Laying 90x18mm solid oak t&g on various surfaces

[deanmacken]

apologies in advance for the long post...

i'm about to lay 40m of 90x18mm solid oak t&g in my living room\entrance. the living room has had a through lounge, half the floor is the original Joist + T&G (all fine, i've been under!) the other half is a screed laid in the last 2 years with all the usual DPM etc - no sign of damp. the screeded floor is 25mm lower then the existing T&G.
The Hall floor is original Joist and floorboard, but not T&G, again its all solid, on the same level as the other T&G floor.
I've checked the screed with a laser level and the 25mm difference is the same all over give or take 3mm.
So....questions:

my intention is to:
Lay a sheet DPM across all floors, taking it 75mm up the walls, then screw + glue 20mm baton the screed (obviously this will puncture the DPM) OR ply the whole screed with 18MM ply.
then use a porta-nailer to pop it down, leaving 5-10mm gap to be filled with cork for expansion.

I'd then like to wax it to give a natural but darker finish although i want it to be as resistant to scratches as poss.

so questions....

1. Ply or Baton? and why. (i'm expecting ply to be a pain to get level)
2. any worries if the joint doesn't hit a baton (its end matched)
3. any comments on the DPM?
4. reccomended products\suppliers for DPM & WAX. i'm in the midlands.
5. any other thoughts or warnings.

I've done a 60m pine T&G over old T&G before, never oak and never over screed before so just checking!

Thanks in advance


Dean.

 

[WoodYouLike]

Won't give you advice on ply versus battens, both ways are suitable. Select the one that you think will give the best result. Battens shouldn't be further apart than 35 - 40cm though.

Will give you a warning about filling expansion gaps (make that 10mm minimum, preferable 15mm in your case) with cork. DON'T !

As for wax (or HardWaxOil in think you mean?) and scratch resistant: any small scratches can be easily 'repaired' by filling them with wax so your wood stays protected. You can't do that with varnish/lacquer.
Also, wax/oiled floors can be sanded locally without creating a 'patchy' look you will get when sanding and repairing a lacquered floor 'locally'

 

[deanmacken]

Thanks for the reply, fair enough, i was guessing at how much expansion gap to leave. 15mm it is. should i not fill it with anything then?

I think i do mean hardwaxoil. any reccomendation on brands and where to get hold of it?

 

[WoodYouLike]

Don't fill an expansion gap with something! It's a gap! Cover the gap with flat beading, your skirting boards or Scotia, but don't fill it.

As for HardWaxOil, both Osmo and Blanchon are good products.

 

[deanmacken]

Thanks again. one final thing, for the DPM can i just use normal black polythene that i would use for under screed or does it need to be breathable etc. again if oyu could reccomend anything it be grateful.