Flooring and tiling
Wood and engineered flooring
Whether this needs a licence in Ireland
No licence required
Taken from the statute below; not yet reviewed by a lawyer
Wood and engineered flooring: what the job involves
Laying solid or engineered wood flooring — floating on underlay, glued down or secret-nailed to joists or battens — with the moisture checks, acclimatising, expansion gaps and trims that decide whether it stays flat. Engineered board is the usual choice over concrete and underfloor heating.
Also asked for as: wooden floor fitting · engineered wood flooring · solid wood floor fitter · herringbone floor · oak flooring installed
How the job is usually done
- Check the subfloor for level, soundness and moisture, especially new screed or concrete.
- Leave the boards in the room to acclimatise as the manufacturer advises, with heating at normal levels.
- Prepare the subfloor: level, fix loose boards, lay a damp-proof membrane over concrete where needed.
- Lay underlay or adhesive, then the boards, keeping the expansion gap around every edge and pipe.
- Undercut door linings and architrave so boards slide under them.
- Fit thresholds, trims and skirting or beading to cover the expansion gap.
- Clean down and explain care and the finish.
Wood and engineered flooring: what is included
Usually included
- Subfloor checks and minor preparation
- Underlay or adhesive and membrane
- Laying the boards and cutting around frames
- Thresholds and trims
Usually not included — agree it separately
- Major levelling or new screed
- Moving radiators or cutting pipes
- Lifting and disposing of old carpet or tiles, unless agreed
- New skirting boards, unless agreed
- Sanding and finishing unfinished boards
Materials and who supplies them
- Solid or engineered boards, often chosen and bought by the customer, with about 10% extra for waste
- Underlay, damp-proof membrane or flooring adhesive
- Thresholds, trims and beading
How long it takes
Usually one to three days for most rooms, after the boards have acclimatised; longer for herringbone, glue-down work or many doorways.
When to book
Avoid laying on new screed until it is dry, and avoid the first weeks of the heating season when moisture levels change fastest.
Wood and engineered flooring: the rules in Ireland
What the official sources say, checked against them on the date shown. A summary, not legal advice — follow the link to read the rule itself.
Old thermoplastic or vinyl floor tiles and their black bitumen adhesive, in buildings built or refurbished before 2000, can contain asbestos and must be identified before they are lifted or sanded; removal of asbestos is controlled work.
Applies to: the contractor and the homeowner
Health and Safety Authority — asbestos regulations · hsa.ie · Checked 9 October 2026
Building work on a home is charged at the reduced VAT rate of 13.5%, but where the materials come to more than two-thirds of the price, the goods rate applies to the whole job; ask how a supply-and-fit quote is charged.
Applies to: the contractor
Revenue · revenue.ie · Checked 9 October 2026
Anybody who takes the old flooring or tiles away must hold a waste collection permit, and handing waste to an unpermitted collector is an offence for the householder.
Applies to: the homeowner and whoever removes the waste
National Waste Collection Permit Office · nwcpo.ie · Checked 9 October 2026
What wood and engineered flooring costs, and why
What jobs on Talqero came to
Not enough comparable jobs yet to publish a range here. Talqero shows a price range only once at least five comparable jobs, agreed prices or offers exist — a range from fewer would describe a handful of jobs, not the market. Post your job and compare the offers you get.
What affects the price
- Area and the fitting method: floating, glued or nailed
- Subfloor preparation and moisture control
- Board format: wide planks, herringbone or chevron
- Doorways, stairs and thresholds
- Underfloor heating, which limits the products and methods
- Lifting the old floor
- VAT: building work on a home is charged at the reduced rate of 13.5% by a VAT-registered business — unless the materials come to more than two-thirds of the price, when Revenue’s two-thirds rule applies the goods rate to the whole job. Ask whether a quote includes VAT.
Paperwork to ask for at the end
- Manufacturer and product details, and the warranty conditions
- Moisture readings of the subfloor, especially over screed
- Care instructions for the finish
Safety
- Wood flooring over underfloor heating must be a product rated for it, with surface temperature limits set on the controls.
- New screed can take weeks to dry; laying wood on a damp subfloor causes cupping and gaps.
- Cutting boards indoors creates fine dust; cutting outside or with extraction is better.
Wood and engineered flooring: before you hire
Questions to ask a tradesperson
- Will you test the subfloor moisture before laying?
- Which fitting method will you use, and why?
- Is the product suitable for my underfloor heating?
- How will you finish the edges: skirting off, or beading?
What you can do yourself
Floating click engineered boards are a manageable DIY job on a flat, dry subfloor; glue-down, nailed and herringbone floors are better left to a fitter.
What to put in your task
- Roughly how many square metres?
- What kind of wood flooring?
- What is the floor underneath?
- Is there underfloor heating?
- What needs to come up first?
Photos that help
- Each room, showing the doorways
- The current floor close up, at a corner if it can be lifted
- Radiator pipes coming through the floor
- The boards chosen, with the box label
Wood and engineered flooring by county
Choose your county for wood and engineered flooring close to home.
- Wood and engineered flooring in Dublin
- Wood and engineered flooring in Cork
- Wood and engineered flooring in Galway
- Wood and engineered flooring in Kildare
- Wood and engineered flooring in Limerick
- Wood and engineered flooring in Meath
- Wood and engineered flooring in Tipperary
- Wood and engineered flooring in Donegal
- Wood and engineered flooring in Wexford
- Wood and engineered flooring in Kerry
- Wood and engineered flooring in Wicklow
- Wood and engineered flooring in Mayo
- Wood and engineered flooring in Louth
- Wood and engineered flooring in Waterford
- Wood and engineered flooring in Clare
- Wood and engineered flooring in Kilkenny
- Wood and engineered flooring in Westmeath
- Wood and engineered flooring in Laois
- Wood and engineered flooring in Cavan
- Wood and engineered flooring in Offaly
- Wood and engineered flooring in Sligo
- Wood and engineered flooring in Roscommon
- Wood and engineered flooring in Monaghan
- Wood and engineered flooring in Carlow
- Wood and engineered flooring in Longford
- Wood and engineered flooring in Leitrim
Flooring and tiling
Need wood and engineered flooring? Describe the job.
Post it once, free. Professionals near you reply with their own price and when they could start. You choose, and pay them directly.
Questions about wood and engineered flooring
Does wood and engineered flooring need a licence in Ireland?
No licence is required for this work in Ireland (source: www.cru.ie). Ask instead for references and photographs of similar jobs.
Engineered or solid wood?
Engineered board has a real wood top layer on a stable core, so it moves less with heat and moisture and suits concrete and underfloor heating. Solid wood can be sanded more times but needs a stable, dry subfloor and is less forgiving.
Can wood go over underfloor heating?
Yes, with engineered boards rated for it and the floor surface temperature kept within the manufacturer’s limit. Thinner boards with a high-density core usually perform best.
Why do the boards need to sit in the room before fitting?
Wood takes on moisture from its surroundings. Letting it acclimatise in the room, at normal heating, reduces gaps and swelling after it is laid.