5+ Flooring Mistakes To Avoid During Installation

Flooring not only enhances the aesthetic appeal but also the functionality of your floors. It also protects them from damage and regulates the temperature. However, you can avail of these benefits only if your flooring is properly installed. Otherwise, you’re losing money and wasting time. You must leave no room for mistakes and ensure a seamless tile fixing procedure.

Keeping in view, Nova Floor decided to uncover the 5+ flooring mistakes to avoid during installation with you. By following, you’ll achieve the best floor treatments that not only enhance functionality but also improve the aesthetic appeal.

So, let’s dive right into this article.

Common Flooring Installation Mistakes To Avoid

Our experts researched well and found the mistakes that are mostly ignored and repeated by people during flooring installation. They become the reason behind the short lifespan of the flooring later. We also shared the experienced methods to avoid them for your convenience.

1- Ignoring Expansion Gaps

Various flooring tiles, such as vinyl and Laminate Flooring contract and expand naturally with humidity fluctuations. They maintain their original shape this way and prevent cracking. Overlooking expansion gaps during fixing these tiles might lead to the lifting and buckling and make flooring unstable.

Best Way To Avoid This Mistake: Generally, it’s recommended to ;eave 10-12mm gap between tiles. However, depending upon the specific tile material and the size, you can go for the versatile gaps.

2- Skipping Moisture Barrier

Avoiding moisture barrier installation is one of the biggest mistakes during tile fixing. If you don’t know, moisture from the subfloor can seep into the flooring and cause warping and bacterial growth. It shortens the flooring lifespan and also compromises the hygienic environment.

Key Strategy to Avoid this Mistake: Choosing the appropriate moisture barrier depends on the flooring type. However, polyethylene sheeting is the most common one used for SPC and Parquet Flooring.

3- Improper Subfloor Preparation

The improper subfloor preparation means the floor isn’t even, squeaking, and not properly cleaned or dry. It can lead to severe foundation issues later and damage the overall stability of flooring. Keep in mind that damp or moisturized subfloor can cause your flooring to warp and promote mold & mildew growth.

Best Way To Avoid This Mistake: Thoroughly inspect the procedure from scratch to end and use self-levelling compounds to correct unevenness. Install moisture barriers and dry the subfloor. Especially, when you have moisture-sensitive flooring, such as Wooden Flooring.

4- Not Acclimating The Flooring

Flooring needs to be acclimated to adjust to the specific temperature and humidity of your space. Otherwise, it will not be able to expand and contract properly, and will cause cracking issues after the installation. Sometimes, you observe inappropriate gaps and buckling issues.

Best Way To Avoid This Mistake: Typically, the acclimating time for flooring is 8-24 hours, depending upon the specific flooring. For example, Vinyl Flooring requires less acclimating time than hardwood tiles. The tiles should be placed in the room where you’re going to install. However, consulting with professionals before taking any step might be crucial.

5- Incorrect Installation Pattern

Regardless of the luxury style and appearance, if your tiles are not installed in the right pattern, they will look unnatural and awkward. The wrong pattern will lead to a variety of issues, like aesthetic and structural problems. You can indeed opt for any geometric pattern, but it mainly depends on the flooring material and size of tiles.

Best Solution To Avoid This Mistake: Plan the layout by measuring the surface area carefully. Properly cut and trim your tiles, and go for suitable edge shapes. Use the right tools and consult with experts where needed.

6- Avoiding Subfloor Levelling

If you neglect the subfloor levelling or don’t take it seriously, it will lead to visible issues like gaps or squeaking. It ruins the overall aesthetic and visual appeal of your flooring. Furthermore, improper floor levelling also causes instability and lifting which shortens the tiles longevity.

Best Way To Avoid This Mistake: Use the digital levellers or a straight edge to identify issues. Fill in gaps with self-levelling compounds, or use a diamond grinder to smooth high spots.

7- Rushing The Tile Fixing Procedure

Installing flooring tiles in a rush can ruin everything because the chances of mistakes are obvious. You may ignore some steps, like proper subfloor preparation, self-levelling, appropriate adhesive use, and more. It can lead to the potential issues that compromise visual appearance and functionality of flooring tiles.

Solution to Avoid this Mistake: Double-check each step during flooring installation and ensure you’re following all the manufacturer’s instructions. If you’re high on budget, don’t go for DIY. Consider hiring professionals to get a damage-free tile installation service.

The Bottom Line 

Finally, we shared the 5+ flooring mistakes to avoid during flooring installation in this article. We described how improper subfloor preparation and ignoring expansion gaps can lead to the buckling and cracking. In fact, not acclimating the flooring can also lead to the warping. You must install a moisture barrier because skipping can lead to mold growth.

Pay focused attention to the subfloor levelling to avoid instability, and do not rush the tile fixing procedure. Keep all these common flooring mistakes in mind while installation, and avoid them to ensure visually appealing floors.