Yes. The quality of most of what yards round here offer is very poor. I normally don't recommend DIYers to do them partly on material quality grounds, and partly because they don't understand the need to use flooring cramps
You have to do your own - groove the edges then rip loose tongies from 1/4in plywood. Works very well, but it requires a router, a cutter and a table saw - unless you can find a very accommodating timber yard. Are there any?
I'd be screwing anything down, but with floor boards is it necessary to screw EVERY board down (which would be quite a task) or can you get away with every few and let the T&G do the rest?
There's one to cause arguments. I fix everything when I'm doing flooring because I was taught to do it that way. Never found a reason to change and I'm always concerned that cutting corners just leads to problems in the longer term (like squeeky floors)
you can get a special bit that does bore, pilot and countersink in one. Don't know the trade name for it.
I know how to wedge floorboards but you can hire a cramp to push them firmly together.
p.s. I got 8x2 spruce flooring ply, T&G all round, had to order it though. The face is rather rough. For subsequent floors, I got hardwood-faced 18mm WBP which has a much better surface, and nogged the joints.
Actually I do know one sheet stock supplier who will make it - he's got a couple of beam saws and a falte bed CNC router. But he's pretty much a one off in my experience - and the cost of machining ain't cheap (he charges joinery shop rates). If you have the tackle it's easier and cheaper to make your own
perhaps rocking horse stories are true afterall presumably not done for nawt ,for frequent buyers, I like the look Covers john d pretty handy, do they do flooring grade softwood boards
Biggest problem with floor boards these days is the fact that the timber is grown as quick as possible, leaving it very open grained. If you can source slow grown timber, it has less chance of cupping/splitting .
That's scuppered me now then with the worry around timber of floor boards.
Do the REDWOOD ones in the first post mean anything to anyone quality wise?
Re the screwing each down question, its not i mind or don't have a drill i was just wondering if it was normal practise.
With a 8' x 2' sheet i'd screw every 300mil or so along the joist and into each joist probably 400 centers. With a floor board that means every 150mil along the joist doing every board, and then every joist wide at 400 centers.
I just wondered if this was overkill to do every board.
Redwood is a woodworker's term for better quality pine known as joinery quality. This is too expensive for flooring. The best and most the economical is flooring quality. Its very white looking and no good for joinery because the grain is too open and breaks out easily. Nailing floor boards is fine; two nails in each jois. t 2.25" cut nails are great if you can get them. Don't forget to get the boards the right way up if you look at the end grain and it looks like a smile or a grim face you want the grim face. Does that make any sense.
I always screw mine down, but I am not doing it for a living and I am only doing one room at a time. It takes a bit longer and costs a bit more. I think it does a better job and you can retighten after a couple of weeks when it has settled. In my own house I also have an eye to taking them up one day.
When I were a lad and being paid for it, it was cut nails and a big hammer.
My top floor of house (1965) - I have taken up all the "chipboard" type-floorboarding, (it was all broken up due to water damage and central heating installation) and want to lay down good old fashioned wood floor boards with nails - but I have come a bit of a cropper in the first room I tried, floor squeaks - does it get better in time as it Wears In ? I used timber from B&Qs left it in room temp for 2 weeks and then nailed it down. Am I going totally wrong ? (before I attempt the next room!)
sorry for duplicating post, first day on this website, but I have got the message - also that I have to screw down all the floorboards to stop them squeaking and cracking - but can I leave the nails already in and just put screws in next to them, or should the nails all come out first ?
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