Concrete is the ideal base for an engineered wood floor. First you will need a floating floor over a Combi underlay, as this will have a damp proof membrane. Then the engineered wood floor will be fully glued to the sub floor.

An expansion gap needs to be left with all wood and laminate flooring that is fitted in your home. Wherever your solid hardwood, engineered wood or laminate floor meets a fixed object such as a skirting rail, door, pipes etc. you will need to allow a gap of 1.5mm for every metre in length and width.

No it is not recommended to install engineered wood flooring in bathrooms or wets areas. Areas such as kitchens or toilets are fine as long as any spillages of water are cleaned up as soon as possible.

Laminate and luxury vinyl flooring are both extremely versatile flooring products. They can be installed in virtually any room of your home, above or below ground, over wood or concrete. There are several locations that are not recommended for laminate and vinyl flooring. With recent manufacturing developments the look as well as the feel of these products are very close to real wood.

If you would like laminate installed in a bathroom we recommend that any water and spills are mopped up and dried straight away. We recommend using laminate in a larger bathroom or where there is good ventilation. However, we would recommend that you opt for a more water resistant floor covering.

Laminate flooring is typically half the price of hardwood flooring (and sometimes the savings can be greater), which for some is an obvious advantage. Laminate flooring is easy to install and can be installed as a DIY job rather than getting it expertly fitted (although there are many disadvantages to doing this!). Hardwood flooring needs a level of expertise and skill, which many DIY enthusiasts simply don’t have. Laminate flooring can be installed quickly, and because it’s scratch resistant, fade resistant and the products available are such good quality many customers opt for laminate over hardwood flooring.

Laminate flooring really is one of the easiest flooring types to care for. It is incredibly resilient and can be fitted in any room for a stunning finish that will last for many, many years. We recently re-fitted some 8-year old flooring in a customer’s home. They wanted to change the living areas to hardwood and as the laminate was as good as the day it was fitted we replaced the carpet in the main bedroom with their unwanted laminate at their request, and it looked as good as when we installed it new. To maintain your laminate floor we advise our customers to vacuum them regularly and use a damp – not wet – cloth to clean up any spillages. Make sure that you don’t use too much water or cleaning detergents to clean your laminate floor. The best method for cleaning is to vacuum or sweep your laminate flooring first to clear any loose dust or grit. Then spray a fine mist of water over the floor in manageable sections, and then wipe them dry making sure you don’t use a non-abrasive, clean cloth.

No, carpet underlay is specifically designed to offer comfort underfoot. If you lay a laminate floor over this type of underlay you will put intense pressure on the joints, which will result in damage to the laminate.

Squeaky or noisy floors are usually due to an uneven subfloor or even the expansion and contraction of your hardwood or laminate flooring. Try sprinkling talcum powder onto the board that’s causing the noise as this will reduce friction. Otherwise, you need to find out the reason behind the noise and this could mean taking up part of your floor and look at the root cause

Melamine makes up the surface of laminate flooring, it’s scratch resistant but isn’t scratch proof. Sharp objects can scratch the floor and it isn’t indestructible so make sure you take precautions. Make sure you wipe your shoes to avoid sharp stones, lift rather than drag furniture, use furniture casters, trim dog’s nails and try not to drop any sharp heavy objects onto your floor. When using a vacuum cleaner make sure that the wheels and brush are in working order and don’t drag on the floor. Finally don’t leave water or wet substances on the laminate flooring surface without cleaning them up straight away.

Absolutely. Our showroom is located over 3,500 sq ft and we have thousands of samples to choose from, ranging from man-made option to natural fibres and wool blends suitable for every area in the home. The options are endless, we have unlimited colour and styles for twists, Berbers, Saxony’s and Axminsters.

We have carpets from budget to mid and high range price bands and offer carpets starting from just £6.99 per square metre. In addition, we constantly compare our prices with other retailers to ensure our customers get the best prices. We also have a price match guarantee so should you find the same carpet elsewhere we are happy to match the price, and we run regular special offers and discounts.

No! We offer a free home estimate and planning service, available 7 days a week and at a time to suit our customers. In addition, we can bring the samples to your home.

We only employ the very best fitters in the business. We have a fitting service for every product we sell, carried out by specialist fitters for that particular product, and at a lower price than most of our competitors. In addition, we can arrange to move furniture, uplift existing flooring, and prepare subfloors.

Many customers want to take advantage of a special offer even though they haven’t moved into a property or are waiting for decorating to be carried out. Or they just want to order a floor and delay the fitting for whatever reason. This is absolutely fine, simply place your order to avoid any possible price increases and we will store your carpets until you are ready for fitting, at no extra charge.

Yes. Upon completion of every fitting we always ensure we carry out a happy call service to confirm our customers are satisfied with our service and that there are no issues with the product. In addition, customers have a fitting and manufacturing guarantee for complete peace of mind.

No. One of the great things about First Floors is that as well as a wide range of carpet options, we also have a vast range of solid and engineered wood including herringbone and crosshatch flooring in wood, an extensive range of luxury vinyl, and laminate options. We also stock ceramic tiles.

We supply carpets made from recycled materials including recycled plastic bottles, carpets made from corn on the cob and made from bamboo which is the fastest growing, most sustainable wood on the planet. Even our underlay is made from recycled material. Order your fantastic new carpet with the good feeling of helping to protect the environment.

No, that’s what’s so great about this innovative new product. It is a floating floor, and the existing subfloor doesn’t need to be perfect. If it is damp or powdery, we will simply lay a damp proof membrane. It also needs no drying time after the floor is laid, and will be perfectly flat and even, regardless of whether there is some movement on the subfloor.

One of the great features of vinyl flooring planks is that it is available in a True Grain range. This range is a textured finish and follows the grain pattern precisely, making it virtually indistinguishable from an authentic wood floor.

Yes, vinyl is perfect for these areas. They are very hardwearing and water resistant, making them a popular choice for these areas.

It’s no more expensive to have fitted than a wood floor, making it a great alternative to these products.

There is no minimum or maximum size restriction on bespoke rugs, however we cannot cut carpets to circular or half moon shapes.

We have a range borders available in several colours and widths. However, if you would like a bespoke rug from Alternative Flooring there are many borders available in cotton, canvas, leather and suede. You can also have several borders combined to help tie in several colours from your décor.

Made to measure rugs from Alternative Flooring take around 4 weeks for delivery, whereas made to measure rugs from all other brands will take around 2 weeks.

Alternative Flooring has a wide range of wool and natural fibre rugs (made from seagrass jute and coir) in many styles and colours. You can now have a rug made from any of the Alternative Flooring carpet ranges using a clever online tool. You can visit the showroom and we will talk you through the ranges available and the process of designing your own rug.

Visit the co-branded First Floors Make Me A Rug website. 

Yes we have a brand called Clan, which provides some stunning tartan rugs and runners in various sizes and in a range of colours. However, we offer a bespoke rug service whereby you can have a rug made out of any of our carpet ranges and either edged or whipped. Talk to one of our experts if you would like a rug with a difference, as we can talk you through all the options.

We recommend that you purchase a rug leaves a gap of at least two feet on each wall. Generally you should place the rug in front of furniture rather than underneath it, especially if you have a beautiful natural wood or luxury vinyl floor that you want to show off, and the contrast can be really attractive

Hand–knotted rugs are the highest quality and longest lasting rugs available, and can last over 100 years.

The best way to decide on the best rug for your home is to do some research – visit design sites such as Houzz and Pinterest for interiors ideas, and also our brand websites to get some ideas. Generally speaking, geometric and floral designs clash but either goes well with stripes but try not introduce a new pattern if you have lots going on, similarly if your room is plain you might want to introduce a design in your rug.