Solid wood is the gold standard of flooring. It’s not just a surface; it’s a lifetime investment. At I. B. Flooring Services, we combine traditional carpentry with modern installation techniques to ensure your floor stays stable, silent, and beautiful for decades.

The Installation Process

We keep our process transparent so you know exactly what is happening in your home.

• Surface Preparation: Every great floor starts with a perfect foundation. We remove old adhesives (like black bitumen), patch damaged areas, and ensure the subfloor is level.
• Acclimatisation: Wood is a natural material that needs to adjust to your home’s climate. We allow the planks to rest on-site for 7–10 days before starting.
• Choosing the Method:
  — Glue-Down (Recommended): We prefer bonding the wood directly to the subfloor using high-performance adhesives. This provides a rock-solid feel, eliminates "hollow" sounds, and prevents the "bounce" often associated with floating floors.
  — Floating: While possible with certain engineered products or specific solid installations, we generally advise against it for solid wood as it can lead to long-term creaking and structural movement.

Pre-finished vs. Unfinished Flooring

When choosing your wood, you have two primary options, and we are experts in both:

• Pre-finished Flooring: The planks come from the factory with the stain and lacquer/oil already applied. The benefit? The installation is cleaner and faster, and you can walk on your floor almost immediately after we finish.
• Unfinished Flooring (The Bespoke Option): The wood is installed in its raw state. We then perform a full sand and seal on-site. This allows for a completely bespoke finish—you choose the exact shade of stain and the level of sheen (matte, satin, or gloss) to match your interior perfectly. It results in a seamless, monolithic surface without any visible "micro-bevels" between the boards.

Our Technical Standards (The "Why We Are Different" Section)

We don't guess - we measure. To guarantee a perfect installation, we adhere to strict technical parameters:

• Strict Moisture Control: Installing on a "wet" subfloor is the #1 cause of cupping, warping, or lifting. Before we lay a single plank, we verify the moisture levels:

            — Cement/Screed: Must be ≤ 3% moisture content.

            — Wooden Subfloors: Must be ≤ 10–11% moisture content

• Professional Adhesives: We exclusively use high-performance Polyurethane (PU) or Water-based adhesives. These are permanently elastic, allowing the wood to move naturally as seasons change. We never use solvent-based adhesives, as they can become brittle over time and release harmful VOCs into your home.

Design Patterns

Choose the style that defines your space:

• Straight Planks: Classic and clean; ideal for any room size.
• Herringbone: The "London Classic." Adds depth and elegance to hallways and living areas.
• Mosaic / Finger-Joint: Perfect for high-traffic areas due to its multi-directional stability.

Why The Foundation Matters (A Note from Our Experts)

We often hear from clients complaining about squeaky floors or movement shortly after installation. In our experience, the problems rarely come from the wood itself or the installation labor, but from a poorly prepared foundation.

If the subfloor isn't level, or if the moisture levels were ignored during the initial assessment, no amount of glue or nails will save the floor in the long run. At I. B. Flooring Services, we treat the subfloor with the same respect as the top layer. We fix the foundation first, so you don't have to deal with creaking or movement later. A floor is only as good as what’s underneath it.