Floating a floor

[lotstolearndiy]

I have just been watching the Wickes TV programme about fitting a solid wooden floor.
http://www.wickes.co.uk/pcat/webtv
The first thing that surprises me is that they are floating a floor over floorboards which I would expect to be uneven. They are using 5mm fibreboard - Will that sort out any unevenness?
Next, he says that you can actually just lay the boards down and not glue them together? Is he right? Would that work?
Finally, he is using a PVA that is not waterproof? I thought you had to use a waterproof PVA?
Next question - do you have to use anything to pull the boards together?

What do you think to his method? If it will work then it is a much cheaper option than Elastilon.

Thanks

 

[WoodYouLike]

No wonder they are using bamboo floor: all long (well around 1 meter) lengths and not the 'standard' DIY-sheds many short lengths in other solid floors.
If your existing floorboards are fairly level the boards he uses will do. foam underlayment on a roll when installing the new boards in the same direction as the existing boards is a no no. You'll have to board over first (hardboard or plywood).
He only 'dry-lays' the first three rows to check if the wall (and the product) is straiht, then he glues them together. He says three times you don't have to glue the boards together but he prefers it. It is always better to glue all T&G's together otherwise you end up pretty quickly with gaps between the joins.
NEVER EVER fill the expansion gaps with cork like he does! And avoid a pattern of joins - their bamboo floor shows the same pattern every three rows - awful!

Petty they didn't show how they tackled to last row or the rows around the fireplace and doors
And also a petty they didn't talk about proper maintenance. Every floor, even lacquered floors need regular maintenance product applied (every 5 - 6 months).

If your floor is of good quality the T&G's will fit nicely tight (not too tight so you have to whack every boards together or too loose it rattles) you don't need a strap.

 

[lotstolearndiy]

Hello again WoodYouLike.
Thank you very much to take the time to watch the video. I have to say that I was impressed with how good the bamboo looked, because it tends to be a little cheaper. I would certainly consider that in the future. When you said "No wonder they are using bamboo floor", is that because it is good at not warping or something?

I have bought maple 80mm wide of varying lengths and 18mm thick.
I have a concrete floor that is covered with tiles that look like marley tiles. These are stuck down with something black (bitumen I presume). I was going to use Elastilon but someone told me that it is tricky to use for the first time. Also, I realised that it would save me about £100 if I glued the floor instead.

So, my plan is to follow the example on the Wickes video - use their 5mm fibreboard underlay, and then glue the tongues and grooves together but I plan to use waterproof PVA. I don't know why they used "Laminate Flooring PVA" that Wickes sell, because it is water-based.

I haven't yet checked the level of my floor because the room needs emptying. However, I think that I will be OK with that. If not then that is a whole new can of worms.

Question: Do you think I need to put down a damp proof membrane? I don't think the floor is particularly damp. The property was built in the 1970s. There is definitely a DPM in the brick walls. Will there be one under the concrete floors? Do the bitumen and tiles do this job anyway? If I put a sheet of plastic down would that make the floor more likely to move (slipage)?

I agree, it is a shame they missed out all the tricky bits. Maybe that was where the builder snook in and took over. I would really like to have seen them do the first three rows?

It wasn't clear from the video, but are you supposed to wait for the glue to dry after each three rows, or are you just suppposed to wait after the first three rows?

Thanks

 

[WoodYouLike]

I'm afraid that with 80mm wide boards you either have to use the Elastilon or fully glue it to your floor: the boards are too narrow to install floating.
But you can't glue onto Marley tiles.

What i really meant that they used bamboo instead of a solid oak floor: most DIY-sheds sell solid floors that come in a pack which states lengths between 300 - 1200mm but contain more short lengths and if you are very lucky more than 2 boards of 1200mm. This creates a lot of joins and therefor a rather unstable floor.

 

[lotstolearndiy]

Ooh. That's bad news. I'm trying to understand what you said. Why does it make it unstable if I glue smaller pieces together? Won't the PVA just glue it all into one big piece? Isn't the PVA meant to be as strong as the wood? What problems have you seen when someone glues narrow boards together?

Why is there a problem with gluing it but not a problem with Elastilon? Why wouldn't it be unstable with the Elastilon?

Thanks

 

[WoodYouLike]

Glueing small boards together (the T&G's) means many joins, which makes the floor unstable, prone to move on the joins (like hinges)
Elastilon "glues" the whole back of the board, where with the 'floating' method only the T&G's are glued together.

Hope this makes sense.

 

[ShyBoy]

sorry did not mean to hijack the post. Will create a new one.

 

[mattysupra]

That video is spot on! The flooring expands because of temperature change? They have fitted brick form! And where they are putting the beading on they have forgot to under cut the door frame, and forgot the expansion!

And so on !

 

[lotstolearndiy]

I just read your comments on ShyBoy's post. Interesting - very informative.

So, it looks like I need to use Elastilon. From what I told you, do you think I am OK not worrying about a DPM?

 

[WoodYouLike]

That video is spot on! The flooring expands because of temperature change?

Sounds the same like I read by one of the 'glue company's experts in CFJ recently: in warm summer days the floor shrinks and on cool damp winter days it expands
(Rain is not the same as high humidity - cool air cannot contain much moist!)