Fitting Wood Flooring DIY or Hiring A Fitter?

If you are in the process of planning a wood flooring project and are toying with the option of either a DIY fitting or a professional fitter, we want to help you make your decision.  No matter which decision you make, you can be sure that the right choices made now will stand you in good stead for the future because a good quality, well fitted wooden floor can last a lifetime.

Here’s what we believe to be the “upsides” of a DIY installation:

It’s cheaper.  There’s no getting away from it, DIY floor fitting, as with any other DIY project is much lower cost than getting the professionals in.  This is because, we tend not to think of the cost of our own time when we undertake DIY projects, whereas of course, we accept that if we get someone else to do the job, we’re responsible for picking up the bill for their time.

In some respects, it’s more flexible.  With a DIY floor fitting project, you can stop and start when you wish, so there’s no need to take time off work to let the fitters in and perhaps hang around while they’re there.

…and the downsides:

It can take a lot longer to get the job finished if you’re only working on your project at weekends and during your spare time.

It can prove pricey if you don’t have the right tools to do the job already.  In this case, you’ll either need to beg, borrow, buy or hire the tools.  Even hiring the right tools can end up quite expensive.

If you’re not great at attention to detail and finishing, small mistakes can spoil the look of your end result at best, and can end up costly if they go completely haywire.

Taking all of this into account, if you’re not all that certain about what you’re doing, here are some great reasons to hire a professional fitter (even though it’ll cost more):

You’ll get a high quality finish, guaranteed.

You’ll get an guarantee against post-installation niggles.

So, if you’ve decided that you have the ability to fit wood flooring but are still not 100% sure, before you reach your final decision, it’s probably a good idea to get two or three quotes from recommended professional fitters.  Thereafter, list all the tools you’ll either need to buy or hire to do the job and then weigh up the cost:benefit of each option.  At least by going through this process, you’ll be sure you’ve made the right decision.