How to Find and Check a Floor Fitter
Where to find a floor fitter in the UK, what NICF, CFA and TrustMark membership tells you, eight questions to ask first, and what the law says they owe you.
We sell floors and do not fit them, so the person who lays yours matters as much as the board. This guide sets out where to look in the UK, what a membership tells you, the questions that sort a good quote from a cheap one, and what the law says the fitter owes you.
On this page
Why the fitter matters
We sell floors and do not fit them. A floor that fails almost never fails because of the board.
We supply floors only. Not carrying fitting teams and showrooms is a large part of why the same floor costs less here, and it means most of our customers book a fitter themselves. A floor that comes up again almost never fails because of the board. It fails because it went down over a subfloor that was not flat or not dry, without the acclimatisation the maker asked for, or without the gap at the walls. Every one of those is the fitter's part of the job.
If you would rather we pointed you towards someone, call us on 020 3858 0353 or email info@homesandfloors.com.
A dry, flat subfloor, acclimatised boards and the gap at the walls are the fitter's part of the job.
Where to look
Five UK directories, and what each one is best for.
| Where | What it is | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| NICF directory | The National Institute of Carpet and Floorlayers. Its directory lists mainly fitters and retailers, some members offer flooring inspections, and the NICF has a complaints procedure. | Wood, laminate, LVT and carpet in homes |
| Contract Flooring Association | The trade body for contract flooring. Its directory lists contractors, manufacturers, distributors and consultants, all of whom have passed the CFA's membership vetting. | Larger jobs, developers, commercial work |
| The Tile Association | A directory of tile fixers by location. | Porcelain and other tiles |
| Federation of Master Builders | Builders the FMB describes as vetted, inspected and monitored. Some are also registered with TrustMark. | When the floor is part of a bigger job: an extension, a kitchen, a renovation |
| TrustMark | The government-endorsed quality scheme for work in and around the home. | Checking whether a business is registered |
A recommendation from someone whose floor you have seen is still the best source there is. Ask the fitter to show you a job they have done, ideally of the same kind of floor as yours.
A floor you have seen beats any directory: ask to see a job like yours.
What a membership tells you, and what it does not
A membership shows a business passed someone's checks, not that it has laid your kind of floor.
A membership tells you a business has passed someone's checks. It does not tell you the fitter has laid your kind of floor.
Ask which NICF category the fitter holds, and whether it matches your floor.
Eight questions to ask before you book
The answers sort a careful fitter from a cheap one.
- How will you check the subfloor is dry? A screed has to be dry before any floor goes on it; laminate, for example, asks for no more than 75% relative humidity on a screed (our laminate fitting guide sets out the figure and the source). A fitter who measures, rather than looks, is the one you want.
- How flat does the floor need to be, and who levels it? Levelling is the line that moves most between quotes, because it can only be sized after seeing the room.
- How long should the boxes sit in the room first? As a guide, at least 48 hours, flat, in the room where the floor will go. The maker's fitting instructions come first.
- What gap will you leave at the walls, and how will it be covered? The answer depends on the floor. Our expansion gap calculator gives the published figure for your room.
- Which underlay, and is it on the quote? A floating floor needs one, and over underfloor heating it has to suit the system. For laminate, the European producers ask for at least 14 dB impact sound reduction.
- Who lifts and takes away the old floor, and who trims the doors?
- Do you carry public liability insurance, and do you guarantee your work? Ask for the length of the workmanship guarantee in writing.
- Will you work to the manufacturer's fitting instructions? They decide the warranty on the floor.
A fitter who measures the subfloor, rather than looks at it, is the one you want.
Reading the quote
The lines a complete quote has on it, and the four differences that make two quotes impossible to compare.
The price per square metre is the line everyone compares, and the one that decides least. Our engineered wood cost guide lists the lines a complete quote has on it: subfloor preparation, underlay or adhesive, beading, scotia and thresholds, door trimming, the waste allowance, and lifting and disposal. It also lists the four differences that make two quotes impossible to compare: supply-only or supply-and-fit, levelling included or extra, the old floor taken away or not, and VAT in or out.
Published labour rates vary widely, from £8 to £15 per m² on one UK price guide to £20 to £50 per m² for engineered wood on another. What it costs to floor a whole house shows both, and what they mean for a real home.
The price per square metre is the line everyone compares, and the one that decides least.
What the fitter owes you
Reasonable care and skill, within a reasonable time: the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, every contract to supply a service includes a term that the trader must perform it with reasonable care and skill. Where the contract does not fix a time, the work must be done within a reasonable time.
The floor itself is a separate contract, with us. If the problem is the board, talk to us; if it is the fitting, talk to the fitter. Our structural warranty covers the board under correct installation, not fitting errors. Keep the delivery note, the fitting instructions and the fitter's invoice together: if a floor ever needs looking at, those three papers answer most of the questions.
Keep the delivery note, the fitting instructions and the fitter's invoice together.
If you are a fitter
Trade prices from the first order, and a case study for jobs laid with our floors.
If you fit floors for a living, a trade account takes 10% off from the first order and more on larger areas, with no codes and no minimum order. Approval usually takes one to two working days, and flooring for contractors and fitters sets out how it works. If you have laid one of our floors, we would like to show the job as a case study, with your photos credited and a link to you.
Common questions
Do Homes & Floors fit floors?
No. We supply only. We can point you towards independent installers and advise on the right fitting method for the floor you have chosen.
Is a member of a trade body always the better choice?
A membership shows the business has passed someone's checks and gives you a complaints route. It does not show that the fitter has laid your kind of floor, so ask for a job of the same kind either way.
Should the quote include the underlay?
For a floating floor, yes, or it should say clearly that you are supplying it. A glued floor needs adhesive instead. One or the other belongs on every quote.
What the published sources say
- NICF, directory and membership criteria: listings for fitters and retailers, members offering inspection services, a complaints procedure, Master Fitter assessment categories.
- Contract Flooring Association, why choose a CFA member: directory of contractors, manufacturers, distributors and consultants; membership vetting.
- Federation of Master Builders, find a builder: vetted, inspected and monitored members; TrustMark registration for some.
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 and section 52.
Fitting costs and access differ by area. See the towns and regions we deliver to.
Who publishes this guide
- Samples £1.99 each
- UK-wide delivery
- Advice before you order
