4 June 2026

Having a floor fitted: preparation, fitting day and handover

From lifting the old floor to the last skirting board: what needs arranging before, during and after fitting day — and who does what.

The job starts with what is down now. Lifting and disposing of an old floor is work with its own hours and skip costs, so it belongs as a separate item in the quote. Sometimes a click floor can go over the top: the base must then be level and firmly fixed, and you watch the height — doors, thresholds and the bottom of a kitchen plinth all move a notch closer. On a springy or damaged floor, laying over the top is not a saving but a postponement.

Next comes flatness. Levelling and the right underlay together cost € 10 to € 20 per m² and are no luxury item: with glue-down vinyl an imperfection shows through in the top layer, and under laminate a hollow spot causes creaking and working click joints over time. Leveller also needs drying time — that is a day in the schedule, not half a morning.

For fitting day itself: have wood and laminate delivered a few days in advance so it can acclimatise in the room, and empty the room as far as you can. An empty space works faster — and therefore cheaper — than a furnished one, where the work has to be done in two halves. Agree too who moves the furniture and where the cutting happens: sawing outside or in the garage keeps dust out of the house.

The finishing decides how the floor looks once the professional has left. Skirting boards, thresholds and transition profiles hide the expansion gap and complete the transition between rooms; expect € 5 to € 12 per running metre, or € 100 to € 600 for a standalone finishing job. At handover, walk the edges, thresholds and doors together — a door that catches on a higher floor gets trimmed, and that is better sorted straight away than afterwards.

Finally, the simplest thing that spares a floor for years: a doormat at the front door keeps sand and grit outside, and grit is what actually abrades a floor. Put felt pads under chair and table legs, mop wood damp rather than wet, and follow the maintenance advice that comes with your floor. What the job itself costs is shown per service in the price index.