Help needed on Oak flooring without using skirting board

[Tim2007]

I'm laying solid oak flooring (8% moisture) 18mm x 120mm over 4m area. It's being laid on concrete (dry 12 years) using PDQ650 adhesive.

I want the wall to go directly to the floor and ideally do want to use any skirting board for aesthetics. Creates a nice clean line.... seen it in all the mags...

I've channelled out a 25mm gap at the bottom of the wall for the flooring to slot in, whilst leaving a 15mm gap for expansion. The intention is to fill the vertical gap between the wall and the floor with plaster, paint and then seal with a fine beading of silicone.

Having not done this before (I’ve always used skirting board over expansion gap) My concern is about expansion.

Has anyone done anything similar... any help or tips really welcome...

 

[mattysupra]

Yep loads of times but what do you want to know? Plus dont put mastic around perimeter. The floor may shrink as well as grow. Also its all well and good the flooring reading 8% but make sure you acclimatize. With the high humidity we are having this year, you may find that after acclimatized it may be a bit higher than this which is fine.

 

[Tim2007]

Thanks matty... I was concerned that any expansion would cause gaps or cracking at the bottom of the wall.. or if plastered in would result in fixing the edging planks and a gap would then appear further in on the floor... or could cause bulging in the case of expansion

Think I got the idea about the mastic... assume from what you said it would end up splitting because of movement in the floor.... Will leave to climatise as suggested.

So if I ensure I leave a gap as one would normally do in the case of using skirting board, plaster in the gap in the wall... I should be okay..

Also, the instructions on the adhesive suggest using .5 kg per square metre. I've bought an adhesive spreader, which has a 4mm cerated edge, just wondered whether I may end up spreading to thinly using 4mm spreader.....

 

[mattysupra]

Use what ever trowel the flooring and glue manufacturer say. As for your wall, i take it that it will be a stud wall? You need to double board it then get it plastered and then undercut the double plasterboard with a jam saw. This will give you the straight line you want. But you will find it hard to install timber on finishing walls.

 

[WoodYouLike]

Tim, 8% moist in the wood is at the very lowest end. Make sure you leave a big enough expansion gap when installing the floor: Autumn is coming = higher humidity = expanding wood.

Rule of thumb: 3mm gap per meter width of the room, minimum 10mm.
And adjust the thickness of your skirting boards accordingly, between 18 - 21mm thick, so the wood can expand and shrink without causing problems