That irritating squeak when you walk across the floor isn’t a sign of an old house; it’s a sign of movement. Squeaks occur when timber rubs against metal (the nail head) or against another piece of wood (the joist). The great news is that you can often silence creaking floors without the disruptive, messy process of lifting the entire floor covering.

Locate and diagnose the noise

The first step in knowing how to fix squeaky floorboards under carpet is pinpointing the exact spot.

• Walk and listen: Walk across the noisy area until you find the exact point where the sound is loudest. Mark it with a piece of masking tape.
• Identify the cause: The problem is usually where the floorboard has come loose from the timber joist underneath.

Step-by-step: Stop floorboards squeaking without lifting

For floors that are exposed (not covered by carpet or vinyl), you can try the lubrication method.

• The lubricant trick: Sprinkle talcum powder, wood powder, or specialised graphite powder for squeaky floors directly into the gap between the two rubbing floorboards. Walk over the area a few times to work the powder down. The powder acts as a dry lubricant, eliminating the friction and helping to silence creaking floors.

For carpeted floors, you need to use a targeted mechanical fix, often found in a squeaky floor repair kit.

1. Find the joist: Use a stud finder or a thin nail to locate the centre of the timber joist underneath the squeak. Joists are typically spaced 400mm or 600mm apart.
2. The repair kit: Purchase a specialised squeaky floor repair kit (often called a ‘Squeak-No-More’ kit). These kits contain screws designed to be driven through the floorboard into the joist below, but with a unique head that snaps off flush with the floor surface.
3. Secure the board: Drive the specially designed screw through the carpet, floorboard, and into the joist, pulling the floorboard down tightly.
4. Snap and fill: Once tight, use the kit’s tool to snap the screw head off below the carpet level. The screw is now hidden and the floorboard is secured, effectively ending the movement and noise.

This technique is the best way to stop floorboards squeaking without lifting the floor and is a reliable Handyperson solution.

Why use Rated People for home repairs?

While talcum powder is a quick fix, if the problem is a poorly laid subfloor or a structural issue with the joists, you need a professional handyperson to safely diagnose and fix it. They have the right tools (like a squeaky floor repair kit) and the experience to silence creaking floors quickly and permanently, giving you a quieter, more stable home.

With Rated People, you have the power to get it done. Find a trusted, local tradesperson today.

The post Fixing squeaky floorboards: A detailed guide to silencing your home without lifting the floor appeared first on Rated People Blog.

We often forget how important flooring is in our interior design, a feature that can easily make or break a space. That’s why it’s crucial to ensure the foundations of your floor design perfectly complements your home’s interiors. In fact, a floor renovation can completely change your impression of an old room. If your home’s floors have been through the wringer and need an immediate upgrade, a floor renovation is the perfect home improvement project for you. 

Thinking of renovating your floors and making them look how you’ve always wanted? Get inspired by our most popular, efficient, and aesthetically pleasing floors below: 

1.     Herringbone Parquet pattern floor

Looking for a unique look for your flooring design? Herringbone flooring is a simple yet impactful design that allows you to choose from a multitude of options. Decide which shapes, colours, and sizes to create a customised flooring design just for you. Herringbone floor is suitable for all rooms in your home, whether that’s your kitchen, bedroom, or living area. Oak herringbone floor makes the perfect diverse look for your room, adding personality and depth immediately to your home.

Looking for a flooring specialist? Find vetted, trusted tradespeople on Rated People.

2.     Flagstone floor

Flagstone flooring remains popular no matter the current home interior trends. The timeless, natural design of flagstone flooring makes it one of the best options for a floor renovation. If you want quality and value in your flooring this might be the perfect choice for you. The stone flooring comes in a wide variety of styles from rustic white limestone to modern muted-grey limestone to match your vision for your floor design. 

3.     Concrete floor

A design that is rising in popularity is concrete flooring. Asking yourself if this is the floor design idea for you? Concrete floors are extremely strong, durable, and effortlessly impactful. With the right maintenance and installation concrete floors can create a dramatic look to act as the perfect finish for your home.

Ready to beat the boom and start your floor renovation? Find professional flooring specialists by posting your job on Rated People.

The post Floor design trends appeared first on Rated People Blog.

Electric underfloor heating is becoming more popular than gas, due to changes in SAP calculations and the Government’s announcement to ban gas boilers in all new builds by 2025. Plus, electric underfloor heating provides greater design freedom by freeing wall space, making it appealing to homeowners and architects. With demand rising, now is the time to push for the number one spot as an electric underfloor heating installer.

Becoming the number 1 installer of electric underfloor heating is no mean feat. Failing to carry out the installation correctly can reduce energy efficiency. It can even cause the system to fail completely, which is no good for your reputation or the homeowner’s pocket! Here are some top tips from ThermoSphere, on how to make the installation of electric underfloor heating worry-free and reduce the risk of costly errors.

1. Know your product

By knowing your products inside out, you’ll give yourself a key advantage.  Knowing your product means that you’ll choose the right electric heating system for the floor type. In turn, this reduces installation time and makes the system more energy efficient. 

For example, insulation boards are one key component of an electric underfloor heating installation that’s often forgotten about. Without them, the system will be less efficient and more expensive to run, as heat will be absorbed through the subfloor.

There are several ways to learn about products: day-to-day use, online training, person to person training, blogs, forums, YouTube and other social media platforms.

2. Stay ahead of the competition

As well as the knowledge sources mentioned above, you need to keep up to date with trends, new products and industry changes.  Subscribe to regular product content producers, chat to people in the industry and sign up to loyalty programmes so you’re the first to know about new product launches and technical support.

3. Test, test, test

Another key component for reaching that number 1 spot is knowing how to test the electric underfloor heating system.  Best practice is to test the resistance and insulation of the system.  A good tradesperson will test the electric underfloor heating three times:

1. As soon as it comes out of the box, to make sure there’s no damage to the heating cable before installation starts.
2. When the underfloor heating mat or cable has been laid. This test makes sure that no damage has been done to the cable while it was being installed.
3. Once the floor finish has been laid, to make sure that no damage occurred during the installation of the flooring.

Removing sections of the floor covering to fix an issue that’s preventable by proper testing during installation is the last job you want to have.

4. It’s all in the planning

You can never over plan an electric underfloor heating installation! Start by outlining all your requirements.  Key areas to consider include: desired output, floor substrate, insulation, thermostat type and position, floor sensor position, floor finish and maximum temperatures.

Knowing the answers to these questions will save you time and money in the long run. Plus, it’ll create an efficient and effective workflow which will impress any homeowner.

5. Check if the electrical circuit is suitable

One of the top considerations with any electric heating system is the total load (current in Amps) that the heater requires to operate.  Electric underfloor heating systems use a lot of current. So, make sure the total load doesn’t exceed the total load capacity of the electrical circuit.

Consult ThermoSphere’s technical team if you need help calculating this for your system.

6. Remember the warranty

One of the most common questions electric underfloor heating installers ask is “I’ve got too much heating cable, can I cut the end off?” The simple answer is no and here’s why…

Electric underfloor heating cables produce an exact resistance, so they create the right amount of heat along the entire length. If you cut the end of the cable off, you’d reduce the resistance, the heating won’t work as designed and it could even fail, especially if the end isn’t terminated correctly!  In addition, cutting the cable voids the warranty, and there’s no warranty on a self-repaired cable.  If a cable is cut accidentally, then the manufacturer should be able to help.  For example, if you’re a registered installer with ThermoSphere Connect, you could be entitled to a free replacement (provided that the floor finish has not yet been laid).

7. Offer good customer service

Answering questions and being generally helpful is part and parcel of being a number 1 electric underfloor heating installer. Three of the main concerns for homeowners are: How much will it cost, how long will it take to install and am I protected if it stops working? Here’s how to answer those common questions homeowners ask…

Question 1: How much does electric underfloor heating cost?

The cost of electric underfloor heating is a lot less than most homeowners may think, especially when compared to the cost of running common household appliances.  For example, an oven can cost £26.86 per year to run if used for 90 minutes per week, compared to £24.64 per year to heat a 2.5m² bathroom (4.67p per hour).

Here’s an interesting fact to put the cost of running electric underfloor heating into perspective for homeowners: if you have a well-insulated home, it costs less than the average takeaway coffee to run ThermoSphere electric underfloor heating in a 2m² bathroom for a month, on average!  Find out more details on how much electric underfloor heating really costs.

Using a thermostat with heating scheduling and zonal control is essential for keeping the cost of running electric underfloor heating under control. For example, the SmartHome thermostat enables you to control your heating on the go via WiFi. On the other hand, the BT21 uses Bluetooth to keep your heating system safe and easily controllable from your home via the app and the Programmable allows you to set weekly scheduling.

Check out more tips on how to provide great customer service.

Question 2: Does electric underfloor heating take long to install?

Quite simply, no. You can install most ThermoSphere electric underfloor heating systems in just one day (depending on the size of the space). Remember to allow time for adhesives to fully cure before the system is switched on; this usually takes 1-2 weeks.

Question 3: Am I protected if the system stops working?

The last thing a homeowner needs is for their newly laid floors to be taken up to fix a problem. This can be costly and disrupts their daily life.  

There are no moving parts to an electric underfloor heating system and cable failures are extremely rare, if installed correctly. However, a damaged cable can usually be located and repaired with minimal disruption. Here are a few tips:

• Consider installing a second sensor probe as a backup, which can be connected should the other fail.
• You can also adjust the thermostat to air sensor mode. However, you’ll need to put a temperature limit of 27⁰C on the floor. As the sensor measures the temperature of the room and not the floor directly, this will stop the floor overheating.

9. Go the extra mile

Offer to set the heating schedule, calibrate temperatures, set the temperature limits and adjust any other settings as required, so the electric underfloor heating works perfectly after you’ve left. Make sure to show the homeowner how to do this too.

Think about the cost of one FOC call back to you to adjust settings after the adhesives have cured. Going the extra mile during the initial job will save you money and time. Most importantly, it’ll leave you with a very happy homeowner!

If you have any questions on electric underfloor heating system installation, contact the ThermoSphere team or find a retailer close to you.

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