Subfloor preparation Before you can lay a floor covering, you need to make sure the subfloor is flat, smooth and sound. Depending on the state of the subfloor and the materials it is made of, you might decide to ‘build up’ the surface with a cement or wood-based underlay, or ‘go down’ by removing existing layers of material until you achieve a suitable surface finish. In some cases, you may have to do both, especially if you’re working on an old concrete slab. That is, you’ll probably remove the surface layers with a grinder and then apply a cement-based smoothing or levelling compound with a trowel to form an ‘underlayment’. Below are the main hand and power tools used to prepare concrete and timber subfloors. For more information on how to use these tools, and for details on wheeled machines such as concrete grinders and heavy floor sanders, see the following two units: Subfloor coatings and toppings Concrete grinding. Checking levels Laser level – for checking levels and flatness in floor surfaces. Spirit level – alternative to the laser level. Removing material
Angle grinder – for cutting masonry and steel, and for grinding concrete by hand. Belt sander – for sanding back timber floor boards and wood-based panels. Orbital sander – for use when a belt sander is too awkward, such as around edges and doorways. Floor scraper – for removing blobs of cornice plaster and other dags on the floor surface. Skutch hammer – for chipping away tiles, mortar and plaster from masonry walls and floors. Lump hammer and bolster – for removing blobs of concrete and chipping masonry. Pinch bar – for removing floor boards and hard sheet materials that are nailed or glued down. Concrete grinder – for grinding concrete with rotating abrasive discs. High pressure water – for removing surface contaminants and dust. Applying moisture membranes Paint brush and roller – for applying a liquid moisture membrane to a subfloor. Backpack sprayer – alternative method for applying a liquid moisture membrane to a subfloor. Patching and levelling with cement-based compounds Masonry trowel and Smoothing trowels – for Thickness spreader – for
Include all the general hand-held tools that were needed, as well as any specialised tools. Your list may end up including a lot more items than those we’ve covered in the above two lessons. For example, you may also have used a nail punch, pliers, cold chisel or hand plane. If you haven’t been involved in a subfloor preparation before, choose a particular type of subfloor and list all the tools that you think would be required to prepare it.
Carpet installation Carpet is a ‘textile’ floor covering, meaning it is woven from natural or synthetic yarns. The two most common methods for installing carpet are: laying over a cushioned underlay, using a gripper strip around the perimeter to hold the carpet in place fixing directly to the floor using an adhesive. The tools shown below are used in either or both of these installation methods. Cutting Carpet wall trimmer – for trimming off excess carpet along the line of the wall. Loop pile cutter – for cutting loop pile carpet with a stiff backing. Utility knife – for cutting and trimming, especially around doorways and other objects. Carpet trimming knife – a more traditional alternative to the utility knife. Carpet shears – for cutting and trimming seam edges in woven or knitted carpet. Napping shears – similar to carpet shears, but with a ‘duckbill’ to prevent gouging while trimming. Seaming
Resilient installation Resilient floor coverings include all the products that have the characteristic of resilience, or 'bounce back', such as vinyl, rubber and linoleum. They are supplied either as sheet products, tiles or planks. Depending on the end use of the floor, resilient coverings can be loose laid or stuck down with an adhesive. Set out below are the main tools used to install resilient floor coverings. Techniques for using these tools, as well as instructions on how to install the different resilient products, are described in the specialist installation units in this series of Learner guides. Marking Recess scriber – for scribing the line of a seam to make sure the two edges match exactly. Scribing bar – for scribing the cut edges of a sheet or tile where it fits against a wall or around an object. Dividers – an alternative to using a scribing bar when the gap is very small. Cutting Edge trimmer – for trimming a straight edge along a sheet. Spatula knife – for cutting and trimming the welding rod in a seam. Wall trimmer – for trimming off excess material against the wall. Utility knife – for cutting and shaping floor coverings, rubber mouldings and other Lino knife – for cutting linoleum and other heavy resilient coverings.
materials. Seaming Hand grooving tool – for cutting a groove along the seam, prior to welding the seam. Power groover – a more powerful version of the hand groover. Heat welding gun – used to weld seams by melting a welding rod in the groove. Fitting, sticking down and rolling Hot air gun – for heating and softening vinyl to make it more flexible when fitting it. Gas bottle and gun – a more powerful alternative to using a hot air gun. Roller – for rolling out the floor covering after laying it in position. Rubber mallet – for fitting floor coverings in areas when a roller is too awkward. Serrated trowel – for spreading adhesive on the subfloor prior to laying the floor covering. Paint brush and bucket – for applying contact adhesive to skirtings and coved materials. Learning activity Choose one type of resilient installation and list all the tools required to lay the floor covering. State the type of subfloor you will be working on and the flooring product you have chosen. For each tool you name, briefly describe its purpose. reach
Timber installation Timber floors include the following products: solid timber tongue and grooved floor boards solid timber parquetry blocks timber-based engineered products, such as laminated ‘floating floor’ panels. The methods used to lay timber flooring vary greatly, depending on the type of product being installed and the structure of the subfloor. For example, tongue and grooved strip flooring is sometimes installed directly onto floor joists to form a structural floor. This type of job is normally done by a carpenter or specialist floor layer. Parquetry is also the domain of specialist installers, because the decorative patterns require special techniques. Floating floors, however, are commonly installed by general floor layers. Below are some of the main tools used by timber flooring installers. General Hand saw – for cutting timber and board products to length. Chisels – for cutting notches and paring back the surface of wood-based products. Utility knife – for cutting plastic moisture barriers and other materials. Drop saw – for cutting floor boards and other timber components to length. Electric planer – for reducing the thickness of timber, and planing down the underside of doors. Circular saw – for ripping floorboards lengthwise and general cross-cutting. Jig saw – for shaping boards and cutting out profiles. Multi-tool / undercut saw – for cutting the underside of architraves and skirtings. Belt sander – for sanding back timber floor boards and wood-based panels.
Strip flooring Nail gun – for fixing timber boards into position. Secret nail gun – for fixing ‘secret nailed’ tongue and grooved boards into position. Drum sander / orbital sander – for sanding tongue and grooved strip flooring. Learning activity Do you know why laminated flooring products are often called ‘floating floors’? Have a look at the photo at the top of this lesson for a clue. Go to your workbook and write down an explanation of what floating floor means. You may even be able to state a brand name for the product that makes the floor ‘float’.