Floors and skirting boards take a beating. Vacuum cleaners, furniture, pets, kids and decades of foot traffic leave their mark. In older Latrobe Valley homes, timber floors on stumps move with the seasons, boards squeak and lift, and skirting boards pull away from the walls. In newer homes, floating floors lift at the edges, trims come loose at doorways and skirting is chipped by vacuums and furniture.

We repair floors, skirting boards, architraves and floor trims in homes, units and rentals across Traralgon, Morwell, Moe, Newborough, Churchill and the surrounding district. We fix the immediate problem, look for the cause and leave a neat finish that matches the rest of the room as closely as possible.

Floor problems we fix

Squeaky floorboards

Squeaks happen when boards rub against each other or move against the joist or the nails holding them. In Valley homes on timber stumps, the subfloor dries out in summer and swells in winter, and squeaks often come and go with the seasons. Depending on access and the cause, we:

• Re-fix boards to the joists with screws from above, countersunk and filled
• Use specialist squeak repair screws that snap off below the surface
• Pack gaps between joists and boards from underneath where there is subfloor access
• Add timber blocking between joists where boards have too much spring

Loose and lifting boards

Boards can lift where nails have worked loose or where moisture has caused them to cup. We re-fix loose boards, and where boards are split or rotted we replace sections with matching boards. Matching old Victorian ash, mountain ash or other hardwood floors exactly is not always possible, but we source the closest available timber and recycled boards where we can.

Floating floor repairs

Laminate, hybrid and engineered floating floors can lift, gap or bounce when they are installed without enough expansion gap, laid over an uneven slab, or affected by water. We can:

• Trim edges and re-fit skirting or scotia where floors are binding against walls
• Replace damaged individual planks where spare planks are available (this sometimes means lifting rows from the nearest wall)
• Re-fix and replace trims at doorways and transitions
• Advise on whether a floor needs specialist flooring work

Floor transitions and trims

Loose and damaged trims at doorways, between carpet and tiles, and between timber and vinyl are trip hazards. We replace and re-fix aluminium, timber and vinyl transition strips, ramp trims and carpet bars, and secure lifting carpet edges at doorways.

Subfloor and stump issues

We can inspect the subfloor where there is safe access and look for damp, rot, termite damage and loose or sinking stumps. Re-stumping and major subfloor work need a builder or re-stumping specialist, and termite issues need a licensed pest controller. We will tell you what we see and refer you to the right trade.

Skirting board repairs

Skirting boards protect the base of walls and hide the gap between floor and wall. Common problems we fix:

• Chipped and dented skirting from vacuums and furniture, filled, sanded and repainted
• Skirting pulling away from walls, re-fixed with nails, screws or construction adhesive into the wall frame
• Water-damaged skirting in bathrooms, laundries and kitchens, replaced and sealed (after the leak has been fixed)
• Missing sections, replaced with a matching profile
• Gaps between skirting and floor or wall, filled with gap filler and painted
• Skirting replacement after new flooring, including scribing to uneven floors

Matching profiles

Skirting profiles have changed a lot over the decades. Valley homes built in the 1950s and 1960s often have plain or bullnose hardwood skirting; 1970s and 1980s homes often have colonial profiles; newer homes have square-edge or small-bevel MDF skirting. Common profiles are still available. For older or unusual profiles, we look for the closest available match, use recycled timber or, where it makes sense, replace a full wall length so the joint is not obvious.

Architraves

Architraves are the trims around door and window openings. We repair and replace split and damaged architraves, re-fix loose ones, and fit new architraves after door replacements. We match existing profiles where possible, and we mitre corners neatly.

Scotia and quad

Scotia or quad trim is often used to cover the expansion gap around floating floors instead of removing skirting. We fit, replace and paint scotia, and remove it if you prefer to refit the skirting properly.

Why floors move in the Valley

Many Latrobe Valley suburbs sit on reactive clay soils, which swell when wet and shrink when dry. Homes on stumps and on slabs can move a little with the seasons. That movement shows up as squeaky floors, gaps under skirting, sticking doors and cracks in plaster. Small seasonal movement is normal. Large or ongoing movement, doors that stop closing, and cracks that grow quickly need a builder or structural engineer to look at the foundations.

Moisture under the house makes things worse. Blocked gutters, broken downpipes and garden beds built up against the house can all soak the ground under a home. Fixing drainage often helps more than repairing the floor itself. See our gutter cleaning page.

Rentals and sale preparation

Damaged skirting, lifting trims and squeaky floors make a home look tired at inspection. Before a sale or a new tenancy, a day of floor and trim repairs plus paint touch-ups makes a big difference.

For rentals, trip hazards like lifting trims and loose carpet edges should be fixed quickly, both for safety and to avoid a claim. We work with property managers on these repairs and send photos.

What we do not do

We do not sand and polish timber floors, lay new carpet, or install large areas of new flooring. Those are specialist flooring jobs. We also do not carry out re-stumping, underpinning or structural floor repairs. We are happy to do the preparation and finishing around those trades, such as removing and refitting skirting.

Areas we cover

Floor and skirting repairs across Traralgon, Morwell, Moe, Newborough, Churchill, Yallourn North, Glengarry, Tyers, Traralgon South and Hazelwood North.

Asbestos caution in older homes

Some older homes have vinyl floor tiles or sheet vinyl with backing containing asbestos, particularly floors laid before the late 1980s. Don’t sand, scrape or break old vinyl tiles. If you plan to lift old floor coverings, get them tested first. We will not disturb suspect material and will refer you to a licensed asbestos removalist where needed.

Looking after timber floors

• Use felt pads under furniture legs.
• Use doormats at entries to catch grit that scratches the finish.
• Wipe up spills promptly, especially near the kitchen and laundry.
• Keep pet nails trimmed.
• Keep the subfloor dry by maintaining gutters, downpipes and drainage.
• Keep subfloor vents clear so the space under the house can breathe.

Floors in SEC-era homes

Thousands of homes in Moe, Newborough, Morwell and Yallourn North were built by the State Electricity Commission to house power station and mine workers. Many are weatherboard or fibro homes on timber stumps with hardwood floors, often covered later by carpet or vinyl. These floors are usually good quality timber, but after 60 or 70 years the original nails loosen, boards shrink and gaps open up, and stumps settle unevenly. When people lift the carpet, they often find hardwood worth restoring. We can re-fix loose boards, replace damaged sections and fill or repair problem areas before a floor sander comes in, so the finished floor is sound.

Concrete slab homes

Newer homes in Traralgon’s growth areas, such as those around the town’s eastern and northern edges, and much of Churchill are built on concrete slabs. Slab floors do not squeak, but the floor coverings on top of them can lift, crack or gap. Tiles on slabs can crack where the slab has a shrinkage crack beneath them, and floating floors can bounce over low spots. We repair individual tiles, trims and planks, and we can tell you when the underlying problem is slab movement that a builder should check.

Skirting replacement after new flooring

When new floating floors or hybrid planks go in, the skirting is often removed and either refitted or replaced. Skirting refitted over a thicker new floor sits higher on the wall, which can leave old paint lines showing. New skirting is often a better finish. We remove the old skirting carefully, scribe the new skirting to the floor so there is no gap, fix it into the wall frame, fill nail holes and joints, and paint it.

Doors that scrape new floors

New flooring is often thicker than the old covering, so doors start dragging on carpet or catching on new floors. We trim door bottoms cleanly, seal the cut edge, and re-hang the door so it clears the floor without leaving a large draught gap. See door repairs and installation.

Wet area floors

In bathrooms and laundries, floor problems can point to a leak. A tile that sounds hollow when tapped, grout that keeps cracking, skirting that is swollen at the base, or a soft spot in the floor near the shower or toilet can all mean water is getting under the floor. We can replace the damaged trims and tiles once the cause is found, but the leak itself should be checked by a plumber or waterproofer first.

Stair treads and nosings

Worn or loose stair nosings, carpet edges lifting on stairs and squeaky treads are trip hazards. We re-fix treads, replace damaged nosings, and fit non-slip strips to timber and tiled stairs inside and outside.

Getting a quote

Email photos of the damaged floor or skirting, a close-up of the skirting profile, and a note on the floor type and whether there is access under the house. We will reply with a clear scope and quote.

A short video of a squeak or bounce also helps us diagnose it.

Frequently asked questions