Well done, keep it going 
For wood onto tiles we normally use an End (second one from the left)
For wood onto tiles we normally use an End (second one from the left)
Laying Solid Oak Flooring over existing floor board
- Thread starter elimn8or
- Start date
Sponsored Links
Hi - Well its all down now. Will be working on the skirting during the week to get finishing touches. Mattysupra, in a previous thread to another floor layer, you expressed not to use a water based adhesive? This may be my achilles heal here. I used a water based adhesive recommended by B&Q for all wood flooring? Should I be worried? The floor as it sits now seems solid but I have not put any furniture in yet; time will tell i guess (nothing i can do now). Will post photo of finished floor very soon
On another note - you guys (Matty and Woody - excuse nicks) have been a great help and considered by me to be a great component of DIYNOT - cheers guys............
On another note - you guys (Matty and Woody - excuse nicks) have been a great help and considered by me to be a great component of DIYNOT - cheers guys............
(NEEDS FURTHER EDITING)
Hi all - finally I have managed to upload the final result of my first ever wooden floor laid by yours trully. I may be in danger of sounding proud of my work, so let me assure you now that I am not. Mistakes have been made but I remain positive regarding the entire experience and have taken much away from it. Ill summarise my do's and dont's after a few little pics illustrating the outcome of my labour. Here are some images of the laid floor excluding skirting and beading etc. My achilles heal was in the alignment of rows. The photos dont illustrate this but i do have slight gaps between some boards indicative of an imperfect alignment between rows. In one row a gap of 1.3mm is clearly visible and makes me severly kick myself ( how i missed it i never know ) - take your time!
I found the experience very enjoyable and is definately do-able for any DIY'ER, however patience is of the utmost importance. However first things first, do your research. Gauge the kind of tools, materials, glue as well as online expertise required to lay the type of floor you desire. I spent a few days trawling the websites and reading about the recommended ways of laying wooden floor. What I tended to do was to group the documents that had good content overlap especially those from suppliers.
Given an introduction by research the next best thing is to read similar threads in this forum. I read a couple of good threads regarding laying wooden floor onto a existing wooden sub-floor. This is the specific problem I had to solve and will constrain my ramble to this specific case.
To begin, I wanted to lay wooden floor over an existing wooden floorboard sub floor. This floor was not 100% level and had gaps exposing the ventilation cavity under the house. I posted a thread asking where I should be begin. I got replies from two popular guys who know about wooden flooring which mostly agreed with the existing material i had read. In my case i needed to lay a 2nd sub-floor of a 5.5mm WBP plywood over existing floor to stabilise and reduce its deviation in it vertical plane. Once laid the floor seemed much more stabil with less flex to it. I then chose a method for installation of the new floor. As far as i can tell there were 3 methods of doing this: 1) Secret nail, 2) Glue to subfloor and 3) Float. At this point I took the decision to float the floor since this was the simplist approach for a novice DIY'ER but by no means the best method. I like the idea of floating the floor since only the basic tools are required and the entire floor can move as one during changable environental conditions, which apparently it will do. I also wanted to reduce noise and invested in some green underlay tiles (B&Q). These were 7mm thick and again, suppossidly reduce floor deviation in the vertical plane. With a floating floor in mind I ordered 20sq meteres of 120mm oak floor from MFI - In hind-site i should have checked about manufacturer warranties relating to floating the stuff - DOH!
Organisation was key as well as preperation! For preperation all radiators, and existing skirting was removed from the room. The room was swept and 2-boxes of the new wood opened. The tools which I used were: sawing bench, jigsaw, veneer saw, adjustable square, level, many pencils, spacers, knocking block, wooden mallet, glue (water-based), ruler, tape measure, hand brush and my mits!
Preperation involved laying a row of the underlay followed by marking out a straight line for the first row of planks. All subsequent rows follow this so any slight angular variation of a straight line will be magnified in subsequent rows. Therefore, getting the first 1 or two rows PERFECTLY straight is imperative. Unfortunately, i did not get a perfect line and paid the price through mental torture and anguish later. I laid the rows starting from the longest wall corner where both tongues of the planks would neighbour. Running along my line i would glue new board into the row applying the glue to the grooves of each new plank. At the end of each row (as well as begining ) each board is marked such that when cut a 12mm gap remains between the board and the wall. Continuing laying of each new row eventually results in your new floor. New underlay tiles were laid in rows when required.
If I could do it all again I would ensure a straight row layout ( perfect ) of all planks and take more time in the job to obtain a higher level of perfection.
Hi all - finally I have managed to upload the final result of my first ever wooden floor laid by yours trully. I may be in danger of sounding proud of my work, so let me assure you now that I am not. Mistakes have been made but I remain positive regarding the entire experience and have taken much away from it. Ill summarise my do's and dont's after a few little pics illustrating the outcome of my labour. Here are some images of the laid floor excluding skirting and beading etc. My achilles heal was in the alignment of rows. The photos dont illustrate this but i do have slight gaps between some boards indicative of an imperfect alignment between rows. In one row a gap of 1.3mm is clearly visible and makes me severly kick myself ( how i missed it i never know ) - take your time!
I found the experience very enjoyable and is definately do-able for any DIY'ER, however patience is of the utmost importance. However first things first, do your research. Gauge the kind of tools, materials, glue as well as online expertise required to lay the type of floor you desire. I spent a few days trawling the websites and reading about the recommended ways of laying wooden floor. What I tended to do was to group the documents that had good content overlap especially those from suppliers.
Given an introduction by research the next best thing is to read similar threads in this forum. I read a couple of good threads regarding laying wooden floor onto a existing wooden sub-floor. This is the specific problem I had to solve and will constrain my ramble to this specific case.
To begin, I wanted to lay wooden floor over an existing wooden floorboard sub floor. This floor was not 100% level and had gaps exposing the ventilation cavity under the house. I posted a thread asking where I should be begin. I got replies from two popular guys who know about wooden flooring which mostly agreed with the existing material i had read. In my case i needed to lay a 2nd sub-floor of a 5.5mm WBP plywood over existing floor to stabilise and reduce its deviation in it vertical plane. Once laid the floor seemed much more stabil with less flex to it. I then chose a method for installation of the new floor. As far as i can tell there were 3 methods of doing this: 1) Secret nail, 2) Glue to subfloor and 3) Float. At this point I took the decision to float the floor since this was the simplist approach for a novice DIY'ER but by no means the best method. I like the idea of floating the floor since only the basic tools are required and the entire floor can move as one during changable environental conditions, which apparently it will do. I also wanted to reduce noise and invested in some green underlay tiles (B&Q). These were 7mm thick and again, suppossidly reduce floor deviation in the vertical plane. With a floating floor in mind I ordered 20sq meteres of 120mm oak floor from MFI - In hind-site i should have checked about manufacturer warranties relating to floating the stuff - DOH!
Organisation was key as well as preperation! For preperation all radiators, and existing skirting was removed from the room. The room was swept and 2-boxes of the new wood opened. The tools which I used were: sawing bench, jigsaw, veneer saw, adjustable square, level, many pencils, spacers, knocking block, wooden mallet, glue (water-based), ruler, tape measure, hand brush and my mits!
Preperation involved laying a row of the underlay followed by marking out a straight line for the first row of planks. All subsequent rows follow this so any slight angular variation of a straight line will be magnified in subsequent rows. Therefore, getting the first 1 or two rows PERFECTLY straight is imperative. Unfortunately, i did not get a perfect line and paid the price through mental torture and anguish later. I laid the rows starting from the longest wall corner where both tongues of the planks would neighbour. Running along my line i would glue new board into the row applying the glue to the grooves of each new plank. At the end of each row (as well as begining ) each board is marked such that when cut a 12mm gap remains between the board and the wall. Continuing laying of each new row eventually results in your new floor. New underlay tiles were laid in rows when required.
If I could do it all again I would ensure a straight row layout ( perfect ) of all planks and take more time in the job to obtain a higher level of perfection.
Hi Elimn.
The pictures have gone unfortunately so this 'woody' gall cannot admire your work
The pictures have gone unfortunately so this 'woody' gall cannot admire your work
Sponsored Links
Yep, they show now. (oops, just saw - 2 minutes later - the order has switched)
Looks good. Well done, you do may feel proud
(one tiny remark though, if I may).
On the top picture (edited: the picture that only shows the floor, not the room) the top four rows show joints close together (like a 'stair'). We always try to prevent that (but when you have many short lengths that might be a problem) because it can make the floor 'unstable', it doesn't look 'right' if there are too many 'stairs'.
Normally we advice to keep at least 30cm (1 foot) distance between the joints of the connection rows.
Looks good. Well done, you do may feel proud
(one tiny remark though, if I may).
On the top picture (edited: the picture that only shows the floor, not the room) the top four rows show joints close together (like a 'stair'). We always try to prevent that (but when you have many short lengths that might be a problem) because it can make the floor 'unstable', it doesn't look 'right' if there are too many 'stairs'.
Normally we advice to keep at least 30cm (1 foot) distance between the joints of the connection rows.
I agree - at the time of laying the floor i did not come across any information about joint spacing. Obviously since laying it, I have come accross docs that specify what you said in your previous message - DOH! All I can say is that time will tell - fingers crossed eh!
My Sherlock Holmes skills tell me you have a Dyson. elimn8or my dear Watson.
Ok let's take a look "throooough the keyhole"
You're 6' tall and your wife (brunette) is 5'3" in heels. Her shoe size is 5. She enjoys a lie in on a Sunday but you have no children as yet. You married quite late and as such are not historically the DIY type but with the house and demanding wife you are forced into it. Your wife wears the trousers generally, but at the end of the day you have the final say on major decisions.
You have no pets as yet, but the wife would like a cat.
Am I warm? Hmmm
You're 6' tall and your wife (brunette) is 5'3" in heels. Her shoe size is 5. She enjoys a lie in on a Sunday but you have no children as yet. You married quite late and as such are not historically the DIY type but with the house and demanding wife you are forced into it. Your wife wears the trousers generally, but at the end of the day you have the final say on major decisions.
You have no pets as yet, but the wife would like a cat.
Am I warm? Hmmm
looks good! fair play to you. Woody i was looking at header spacing to but as for a first time fit i think they have done very well. Just remember for next time! well done mate. Not to sure on gcol's comments? must have chinese flu or something Key holes and all
Just remember for next time! well done mate. Not to sure on gcol's comments? must have chinese flu or something Key holes and all in fact the more i look over gcol's comments and spending much time looking around your photos for evidence on what gcol said i belive gcol must be a guru at spot the difference!
I'll let you in on my line of thought.
You're 6' tall and your wife (brunette) is 5'3" in heels.
Obviously I guessed that from the wedding photo.
Her shoe size is 5.
That would be about right for a woman of that height. Plus, the slippers look about the same size as my wife's.
She enjoys a lie in on a Sunday but you have no children as yet.
Most women of that age (30 ish) will have a lie in on a Sunday, unless they have kids to get them up. As there's no toys, no homemade Easter cards on the mantle piece and the fact that you left the toolbox open, then I deduce you have no kids.
You married quite late and as such are not historically the DIY type but with the house and demanding wife you are forced into it.
The fact that you're a man and you haven't put down laminate before tends to suggest that you've never needed to do DIY. The new toolbox adds to this thinking so I guessed you'd recently left your parents home. It's hard to tell your age exactly but there's evidence of tiding up so I guessed you've grown out of the student slob mode. If I had to guess, I'd say you're no older than 32. As your wedding photo still has pride of place on the mantle and the fact that you're doing home improvements, I guessed you are recently married and have just bought this house together.
Your wife wears the trousers generally, but at the end of the day you have the final say on major decisions.
A bloke would have the PC in the living room (like me ), the fact that you have a wireless router suggests that the missus won't let you have the PC in HER living room, and that it's banished to the spare room.
The bit about you having the final say on major decisions is that women will allow the major decisions to be taken for them so that if it goes wrong they can blame you.
You have no pets as yet, but the wife would like a cat.
No evidence of a dog/cat drinking bowl near the back door. If you're newly wedded then you'll be going through the "I want to care for something phase", which will either be a cat or a dog. I get a "catty" feeling about your house so I suggested a cat. Be careful though, 12 months after you've got the cat the "I want a child" phase begins!
Hope you enjoyed that.
You're 6' tall and your wife (brunette) is 5'3" in heels.
Obviously I guessed that from the wedding photo.
Her shoe size is 5.
That would be about right for a woman of that height. Plus, the slippers look about the same size as my wife's.
She enjoys a lie in on a Sunday but you have no children as yet.
Most women of that age (30 ish) will have a lie in on a Sunday, unless they have kids to get them up. As there's no toys, no homemade Easter cards on the mantle piece and the fact that you left the toolbox open, then I deduce you have no kids.
You married quite late and as such are not historically the DIY type but with the house and demanding wife you are forced into it.
The fact that you're a man and you haven't put down laminate before tends to suggest that you've never needed to do DIY. The new toolbox adds to this thinking so I guessed you'd recently left your parents home. It's hard to tell your age exactly but there's evidence of tiding up so I guessed you've grown out of the student slob mode. If I had to guess, I'd say you're no older than 32. As your wedding photo still has pride of place on the mantle and the fact that you're doing home improvements, I guessed you are recently married and have just bought this house together.
Your wife wears the trousers generally, but at the end of the day you have the final say on major decisions.
A bloke would have the PC in the living room (like me
), the fact that you have a wireless router suggests that the missus won't let you have the PC in HER living room, and that it's banished to the spare room.The bit about you having the final say on major decisions is that women will allow the major decisions to be taken for them so that if it goes wrong they can blame you.
You have no pets as yet, but the wife would like a cat.
No evidence of a dog/cat drinking bowl near the back door. If you're newly wedded then you'll be going through the "I want to care for something phase", which will either be a cat or a dog. I get a "catty" feeling about your house so I suggested a cat. Be careful though, 12 months after you've got the cat the "I want a child" phase begins!
Hope you enjoyed that.
so what do you think of the finished job of the floor gcol or did you not realise thats what the pictures are ment to be of!
DIYnot Local
Staff member
If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.
Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.
Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local
Sponsored Links
