Floating reclaimed floor boards over concrete..?

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Hello all,

I want to install (L=10' W=8" D=20mm) reclaimed pine boarding over concrete. total area size = (59SQM with the largest part 7.5M x 4.5M) This will be the lounge, kitchen, GF bedroom with shower and toilet, separated with plaster board walls between, fixed to floor... Should the boards be fitted along the length of the room or width, or does it not matter..?

I believe the best solution would be to float it over a membrane and polystyrene, gluing only the T&G and leaving a 15mm space all around walls...

The boards have come out of a building which was around a 150 years old and will be put through a machine that T&G's them and sands one side.. I guess i will varnish them, will the wood density be good enough for the job..?

I have never done anything like this before and would appreciate it if someone could tell me if this is possible and what problems there might be..

The house is a 1998 build that was flood damaged around 6 months ago... it should be pretty dry now as I have had dehumidifiers in and had it tested OK..

Any advice is much appreciated...

Thanks

legepe
 
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Flooring is usually laid at right angles to the main window so that light runs down the joins and not across the joins and as you have a choice with laying a new floor then that's what i'd do. The procedure you plan is ok although I would consider carefully checking the old pine flooring before putting it through the machine for any nails or the like to save the blades taking a beating. And don't go less than 18mm thick.
 
Do you think that the density of the wood will be ok.. as it is only pine and not some very hard wood..?
I will buy the wood pre-prepared so no problem with nails...
Why does the light need to run down the grains...?
Thanks for you advice...
legepe
 
Do you think that the density of the wood will be ok.. as it is only pine and not some very hard wood..?

There is plenty of pine flooring around but as you say it is not the hardest of woods and its density will also vary acccording to its country of origin- Nordic pine denser than S European pine.

The wood will dent/bruise easier than a hardwood and some find this attractive as it takes away from the uniformity.

What was the wood originally used for ?
 
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I don't know what the wood was for originally.. i think it was flooring out of an old school... i am buying it from a company that specialize in reclaimed wood.. but my main concerns are will it be hard enough.. and buckling or cracking due to temp/moister changes after I install it... especially as it will be floating and there will be nothing securing it...?
 
i think it was flooring out of an old school...

Well, it's pretty obvious isn't it , that if it was flooring in a school for over a century, it is certainly fit to use in a domestic situation :rolleyes:

For the same reasons you are unlikely to have the other problems you mention.
 
Ok, thanks for the information and your help... Much appreciated..! Forgive my ignorance... im an absolute novice.. :oops:
 
It's not essential but it's good practice for the light to run down the grains and not across them as in certain lights and, depending on the width of flooring used it can cast a series of mini-shadows through the floor as the light hits any raised edges etc. Not sure where I learnt it from but i'ved lived by that rule since I started many moons ago.
 
OK, thanks a lot... i am quite concerned about installing this floor because i have been to quite a few building and flooring places locally and they are advising against installing the wooden floor floating over concrete... and are telling me that it will buckle and possibly crack... is there any chance that this could happen..? and if so, is there a better way of doing it...?
 
As mentioned above you are putting them back to what they have been doing for 150 years and you have a membrane and insulation between them and the concrete so I cannot really see too many stability issues. I would recommend clamping the boards with ratchet straps as you go though to ensure a good bond.
 
I would like to hear an update if Legepe went ahead with this installation and if it has worked for him.
 

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