To prepare for new flooring, clear the room completely of furniture and personal items, confirm your flooring materials have been delivered, and check that the subfloor is dry — these three steps prevent most fitting-day delays.
1. Clear the Room Completely
Every item of furniture, every box, every rug, every piece of wall art leaning against the skirting — move it out. Flooring fitters work on the floor. Anything in the room slows the job down or stops it.
Most flooring contracts (including FitFloors') expect rooms to be clear before the fitter arrives. If we arrive and the room is full, we may not be able to start that day or may charge for the delay.
For bedrooms: strip the beds down, dismantle them if possible, and move them to another room.
For living rooms: sofas, coffee tables, TV units — all out. Remove TV wall brackets if cables would be in the way.
For hallways and landings: move shoes, storage units and hall furniture.
If you cannot move heavy furniture alone, arrange help in advance. FitFloors quotes assume rooms are clear — furniture moving is a separate service and must be agreed before the fitting date.
2. Confirm Your Materials Are Delivered and Correct
This sounds obvious but is one of the most common fitting-day problems. The flooring you ordered has not arrived. Or it has arrived but the quantity is wrong. Or it is the wrong colour.
Check the delivery at least 48 hours before fitting:
- Count the packs — does the quantity match what you ordered?
- Check the product code against your order confirmation — same colour, same width, same thickness?
- Open one pack and inspect the boards — any obvious damage?
- For LVT: confirm it is the glue-down or click version you quoted for (not interchangeable)
Most flooring must acclimatise at room temperature for 24–48 hours before fitting. For engineered wood and LVT this is particularly important — cold, freshly delivered boards can expand after fitting if they warm up in the room. Leave packs flat in the room being fitted for at least 24 hours before the fitter arrives.
3. Check the Subfloor
Walk across the room. If you feel or hear flex, creaking, hollow spots or obvious dips, tell your fitter before the fitting date — not on the day.
Subfloor issues that affect fitting:
- Unevenness: hard flooring requires a flat subfloor. LVT needs within 3mm over 2m. Laminate and engineered wood need within 5mm over 2m.
- Damp: lay a polythene sheet on the subfloor and tape the edges. Leave for 24 hours. If condensation appears underneath, there is a damp issue.
- Old adhesive: patches of old carpet tape or adhesive residue may need grinding down before new hard flooring is fitted.
- Squeaky floorboards: loose or squeaky floorboards should be secured before carpet is fitted — re-securing them after the carpet is down is much harder.
FitFloors includes a free subfloor assessment with every quote. If we find issues during the quote visit, we tell you and quote separately for any preparation needed.
4. Prepare Access and Practicalities
Parking: fitting vans carry tools, boards and materials. Confirm there is somewhere to park close to the property — ideally on the same street.
Door clearances: new flooring changes the floor height. If you have internal doors that barely clear the existing floor, they may need trimming after fitting. Tell your fitter in advance so they can advise.
Pets: keep pets out of rooms being fitted and away from the front door. Fitting involves sharp tools, adhesives and materials that can be dangerous to animals. Pets that get underfoot slow the job.
Children: keep children away from the fitting area for the duration of the job.
Skirting boards: if you want the floor to run under the skirting boards (a cleaner finish), the skirting needs to come off before fitting and go back on after. Decide this before the day — it affects the quote.
On Fitting Day — What to Expect
The fitter will arrive, survey the room briefly, and start work. A standard 20m² room typically takes 3–5 hours depending on the flooring type and subfloor condition.
You don't need to supervise. The fitter will let you know if they need anything. Keep the room free of non-essential foot traffic while fitting is underway.
For adhesive-based floors (glue-down LVT, for example), the floor should not be walked on for several hours after fitting. The fitter will advise on cure time before they leave.
When fitting is complete, the fitter will clear away waste materials and edgings. Do a walk-through with the fitter before they leave to check you are happy.