Torn between wanting my flat the way I want it, and not wanting to alienate decorator!

[JessicaCH]

I'm having wood flooring laid in my flat, in all the rooms except the bathroom, and I was planning to have it flowing through without breaks between the rooms. One of the decorators - who is an all-purpose decorator, not a specialist floor-layer - starting laying it today and said that it is not going to be possible to have it flowing through and that there will have to be breaks between the rooms. He was very definite about that, but the explanation he gave was rather vague - something to do with the walls. I can't help wondering whether it would genuinely not work to have it flowing through, or whether a specialist floor layer could do it. Am I being too fussy? There have already been a couple of other slight points of tension with the builders (e.g. they said they would show me catalogues for taps, which they said they could get at trade prices. Instead of showing me catalogues, they went ahead and bought taps that I didn't like, with my money obviously, and I had to ask them to return them), so I don't want to cause too much fuss but at the same time it's my money and I'm going to have to live with the results. If he says it's definitely not going to be possible to have the flooring flowing through, should I accept that, or press for a more detailed explanation (which is bound to annoy him)? Does anyone happen to know whether there is any genuine reason why wood flooring could not flow through? Thanks for any thoughts on this!

What kind of flooring is it? I've laid lots of laminate and engineering flooring and it's not that complex as long as you have the proper tools... the only reason I can think not to is if there's a change in level. I would get a regular joiner or carpenter to fit it rather than a decorator, they should have the necessary tools. It will probably cost more to have someone who considers themselves a "specialist flooring fitter", especially if they come attached to a shop that sells flooring at an insane mark up but it shouldnt be necessary unless you're having complicated parquet or marquetry

Thanks so much for your replies. You've decided me that I should definitely talk to the decorator tomorrow morning, and if he can't do it, I'll get a specialist in who can! My only concern is that he's already done one room, and sawn off the wood at the doorway; I hope it'll be possible to redo the doorway wood so that it flows through! (There is a bit of surplus wood, so hopefully that'll be enough to sort out the doorway!)

TremoloGreen It's engineered wood flooring.

The maximum length that we recommend engineered wood flooring can be installed is 7m in any direction. If you do intend to install engineered wood flooring in a longer run, look for areas where you can add expansion gaps such as doorways or archways.
This is taken from this website: www.woodfloorwarehouse.co.uk/installing-engineered-flooring

It is done to protect the flooring long term - to prevent it lifting. It's not because your workman/decorator is lazy and wants an easy life.

Thank you - very interesting link. I had not know that it's important to acclimatise wood flooring. Mine arrived on Monday and they started fitting it today - it turns out it should acclimatise for 5-7 days first!

I'm puzzled though about the expansion gaps, given that several people in this thread have said they have wood flooring flowing through without breaks. Not sure what to think!

The expansion gaps are usually put at the edges of the room, where they will be hidden by skirting boards.

Not good that they haven’t let it acclimatise. I’d be really tempted to get them to stop have a proper floor layer do the job. It will be expensive to put right if they mess it up.

Fucking hell. Are you employing cowboys?
And put your big girl pants because they take advantage of you. They’ll fuck up your house (the wood that’s installed straight away is a huge giveaway that they are cowboys) and you’d spend a lot more to put right if they haven’t spend everything by then. Are you keeping track with receipts of the expenses?

The builder said: "I think he'll be ok."

This made my blood run cold.

And yes, what the others said - you are the boss. Act like it.

Honestly you need to pull up your big girl pants

I had decorators pull all kinds of shit like this.

I learnt early doors

• don’t pay in full upfront
• source all your own materials (taps, radiators etc)
• insist it’s done exactly how you want
• do not assume anything
• check on them REGULARLY
• insist they check everything with you
• make them redo it when they don’t bother (I had one dickhead try to install a plug socket 3ft high on a wall but it “didn’t matter” as the tv was going there... I explained that if we rearranged the furniture it might look a touch odd so could he install it above the skirting board like a normal person would... )

Different rooms will sometimes have different temperatures, eg a hallway is usually quite a bit cooler than a main living room with an open fire/wood stove. The differences in temperature can cause the wood to "move" so if the wood in the hall buckles/lifts then it may effect the wood it is attached to in the other rooms. This was why expansion gaps were traditionally put in doorways as it was an easy way to separate the wood flooring and potentially limit the amount of damage to the flooring.

I understand the reasons for your builders recommending the “expansion gap” - our flooring suppliers/fitters did the same. However, I was set on having the flooring run all the way through downstairs with no breaks. They mumped about it a bit (as it was harder to fit), but ultimately all was fine and still is 15 years later (engineered wood). There was a wee gap left around room perimeter which was covered by edging wood.

What job do you do? Do you have a boss? Clients? Think of them and how they give you instructions. Some will do it better than others. Emulate them. And don’t be afraid of offending them!!!!

And because this is Mumsnet, I feel I need to point out that ‘don’t be afraid of offending them’ is not the same as being deliberately offensive.

You are the boss. I was once told by a plumber that my bathroom sink needed visible pipes running up the outside of the pedestal, due to "joists in the way".

It was suggested to me that lifting a floorboard to check the truth of this was easy enough, and anyway you can drill through a joist. So I did look- it took a hammer (the claw end) to pull up two nails, then lift.

Obviously he was talking bullshit, there was no joist there. And he was astonished a woman had noticed.

Our wooden floor flows seamlessly through several rooms, but it’s the original flooring from when the house was built. No issues at all with buckling or expansion! If the Victorians managed it, then surely it’s easily doable in this day and age. Good luck OP!

Thanks, everyone - this thread has been really helpful. When I spoke to the decorator this morning he said that the reason for breaks at the doorways was indeed to leave an expansion gap. I spoke to a specialist flooring company and they said that in some buildings it's ok to have the wood flowing through and in others it's not advisable; they're going to come round and look at my flat and give an opinion. They said that generally it's a good idea to have a break at the kitchen doorway, as the kitchen floor is more likely to expand and contract than other areas (what with heat from the oven and moisture from cooking) and you don't want that affecting the rest of the flat.

Interestingly, when I then spoke to my decorator again and told him what the other company had said, he said that he's happy to lay the wood flowing through the doorways, and that if I then decide I want expansion gaps, he can cut the floor at the doorways. I have asked him to hold fire anyway until I have an opinion from the other company, and I will then compare quotes.