Hello all. Ive been a long time forum surfer and have found lots of good tips here. However i have a few question left re laying a newly purchased job lot of reclaimed 2 1/4 19mm thick t&g oak strip flooring. My plan is to re-lay the 50 sqm upstairs doing bedrooms, bathroom and landing. I want to use this to replace the original pine boards which are also 19mm thick. The joists are less than 30cm spaced so can see no reason why i cant secret nail these onto the joists. This means that i wont have to interfere with the original skirting boards which i have not pryed off v successfully on previous occasions-splitting etc.
On the back of what Ive learnt so far from here:
-I plan to use a porta nailer and 2 inch primatech nails
-I will face nail the first couple of boards at the start of a run and face nail the last couple at the end of a run (well screw them in down in fact)
-I will use Osmo hard wax oil (2 coats thinly applied) once sanded
My questions:
-I note that some people suggest that you must use a t bar between rooms as an expansion gap is essential between them. I really dont want to do that as I want the floor to be continuous and as the joists go across the house the strip would run through the doors. A raised threshold would IMHO look crap. Some rooms are slightly warmer than others and the bathroom would obviously have a higher humidity content. Views anyone plse? Perhaps you could use a cork strip flush with the boards in its place?
- The oak Im using as been stored in a dry but open sided barn for several months. It feels completely dry but Im wondering whether 2 weeks in the house before laying will be enough. Do people use some kind of humidity tester or is it just rule of thumb? If so how long indoors will be enough?
-In the past when laying reclaimed boards I have used joist clamps to squeeze the boards togther, eliminating gaps. I was going to do the same again as what with the old glue etc the t&gs dont easily slot together. However I understand the porta nailer does the same thing. Is that correct or would it still be worthwhile hiringa couple for this job?
-Do I need to glue the boards as well as secret nailing?
-The real head-scratcher for me is how to finish the floor when reaching a skirting board. I cant see how Im going to squeeze that flush to the last board and under the skirting board before face-nailing?
Thanks for any help in advance (probably WoodYou Like as always is v helpful- must get my order in for Osmo soon!)
On the back of what Ive learnt so far from here:
-I plan to use a porta nailer and 2 inch primatech nails
-I will face nail the first couple of boards at the start of a run and face nail the last couple at the end of a run (well screw them in down in fact)
-I will use Osmo hard wax oil (2 coats thinly applied) once sanded
My questions:
-I note that some people suggest that you must use a t bar between rooms as an expansion gap is essential between them. I really dont want to do that as I want the floor to be continuous and as the joists go across the house the strip would run through the doors. A raised threshold would IMHO look crap. Some rooms are slightly warmer than others and the bathroom would obviously have a higher humidity content. Views anyone plse? Perhaps you could use a cork strip flush with the boards in its place?
- The oak Im using as been stored in a dry but open sided barn for several months. It feels completely dry but Im wondering whether 2 weeks in the house before laying will be enough. Do people use some kind of humidity tester or is it just rule of thumb? If so how long indoors will be enough?
-In the past when laying reclaimed boards I have used joist clamps to squeeze the boards togther, eliminating gaps. I was going to do the same again as what with the old glue etc the t&gs dont easily slot together. However I understand the porta nailer does the same thing. Is that correct or would it still be worthwhile hiringa couple for this job?
-Do I need to glue the boards as well as secret nailing?
-The real head-scratcher for me is how to finish the floor when reaching a skirting board. I cant see how Im going to squeeze that flush to the last board and under the skirting board before face-nailing?
Thanks for any help in advance (probably WoodYou Like as always is v helpful- must get my order in for Osmo soon!)