Direct scribing is used in areas where you need to install more than one piece of material.

The most common technique is the three-wall scribe. The procedure is described below.

Once you've read through this process, go to the web link shown in the learning activity to see a video clip of a floor layer demonstrating the technique.

1. Place the material in the room with both ends flashed up the wall and the long side as close to the 'main wall' as possible.
   
   The main wall is the one that runs the full length of the piece.
   
   It is always scribed first.

2. Mark a cross line on the wall (or skirting) and the material for alignment purposes. These two lines will be matched up later once you've cut the piece.
   
   
3. Pull the sheet back from the wall by about 100 mm, making sure it stays parallel to the wall. Check that the distance is the same at both ends.

4. Use dividers or a bar scriber to scribe the outline of the main wall onto the material. Set the scriber so it marks about 10 to 20 mm in from the edge of the sheet. Make sure you hold the scriber at right angles to the sheet while you're marking the line.
   
   
5. Cut along the scribed line with a knife. Then move the piece back into place against the main wall and line up the pencil marks.

6. Trim the 'factory edge' off the other side to produce a clean straight edge. Draw a guide line on the subfloor with your pencil held firmly while it follows the edge of the sheet. Then put a cross line from the edge of the material to the subfloor.
   
   
7. Pull the piece away from the end wall until it lies flat on the floor. Make sure the edge stays aligned with the long line you've drawn on the subfloor.

8. Set the bar scriber to the difference between the two cross lines (one on the subfloor, the other on the material). Scribe the end of the piece to the end wall. Cut along the scribed line.
   
   
9. Carry out the same scribing and cutting procedure at the other end.

Pipes

To scribe a wall and pipe at the same time, first mark the position of the pipe with two offset lines running square from the wall.

Use the same scribe setting as you've used for the wall and mark the front of the pipe between the offset lines.

Scribe a circle with the dividers, touching both offset lines and the scribe mark.

Cut a seam into the circle, and cut out the scribe line for the wall and a circle for the pipe.

Door trims

Door jambs and architraves can be scribed in the same way.

Draw a separate line for each change in direction, at right angles to the wall.

Then use the bar scriber to mark the profile of the architrave.

Pattern matching

To pattern-match a second piece of material beside the first piece, use the three-wall scribe technique.

Trim off the factory edge of the first piece where the seam will be. Then bring the second piece into the room.

Put it in place with its inside edge overlapping the first piece and the other edge against the main wall (running lengthwise).

Make sure the overlap is equal for the entire length of the seam.

To find the scribe setting for the main wall, subtract the width of the offcut that you'll trim off the inside factory edge.

For example, if the 'equal overlap' at the seam is 70 mm and the offcut is 10 mm, the scribe setting should be 60 mm.

This means that you will still have a 10 mm overlap at the seam when you pull the material back to the wall once it has been cut.