FLOORING
A floor is never better than what lies beneath it
Most problems with new floors do not show on the day they are laid. They come in the first winter, when the boards shrink and gaps open up, or in the first summer, when the floor swells and presses against the wall. That is why we put as much care into what ends up under the floor as into the laying itself: flatness, moisture, vapour barrier and expansion gap.
Relut lays laminate, engineered parquet and click vinyl in dry rooms, fits skirting boards and thresholds and does minor levelling. Sanding of old wooden floors and floors in wet rooms we do together with partner firms that have the right equipment and authorisation. We take on jobs throughout Stockholm County and always start with a free home visit where we see the subfloor with our own eyes.
What we can help you with
We look after the floor from taking up the old one to the last length of skirting.
Laminate and click vinyl
Floating installation with an underlay that suits the subfloor. We cut around pipes and door architraves, stagger the joints according to the manufacturer’s instructions and leave an expansion gap where the floor meets wall and threshold.
Parquet in different woods
Parquet in oak, ash and other woods, laid floating according to the manufacturer’s instructions. We plan the board direction by the incoming light and the shape of the room, so the cut pieces end up where they show least.
Taking up the old floor
We take up old click floors, floor coverings and trim and take the waste away. If we find older vinyl flooring or flooring adhesive that may contain asbestos, we stop work and bring in an asbestos removal firm.
Minor levelling
Local dips and unevenness are filled or sanded so the subfloor meets the flooring manufacturer’s requirements. Larger self-levelling screeds and floors with falls in wet rooms are done by partner firms.
Skirting and thresholds
Skirting boards, architraves and thresholds are cut and fitted so the expansion gap is covered without locking the floor in place. We mitre the corners and fill the nail holes where the trim is to be painted.
Sanding via a partner
If an old wooden floor is to be sanded and then lacquered, oiled or lye-treated, we coordinate the work with a floor sander. The quote states who does what and who is responsible.
GOOD TO KNOW
Four things that decide how the floor lasts
This is what we check before laying. The requirements come from the manufacturer’s laying instructions, AMA Hus and the trade’s own guidelines.
Flatness according to AMA Hus
A floating floor follows the subfloor. Dips cause bounce and creaking, and over time the click joint can break. TräGuiden states that subfloor and laying must meet the tolerances in AMA Hus, and flooring manufacturers have their own limits for how much the subfloor may deviate. We measure with a straightedge across the room and take extra care at joints and thresholds. Anything outside the tolerance is filled or sanded before the floor is laid.
Moisture in concrete is measured
Concrete can look dry and still be too damp for wood. According to TräGuiden, the relative humidity of a concrete subfloor should be no more than about 85 per cent when a wooden floor is laid. The Swedish flooring trade association Golvbranschen, GBR, writes that RH in subfloors must always be measured by specially trained personnel. If the slab is newly cast, lies directly on the ground or has had water damage, we therefore make sure a moisture measurement is done before anything is laid.
Vapour barrier and expansion gap
On concrete, a vapour barrier is laid under wooden floors and laminate when the manufacturer specifies it, and GBR’s advice for wooden floors on underfloor heating is to protect the floor from moisture in the subfloor. An expansion gap is left against walls, pipes and thresholds. TräGuiden’s guide value is about 2 millimetres per metre, but at least 10 millimetres. Without the gap the floor lifts when the air becomes humid, usually in the middle of the room.
Humidity and underfloor heating
Wood and laminate shrink in dry air and swell in humid air. GBR states that wood-based floors do best at 30 to 60 per cent relative humidity, and that the surface temperature of a wooden floor with underfloor heating should not exceed 27 degrees. The flooring must therefore be stored in a heated space and the packs opened only at the time of laying, according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Solid wood floors move more than engineered parquet.
How it works
How it works
Three steps from first contact to a price you can make a decision on.
Tell us about the floor
Get in touch and describe which rooms are involved, the approximate area, what is there today and which floor you have in mind. Photos of the floor and thresholds make it easier to prepare the visit.
Free home visit
We measure the rooms, check the flatness with a straightedge and look at what the subfloor is made of, whether there is underfloor heating and how the heights work out against doors, thresholds and adjoining rooms. The visit costs nothing.
Written quote
The quote states areas, removal of the old floor, levelling, underlay, laying, trim and waste removal. The labour cost is shown separately so the ROT deduction (ROT-avdrag) can be worked out, and it states who carries out each part.
What affects the price?
The price depends on the area, the type of floor and above all the subfloor. Taking up an old floor, levelling, lots of pipes and corners, pattern laying and new trim add hours. Underfloor heating and height differences to other rooms can also require extra work. The ROT deduction (ROT-avdrag) is 30 per cent of the labour cost, up to SEK 50,000 per person per year, and does not apply to materials or travel. You get the price in a written quote after the home visit.
Book a free home visitWould you rather talk to us directly? Call or email us
New flooring and painted walls and ceiling
See a real flooring and painting project
New flooring and painted walls and ceiling in one project. Follow the work from preparation to the result.
Free flooring home visit in Stockholm County
Tell us what you want done and we will get back to you. Call, email or fill in the form. The home visit and the quote cost nothing, wherever you live in Stockholm County.
Frequently asked questions
Straight answers about Flooring before you decide.
It depends on the area, the type of floor and how much work the subfloor needs, which is why we give the price in a written quote after a home visit rather than a standard price per square metre. Removal of the old floor, levelling, pattern laying and trim affect it most. The quote shows the labour cost separately, so you can see what remains after the ROT deduction (ROT-avdrag) of 30 per cent of the labour.
Yes, sanding and replacing floors counts as ROT work according to Skatteverket (the Swedish Tax Agency), both in a house and inside a housing cooperative flat (bostadsrätt). The deduction is 30 per cent of the labour cost, up to SEK 50,000 per person per year. You must own the home and have paid enough tax to be able to use the deduction. Materials and travel give no deduction. We take the amount off the invoice and apply to Skatteverket.
As a general rule not for an ordinary floor replacement in dry rooms, but read the cooperative’s statutes and house rules first. The Swedish Housing Cooperatives Act (bostadsrättslagen) requires the board’s permission for, among other things, interfering with a load-bearing structure, altering pipes for water, waste and heating, and other substantial changes to the flat. The cooperative may also have its own rules on impact sound and working hours. Ask the board before you order materials.
With an impact-sound-reducing underlay, and by making sure the floor does not touch walls and pipes. According to TräGuiden, thin parquet and laminate floors should lie on a cushioning layer of, for example, foam or cork. The improvement is greatest on concrete floor structures and considerably smaller on timber ones. If you live in a flat, the underlay must be chosen to meet the cooperative’s requirements.
Yes, if the flooring manufacturer approves it for the product in question. GBR states that the surface temperature should not exceed 27 degrees, that the heat must be evenly distributed across the surface and that the wooden floor must be protected from moisture in the subfloor. Solid wood floors move more than engineered parquet. Electric underfloor heating is installed by a registered electrical contractor that we work with, not by us.
Sometimes. A floating floor can be laid on a surface that is firm, flat and dry, for example a boarded floor with no bounce. Old click floors, fitted carpets and other soft surfaces must come up first. Think about the build-up height too, because doors, thresholds and transitions to other rooms are affected. At the home visit we assess what can stay.
It is decided more by the preparation than by the laying itself. Taking up the old floor, levelling that has to dry, a moisture measurement if one is needed, and storing the flooring in a heated space before laying are what take time. After the home visit you get a schedule in the quote. The rooms need to be cleared of furniture when we start, and trim that is to be painted requires an extra stage.
We come to your home, measure the areas, check the flatness and material of the subfloor, look at thresholds, doors and any underfloor heating and go through which floor suits the room. Both the visit and the quote are free and you do not commit to anything. We take on jobs throughout Stockholm County, in houses, terraced houses, housing cooperative flats and holiday homes.