Floor Installation: What You Need To Know

Welcome to our beginners guide for getting more out of your floor. This educational piece is written by experts in the flooring industry, so you’ll want to sit up and take note. You’re most likely reading this because you’re wondering how to lay carpet or looking into how to install laminate flooring, which both require underlay.

Both types of flooring are extremely popular here at Flooring Direct so it is important you are aware of the mechanics of both, particularly as they are often bought together if you are doing up the whole house. Or, you may just be interested in learning how to lay carpet and fancied a read of this fascinating blog. (Honestly, it is really interesting)! Read on to learn a bit more about floor fitting and remember to take notes as you go.

How to install carpet

Let’s start with laying carpet, perhaps the more popular of the two flooring products. First things first though, at Flooring Direct we would recommend you do use a professional flooring fitter when laying your underlay (for carpet) and your actual carpet. But this blog is about teaching you how, if you are going it alone. You may not have the budget or the time to book a professional carpet fitter, so the only option left is a bit of DIY.

Okay, we’re going to assume that if you’re on this page, you have already picked out your favourite carpet from Flooring Direct. If you haven’t, you can always check out our Flooring Direct visualiser to see which carpet looks best in your home.

If you have chosen your carpet, then all you will need to do is measure your room which we will go through shortly. However, before you get all the tools necessary for measuring your room, you should draw an outline so when it comes to measuring your floor, you have it all ready.

If you’ve already installed your underlay, then you can move on to the How to lay carpet guide, provided across the UK by Flooring Direct.

What you can learn about installing flooring

Whilst we have guides on how to lay carpet all over our site, this blog offers a more interesting way of looking at it. Here’s what else you can expect to read on how to install carpet:

Measuring your room

Right, so you’ve picked your favourite affordable flooring online from Flooring Direct. Let’s say you’ve gone for a grey carpet. You’ve already mocked up your living room with the perimeters. You now need to consider what other parts of the room may impact your carpet. A lot of us are guilty of neglecting the obvious things like the fireplace. It sounds obvious, but it is a common mistake. A professional floor fitter will be able to cut around this, and you should as well with the right tools.

Remember doing maths at school? Nope, neither did we! But being experts in flooring, it is a necessary skill to have. Calculations can be difficult so just make sure you take your time. Patience is key when learning how to lay carpet. Break it down slowly, bit by bit. One key thing Flooring Direct has learned from customers who are ordering affordable flooring online, is you need to allow for a little extra overrun. There is nothing worse than being 2cm short of carpet because you got the measurements wrong.

Check once more. Whether it is the carpet you are installing, or you are wanting to fit laminate flooring, the most important thing is to double-check your measurements.

Which underlay to use

Now, this is quite important if you are a flooring novice. If you know your flooring, like the team here at Flooring Direct do then we’d suggest you continue reading. If you have bought a grey carpet online from Flooring Direct then we have plenty of underlay options for you to choose from. As noted in our ‘How to lay underlay’ guide, carpet underlay is what gives you that warm, luxurious feeling. It is able to absorb any wear and tear meaning that your carpet won’t be the thing that gets damaged.

It is similar to laminate underlay though not the same affect. Because of the material used in laminate flooring, the underlay won’t take much effect on the feeling underfoot. As we point out in our ‘how-to’ guides on flooring, underlay for laminate flooring does help to reduce the noise that footsteps often make on hard surfaces.

A key factor in underlay for any flooring is when it comes to winter. With the right flooring and underlay alongside, it will help to keep the warmth in and drive down your electricity bonus. A plus for everyone!

Make sure you’re prepared

Be prepared. Cover all the facts. Check everything. This is so important. Once you’ve laid your chosen flooring, whether it be carpet or a laminate floor, there is no turning back without expensive costs.

So, you’ve double-checked all your measurements. What else is there to consider when you are thinking about how to lay carpet? Well, if you have underfloor heating, then you need a specific underlay. This specialist type of product will let the air circulate and the factors at play allow the heat to come up through the floor. Otherwise, you won’t feel any benefits and it could be a disaster for your floor.

Install underlay for carpet

At Flooring Direct, we believe in helping every single one of you. That is why we have an advice and inspiration guide for all your questions and answers. We do also have a how-to install underlay guide but this blog should simplify it for you.

What you need:

You need a utility knife to help you cut the carpet where it may be a bit long. (Remember, you will have accounted for an extra 5 or 7%). You will also need underlay tape. As you can tell by the name, this part is essential for installing underlay.

Next, you will need a staple gun and a hammer. It is very DIY-oriented so if you are starting to question whether you can do it, you can find a reliable and professional carpet fitter. Lastly, there is also spray adhesive to help you with your carpets. Once you’ve got all these tools. check out the installing carpet underlay guide and off you go!

Installing underlay for laminate flooring

When it comes to installing underlay for your laminate flooring, it is slightly different from how you would install underlay for your carpet. Installing laminate flooring is slightly easier than learning how to lay carpet, but there are still important things you need to know.

A thicker laminate floor underlay will give you more soundproofing, something noted in our laminate flooring categories. You also need to consider where the underlay is going. If it is going in the kitchen or bathroom, then it might not be suitable. For any bathroom or kitchen areas, Flooring Direct recommend vinyl flooring.

When installing the underlay, make sure you have all your tools ready. Then, lay the underlay over the entire floor and trim it to size, making sure there is a 16mm gap around any pipes. The Flooring Direct boss used to work in the flooring fitting industry, this is essential. You can find out how to finish installing your laminate flooring underlay here on our advice and inspiration page.

Need some inspiration? Head over to our Flooring Direct Instagram page, our social media team are posting inspiration every day!