Julian Cassell's DIY Blog

To achieve a good finish with vinyl tiles, they must be laid on as flat a surface as possible. Concrete floors can be tiled on direct as long as they are sound, level, clean and dry. The floor must contain an integral damp proof membrane (dpm) – standard in modern homes, but not always present in older properties. If you have floorboards, they must be covered with thin ply or flooring grade hardboard to provide a sound flat surface for applying the tiles. read more »

Wooden floors can all be laid in many different ways. However, most commonly, engineered wood and laminate floors use a clip-together system, where sections of the floor are slotted together using a tongue-and-groove connection system. This system can vary between manufacturers (some require adhesive, although most now don’t), but the principle of how these floors are laid remain fundamentally similar. read more »

Self-levelling compound is a latex-based product which creates a very smooth subfloor before fitting your final floor covering. It is used on concrete floors or screeds which are uneven, not level, or in poor condition. The compound must be mixed in very clean buckets as any impurities will affect the integrity of the mix – use a mixer paddle with a drill on a slow speed to avoid introducing too much air into the mix. The following sequence shows the standard steps for successfully laying self-levelling compound. read more »

Sheets of plywood can be used to create a solid, smooth subfloor before laying your finished floor covering. Thin plywood (6mm) is used as an option to hardboard, providing a subfloor for coverings such as vinyl, carpet and soft tiles. Thicker plywood (12-18mm) is used to provide a rigid subfloor for hard tiles. You may choose to use large sheets (2.4m x 1.2m), which will cover a floor area more quickly with fewer joints read more »

Laying hardboard on top of wooden floors, commonly floorboards, provides a smooth, flat subfloor for some types of new floor covering. Hardboard is often used before laying carpet, sheet vinyl, and soft tiles such as cork, carpet and vinyl. Hardboard is generally laid smooth side up, especially when floor coverings are to be stuck down, such as with vinyl tiles. Always check which side up a manufacturer recommends for its particular floor covering. read more »