know Your Floors

There are a surprising amount of different flooring types to choose from when it comes to your DIY project. The top four you may come across are tiles, vinyl, laminate and hardwood. Laminate is a synthetic material with a picture of the chosen material printed on top and a layer of protective plastic to finish it off. Laminate is good for busy households, as it is stain and damage resistant, perfect for children and pets. Vinyl is another brilliant choice, both waterproof and attractive, brilliant for bathrooms, kitchens or anywhere else you need to be watertight. It is very important to consider what kind of flooring you need and where it should go. If there is a problem with moisture, the subfloor, or simply the amount of traffic the floor will experience, the flooring can degrade much faster than any other. Picking the right flooring is vital to increasing its lifetime and use.

Tip #2: Know Your Tools

You don’t necessarily need to spend lots of money on tools, but you definitely need the right ones. While there are some flooring types that will require a lot more tools than the average DIYer might have, certains types of flooring can be “click” flooring. Click flooring doesn’t require glue, nails or screws, instead the pieces simply lock together, making it the most simple flooring to lay. Tilework is going to need more equipment to mix and lay the mortar, and hardwood tends to require some heavy machine tools.

Tip #3: Set Aside Your Time

DIYing can take quite a while, DIY flooring can take even longer, so you’ll need to set aside plenty of time to dedicate to your project. While ideally a flooring installation would only take a day, you’re more likely looking at several days, fewer if using click flooring and more if you plan on laying herringbone or real wood. Do bear in mind that taking your time with these is important, especially if this is your first time laying any kind of floor by yourself. You want quality and to make sure everything is done correctly, rather than a speedy construction. 

Tip #4: Know Your Method

As covered earlier, every floor type is different, thus they all have different ways to be constructed. Click flooring will just click together, so long as you add an underlay on the subfloor. Vinyl flooring can simply be measured out and stuck down. Tiles are going to need more work, with mortar and grout having to be set for each tile. Finally, hardwood will need a pneumatic floor nailer and will need to be left to dry out and acclimatise to your home for a while before use. 

Tip #5: Enjoy Your Floor

You’ve successfully laid a floor, perhaps for the first time. That’s a huge milestone for any self taught DIYer. Now all that’s left to do is to move all of the furniture back into the room, finalise the layout and sit back and admire your handiwork. 

To summarise, you must ensure that you understand the difference between the flooring types that can be used, how to lay them and what you need to lay each one. You also have to spend the proper time on the project with the right tools. This way, you’ll have a brilliantly completed project in no time.