Why You Shouldn’t Fit Your Own Flooring at Home

You’ve just bought new flooring for your house. You’re still reeling from the dent it has made on your wallet, and you’re dreading the additional expenses that are to come your way in the form of installation fees. So, you think to yourself, why not do the whole thing yourself and save up on the additional costs?

Our advice? DON’T do it.

DIY might be a fun and creative way to get house projects done without breaking the bank, but where a project as massive as floor installation is concerned, you better let the professionals take control because anything less than perfection just won’t cut it.

You’re already investing a considerable amount of money in buying the flooring, so why not dish out on installation as well? Because if not properly installed, even the most expensive floors will look shoddy. And even low-quality flooring can look decent with proper installation. Also, a poor installation will decrease the durability of your floors. Hence, the importance of adequate installation cannot be overstated.

Leaving Projects Unfinished:

Your enthusiasm at saving yourself money might get you through the initial work, but as this motivation wanes out, you’ll soon realize the toll such strenuous work has on you. Not only is floor installation physically demanding work, but for people who’re trying it for the first time, it’s mentally taxing too. Often, homeowners go halfway through this process before finally giving up, either out of frustration at not getting things right or simply because they’re too tired to go on. Save yourself this futile effort from the start, and have a flooring contractor handle these matters for you.

You’ll Probably End Up Costing Yourself More:

If you’re not a pro at this, and still decide to install your own flooring, the chances are that you’re still going to cost yourself just as much, if not more, than if you had decided to let a professional do it. How! You ask? Think about it, flooring professionals have years of experience and they know the best techniques to cut flooring so as to minimize losses. But a beginner such as yourself is bound to make mistakes while cutting and laying out the products; hence you’ll be using more material than an expert would. Competency aside, these professionals have access to cheaper tools and equipment because they’re in this business. If ordinary people like you or me were to go out to buy the same stuff, we would be charged more. Also, if you screw up, you will have to bear the additional costs of expensive repairs down the road. If you do the math, you realize that your initial assumption of saving yourself money is most probably not correct after all. So, you’ll actually be doing your wallet and yourself a favor if you opt for a professional from the very beginning.

The Internet Can’t Teach You Everything That You Need to Know:

While the internet is a great tool for acquiring new skills or enhancing existing ones, know that there’s only so much that you can learn this way. The hands-on experience that comes from actually having done something in real life is what is required to pull off a massive project like installing flooring successfully. Binge watching relevant tutorials on YouTube or meticulously reading manuals and other instruction or guidebooks will only take you so far. They’re not going to turn you into a professional overnight. Every floor is different, and there are different techniques to install them. What you watch or read about might be vastly different from your flooring situation. Furthermore, if you decide to go down the DIY road, you can run into complications and problems that your limited knowledge based off of things you learned from the internet simply can’t solve.

You Need the Right Tools:

The most important thing that matters next to having the necessary expertise in this line of work, is to have the proper tools at your disposal. And not only that, but you should also know how to wield them properly. Now, the average homeowner neither has the tools nor the skills to handle them. Also, even if you were to rent these tools out, gaining dexterity over them is something that cannot be accomplished easily.

Potential Damage to Home:

If floors are not installed properly, it can damage other parts of your house too, like floorboards, wiring, insulation, or drywall. And you’ll have to pay for their repairs yourself, as insurance policies don’t cover any costs that arise from damage due to improper installation done in the absence of certified professionals.

You May Hurt Yourself:

You might think that you’re well prepared to handle everything. However, things can spiral out of your control in the blink of an eye, and you can end up hurting yourself. Don’t risk sustaining an injury to yourself, or others around you. If the floor isn’t correctly installed, it can cause injuries to your family members even after installation. Remember that it’s better to spend some extra cash now than harbor regrets later on.

Floor installation is a big project; don’t let your previous DIY successes fool you into thinking that you can manage this as well. If you feel like you can’t handle the equipment and that your skills are not sufficient enough, play it safe and don’t hesitate to call a professional flooring contractor. Professional floor installers have certain safety measures in place to protect themselves that you don’t know about.

Time Consuming:

DIYs for floor installations take too much time and effort. A floor is that component of your home that needs to be in shape at all times or the daily activities of the house will come to a standstill. DIY-ers, as good as their skills might be, are bound to go at a slower pace as compared to professionals, for whom this whole process is an everyday task. A floor under construction will obviously not be usable, and as such, will pose a significant hurdle to daily life and will be a general annoyance for the members of the household. That’s why most people consider installing their floors by themselves too much of a hassle, and opt for licensed professionals who are quick and efficient at their jobs.

Proper Installation Comes with A Warranty:

An additional perk of having professionals handle the installation of your floors is that, if something goes wrong with the flooring, and a defect becomes noticeable, it will be covered under warranty, even if the issue arises years after installation. On the other hand, if you do your flooring yourself, you’ll have to pay for any future repairs from your own pocket.

Conclusion:

In the long run, you (and your floors) will thank you for not going down this route. No matter how skilled you might be at DIYs, you need to realize that you are simply not skilled enough to do such a significant job by yourself. So, save yourself the effort (and inevitable frustration), and get yourself certified and insured professionals from the beginning for top-notch work. If you do however take the leap check out our website for floor fitting tools to give you the best start at your project!

Originally published at flooringsupplies.ie on February 12, 2019.