Wilmac Flooring

Cleaning Underlying Floor Surfaces Before Installing Flooring

Whether you’re in a new office space, home extension or your current living room, the process of choosing and installing new flooring can be a complex project. Once you’ve decided on your new flooring type and are just waiting for its installation, it’s important to be prepared to minimise installation issues and ensure the floor’s longevity.

One of the key aspects for a seamless installation of your new flooring is ensuring the underlying surface is clean and free of debris. Here’s our guide of what to look out for when cleaning the underlying surface before a new flooring is installed:

Water and other liquids 

It’s vital that any standing water or moisture of any kind on the underlying surface is removed. If there’s liquid present when your new flooring type is installed, the glue that’s used to attach the flooring will not stick properly. This can lead to bubbles and mould protruding from underneath the flooring. Which requires comprehensive treatment and in some cases the flooring may need to be replaced entirely.

Dust and debris 

It’s important to sweep and even hoover up all dirt, dust or debris from the surface before installing any type of flooring, as this can impact how tiles or panels attach and can lead to costly maintenance issues in the future.

Grease and Oil

If grease or oil is present on the surface, similar to any type of liquid, the glue applied to adhere the new flooring won’t be effective causing troublesome long term problems. It’s important to check for marks or stains and if you do spot any, purchase a cleaning solution and do your best to remove any before your new flooring is installed.

Items and objects

Nails, splinters and screws are just a few of a handful of objects that may be on the underlying surface, especially if you’ve been having some building or renovation work done. Ensure all items of this type are removed as it can cause considerable issues during the installation process. And the last thing you want is a nail poking up through your new vinyl flooring.

Whether it’s vinyl, carpet, laminate, you’re likely going to want your new flooring down as quickly as possible, so preparing for a smooth installation process is essential and cleaning the underlying surface is one of the most important aspects to guarantee this.

If you’d like to hear more about the different flooring types we offer, their installation process and how best to care for them. Our expert team has the knowledge to help you prepare for any flooring type. Get in touch today.