Floor laying – choosing the floor, the subfloor and the right fitter

What floor laying involves

Floor laying usually involves removing the existing floor, checking and levelling the subfloor, adding any moisture barrier and impact sound insulation, laying the new floor and fitting skirting boards and thresholds.

Floor types differ greatly. Laminate and click parquet are often laid floating, solid wood floors are nailed or glued, vinyl and linoleum are glued to a very even surface, and ceramic tiles require a tiler. Each floor type has its own requirements for the subfloor.

What affects the price?

Ask for a quote for your particular room. The factors that usually matter most are:

• Floor type and material.
• The condition of the subfloor and any need for levelling or a new subfloor.
• Removal and disposal of old floors, especially if there are several layers.
• Number of rooms, thresholds, corners and pipe penetrations.
• Whether furniture needs moving and who does it.
• Patterned laying such as herringbone, which takes considerably longer.

Subfloor and moisture

A floor is never better than its subfloor. Unevenness can be seen and felt, and floating floors can creak or separate. The fitter should check the flatness and correct it before laying.

On concrete, especially newly cast concrete and in basements, moisture is the big risk. Ask whether they measure the moisture in the concrete and which moisture barrier they use. Wooden floors and glued floors can be seriously damaged if the concrete has not dried out.

If the floor is to be laid in a bathroom or other wet room, industry rules for wet rooms apply, for example GVK or the Swedish Ceramic Tile Council's rules (BBV), and the work must be carried out by a company authorised under them. Read more in our guide to bathroom renovation.

Preparation

Many flooring materials need to acclimatise in the room for a few days before laying. Ask the fitter what the manufacturer recommends. Empty the room or agree who will move the furniture, and bear in mind that doors sometimes need trimming if the floor becomes higher.

If you have underfloor heating, the floor must be approved for it and laid according to the manufacturer's instructions. This may also affect which underlay should be used.

Also think about how the floor will meet adjoining rooms. If the same floor is to run through several rooms without thresholds, expansion joints or special solutions are often needed, and the direction of laying affects how the room is perceived. Discuss this with the fitter before the material is ordered.

ROT tax deduction

The labour cost of laying floors in your home normally qualifies for the ROT deduction of 30 %. Flooring, underlay and skirting do not qualify. ROT is capped at SEK 50,000 per person per year, within the joint cap of SEK 75,000 for ROT and RUT. The deduction is applied directly on the invoice provided labour and materials are separated.

What the quote should include

• Square metres per room and which floor, with brand.
• Removal and disposal of the existing floor.
• Levelling, moisture measurement, moisture barrier and impact sound insulation.
• Skirting, thresholds, transitions and trimming of doors.
• Moving furniture, protection and cleaning.
• Labour and materials listed separately plus the estimated ROT deduction.
• How unforeseen problems in the subfloor are handled and priced.

Questions to ask and common mistakes

Ask how they check flatness, what tolerance they work to and what happens if the subfloor turns out to be worse than expected. Also ask how wide an expansion gap they leave at the walls for floating floors.

Common mistakes include laying a new floor on an uneven or damp subfloor, not letting the material acclimatise, forgetting movement joints in large areas and not getting skirting and thresholds included in the quote.

Getting quotes via Fixtorget

State the floor type and number of square metres, and upload photos of the current floor, when you describe the job on Fixtorget. Up to four vetted companies can get in touch. When you have agreed, the company sends a cost specification that you accept bindingly in the portal, and if the subfloor needs extra work it comes as a separate additional specification.

Frequently asked questions