Advice on fitting laminate floor over solid hardwood or repairing existing

[HawkEye244]

Hi chaps,

I have a flat I want to replace the floor in.

The existing floor is 60mm wide, 18mm thick american white oak tongue and grove solid timber, which has seen better days.

I have a few things to consider before I go out and buy the laminate.

Firstly, what's the easiest way to stop the dreadful squeaking? This is mainly in the footfall areas i.e. the hallway.

Secondly, do I need to ply out the whole area before fitting the new laminate?

Thirdly, do I need underlay?

The flat is on a ground floor, so no sound considerations.

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In addition to this there is another option.

The existing floor could be de-squeaked, re-sanded and stained to something a little lighter in colour, but this will be labour intensive, and as I'm going to do the whole place myself I need to be confident that I'm going about it the right way.

The floor sits on timber joists sitting directly on the concrete.

The other consideration if I go the sand and re-stain route is the floor has been damaged and will need repair in places. I will need to source about 2-3m3 of american white oak from a timber merchants which could prove difficult.

This option would save removing skirting, cutting back architrave and all the rest, but will the finish be nice enough to justify all the work?

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The flat consists of a lounge, 2 bedrooms, and a hallway, the kitchen and bathrooms are tiled.

 

[OwainDIYer]

The existing floor could be de-squeaked, re-sanded and stained to something a little lighter in colour, but this will be labour intensive, and as I'm going to do the whole place myself I need to be confident that I'm going about it the right way.

The floor sits on timber joists sitting directly on the concrete.

The other consideration if I go the sand and re-stain route is the floor has been damaged and will need repair in places. I will need to source about 2-3m3 of american white oak from a timber merchants which could prove difficult.

This option would save removing skirting, cutting back architrave and all the rest, but will the finish be nice enough to justify all the work?

IMHO solid wood will always look better and last longer than laminate. Sanding and refinishing will be comparatively cheap to do as well if you hire a sander for a weekend and DIY.

If you can't 'borrow' enough patching material from inside cupboards etc, then sacrifice the hall floor for use as patching, and relay a new hall floor; either a contrasting wood or a tile to coordinate with the kitchen. The hall floor is probably the most worn anyway.

A handy opportunity to consider if you want any cables or pipes under the floor too ...

 

[JohnD]

is this a ground floor flat, or are the downstairs neighbours going to kill you?

 

[HawkEye244]

The existing floor could be de-squeaked, re-sanded and stained to something a little lighter in colour, but this will be labour intensive, and as I'm going to do the whole place myself I need to be confident that I'm going about it the right way.

The floor sits on timber joists sitting directly on the concrete.

The other consideration if I go the sand and re-stain route is the floor has been damaged and will need repair in places. I will need to source about 2-3m3 of american white oak from a timber merchants which could prove difficult.

This option would save removing skirting, cutting back architrave and all the rest, but will the finish be nice enough to justify all the work?

IMHO solid wood will always look better and last longer than laminate. Sanding and refinishing will be comparatively cheap to do as well if you hire a sander for a weekend and DIY.

If you can't 'borrow' enough patching material from inside cupboards etc, then sacrifice the hall floor for use as patching, and relay a new hall floor; either a contrasting wood or a tile to coordinate with the kitchen. The hall floor is probably the most worn anyway.

A handy opportunity to consider if you want any cables or pipes under the floor too ...

This feels like the best option.

I'm hoping to get my hands on some reclaimed american white oak in the next few weeks. The hall is not that worn overall, just certain areas where boards have been cut for services.

I need to take care of the squeaking, any ideas ?

 

[HawkEye244]

is this a ground floor flat, or are the downstairs neighbours going to kill you?

Ground, no problem

 

[getitdone]

For the cost involved in buying the laminate and effort in fitting it, I'd say definitely worth sanding back the existing floor and resealing. If you don't want to hire the sanding machines, there are one man bands out there who'll do it for £5-6sqm and then you could do the oiling or lacquering yourself - and plenty of different products around that are now well within a DIY scope to apply!