Service
Tiling & Flooring in London
Tiling and flooring covers the finished surface and, more importantly, the substrate beneath it — the boarding, levelling and preparation that determine whether a floor stays flat and a tiled wall stays sound. ERCO Home Improvements lays tile, parquet and engineered wood flooring across London.
The substrate is the job
A tiled surface is only as stable as what it is fixed to. Timber floors flex, and tile does not, so a timber substrate has to be stiffened and overboarded before tiling or the grout lines will crack along the joists within a season. In wet areas the board also has to be suited to moisture and the junctions tanked.
Levels are the other half of it. Large-format tiles are unforgiving: a floor that undulates by a few millimetres will produce lipping between tiles that catches the light and the eye. Levelling compound applied before tiling costs a fraction of what relaying a floor costs afterwards.
Setting out — the decision made before the first tile
Setting out determines where the full tiles land and where the cuts fall. Started from the wrong point, a wall ends with a sliver of tile in the most visible corner; started correctly, the cuts are balanced and land where nobody looks. It is a decision made with a chalk line and a tape before any adhesive is mixed, and it is the difference between tiling that looks considered and tiling that looks approximate.
The same principle applies to parquet. Herringbone and chevron patterns are set out from a centre line so the pattern reads symmetrically in the room; starting from a wall in an out-of-square London property puts the drift where it cannot be hidden.
Wood flooring and movement
Solid timber expands and contracts with the humidity of the room, which is why it needs an expansion gap at every perimeter and why it is a poor choice over underfloor heating or in a bathroom. Engineered board — a real timber wear layer over a stable ply core — moves far less and can be used in situations solid timber cannot.
Both need acclimatising in the room before laying. Boards fitted straight off a cold van will move once the heating comes on, and no amount of careful fixing prevents it.
Questions
Common questions
Can I tile directly onto floorboards?
No. Floorboards flex and tile does not, so the floor needs stiffening and overboarding with a suitable board first. Tiling straight onto boards is the most common cause of cracked grout lines and loose tiles.
Is engineered wood better than solid wood?
For most London properties, yes. Engineered board is far more stable with changes in humidity, can be used over underfloor heating, and still has a real timber wear layer that can be sanded back.
Can wood flooring be laid over underfloor heating?
Engineered board can, within the manufacturer’s temperature limits and with the heating commissioned gradually. Solid timber generally cannot, because it moves too much as the floor warms and cools.
Also
Whole-House Renovation
A single craftsman overseeing every discipline. No handoffs, no excuses, no surprises.
House Extensions
Side returns, rear additions and loft conversions — architecturally coherent, structurally uncompromising.
Bespoke Bathrooms & Kitchens
From Calacatta marble to smoked oak and burnished brass. Every surface, chosen and placed with precision.
Discuss your project
Send a message with a few photographs and a description of what you have in mind. You will get a straight answer about whether it is something we can take on, and roughly what it involves.
Or email info@ercohomeimprovements.co.uk