can i just lay floorboards ontop of my concrete floor as long as i lay a DPM first or do i have to use batterns to keep them off the concrete
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Floorbopards on concrete
- Thread starter saggy
- Start date
DPM + sound-insulation underlayment will do the trick as long as the concrete floor is level.
What is this typical English fling with battens on concrete floors as soon as wooden flooring comes in the picture?
What is this typical English fling with battens on concrete floors as soon as wooden flooring comes in the picture?
We think it's more to do with the thought: wooden floorboards are on joists (old houses), now I have concrete floors and carpets, for wooden flooring I need joists = battens?
Please correct me if I'm wrong
Wood has indeed the ability to shrink and expand, but they will do that also nailed on battens. Don't see the advantage
Please correct me if I'm wrong
Wood has indeed the ability to shrink and expand, but they will do that also nailed on battens. Don't see the advantage
Lets agree to disagree here 
Well, 95% of all wooden flooring we install on concrete floors are installed using the floating method i.e. using appropriate underlayment (DPM+sound-insulation) and glueing the T&G's.
The weight of the floor it self and the furniture will keep the floor 'in place' while (normal) shrinking and expanding during the seasons can take place, without effecting the floor (or the look of the floor) to much. The floor settles during the first year (what we call our 4-seasons guarantee) to adapt to the house environment say in Autumn (higher humidity) as well as in Winter/Spring (low humidity).
We do have to return sometimes to 'cut' the floor back a bit when the higher humidity pushes the boards beyond the expansion gap used, but that's normal behaviour of a wooden floor. And sometimes we have to return to re-fit the beading when the floor is shrinking in periods of low humidity, also natural behaviour.
Wood works
The weight of the floor it self and the furniture will keep the floor 'in place' while (normal) shrinking and expanding during the seasons can take place, without effecting the floor (or the look of the floor) to much. The floor settles during the first year (what we call our 4-seasons guarantee) to adapt to the house environment say in Autumn (higher humidity) as well as in Winter/Spring (low humidity).
We do have to return sometimes to 'cut' the floor back a bit when the higher humidity pushes the boards beyond the expansion gap used, but that's normal behaviour of a wooden floor. And sometimes we have to return to re-fit the beading when the floor is shrinking in periods of low humidity, also natural behaviour.
Wood works
WoodYouLike,
Thank you for the quick reply.I can understand this technique using engineered and mdf flooring as they are both stable materials.I can also understand using this technique for these materials as they are only tempary floor coverings much the same as carpets.I see wooden flooring as a more perminant job, to fixed down properly and not have to return again.
Still knowing what fashions and fades are like in five years time people will be ripping these floors up and putting brown lino down instead!!! 
Thank you for the quick reply.I can understand this technique using engineered and mdf flooring as they are both stable materials.I can also understand using this technique for these materials as they are only tempary floor coverings much the same as carpets.I see wooden flooring as a more perminant job, to fixed down properly and not have to return again.
Still knowing what fashions and fades are like in five years time people will be ripping these floors up and putting brown lino down instead!!!
We (and many fitters in The Netherlands - home country) use this method also for solid floors (for decades now) without (m)any problems.
Must be a 'country' thing
The trend is still more and more proper wooden flooring, fortunately. More and more Wood-Engineered full-planks and oil finishes.
Must be a 'country' thing
The trend is still more and more proper wooden flooring, fortunately. More and more Wood-Engineered full-planks and oil finishes.
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