Flooring in Northwich
Most flooring problems trace back to what's underneath rather than the floor itself. A board that creaks, a laminate joint that's opened up, an edge that's lifted — the cause is nearly always subfloor preparation, expansion gaps or moisture, not the product.
We lay solid wood, engineered and laminate flooring across Northwich and the surrounding areas, and we spend the time on preparation that makes the finished floor stay flat and quiet.
What we cover
- Solid hardwood flooring
- Engineered wood flooring
- Laminate and click-system flooring
- Subfloor preparation and levelling
- Plywood overlay on suspended floors
- Lifting and disposing of old floor coverings
- Skirting, beading and threshold bars
- Repairs to existing wood floors
Preparation is most of the job
Before anything is laid, the subfloor needs to be flat, dry and sound. On a suspended timber floor that often means screwing down loose boards and overlaying with ply. On concrete it usually means a self-levelling compound and checking the moisture content before covering it.
Skipping this is the single most common reason a floor fails early. A dip of a few millimetres under a click-system floor puts the joints under constant flex, and eventually they separate.
Acclimatisation and expansion gaps
Wood moves with the humidity of the room it's in. Flooring needs to sit in that room for several days before it's laid, so it can settle at the moisture content it will live at — laying a floor straight off the van is asking for gaps in summer or buckling in winter.
It also needs an expansion gap around every edge and every fixed object, hidden afterwards by skirting or beading. A floor laid tight to the walls has nowhere to go when it expands, and it lifts in the middle. Both steps are invisible in the finished job, and both are why it stays flat.
Common questions
- Can I have wood flooring with underfloor heating?
- Engineered wood, yes — it's far more stable than solid timber across a temperature range. Solid wood is generally not recommended over underfloor heating. We'll advise based on your particular setup.
- Solid or engineered?
- Engineered is more stable, works over underfloor heating, and copes better with kitchens and changing humidity. Solid can be sanded back more times over its life. For most homes, engineered is the more practical choice.
- Why does my existing floor creak?
- Usually boards moving against a joist or against each other, often where a fixing has worked loose. It's frequently fixable without lifting the whole floor, depending on the construction.
- Do you move furniture and take up the old floor?
- Yes, we lift and dispose of old coverings as part of the job. Let us know about anything particularly heavy or fragile when we quote so we can plan for it.