fitted solid oak flooring - now worried!!

[beezo]

hi guys,

hope you can offer some advice.

i fitted a solid oak floor for a mates mum. the flooring was approx 10mm thick. it was layed on a bitumen coated floor using laybond flooring sytems L16 wood bond.

problem is this was the way i was shown to lay this type of floor by a joiner in another house but i have just found out that the floor in the house we did approx 8 months ago has expanded to a point were it has caused the skirting boards to become detatched from the walls it has even buckled in the hallway to the point were the guy has had to take a length of the flooring out to get it to lay flat. i think this bit was where the floor was really unlevel so it hasnt stuck properly but this is not the case for the house i did as the floor was perfectly flat

anyway guys, im worried about this expanding issue and im worried now it will do the same in my mates mums house. what do you think the chance are of it happening?? should it have been layed this way?? what should i do if anything to ensure it does not do any damage.

hope you can help guys. any advice appreciated

 

[foxhole]

I used self adhesive foam underlay for hard wood floors on concrete surface, it allows movement without buckling.

 

[WoodYouLike]

How wide an expansion gap did you leave with the floor and how wide are the boards?
Expansion can have various reasons, higher air humidity, wrong maintenance (washing the floor with buckets of water instead of a mosit cloth etc).

 

[beezo]

i left approx a 10 mm expansion gap. eac piece is around 120mm wide, found out they are 18mm thickness

 

[WoodYouLike]

OK, next question. How wide is the room?
18mm Oak floor, various lengths?

 

[beezo]

yes mate, various lengths

room was approx 13 feet wide, 18 feet across

 

[joe-90]

Just because house A has a problem doesn't mean house B will. A 10mm gap should be adequate. I imagine that house A has a serious damp issue. Stop worrying.

 

[foxhole]

i left approx a 10 mm expansion gap. eac piece is around 120mm wide, found out they are 18mm thickness

The flooring I just laid recommended 15mm gap minimum.[22mm solid oak]

 

[WoodYouLike]

yes mate, various lengths

room was approx 13 feet wide, 18 feet across

Rule of thumb with solid oak flooring in regards of expansion gap:
3.5 - 4mm gap per meter width of the room with a minimum of 10mm

In your case: 15 - 16mm needs to be there at least.