More Bamboo floor advice needed please!

[steviebilbo]

Having eventually caved in to my wife's request to replace our dining room carpet with wooden flooring, I have purchased and am about to lay a FLOATING floor using 'Bamfox' Solid Carbonised Bamboo flooring (B&Q) and according to the instructions I need both a DPM and an underlay. The original floor is concrete with adhesive (?marley) tiles on top of that.

Therefore, I have laid some commercial quality heavy PVC sheeting and then on top I have laid 5mm thick fibreboard squares (Wickes).

Some of the tiles have broken where the 'grippa' rod for the carpet was fixed along the walls/skirtings but the DPM/fibreboard seems to be sufficiently thick to address/conceal these irregularities.

Questions are:

1. Can I/should I bring the DPM up behind the skirting (say 25mm)

2. Is expansion of the boards greater widthways and if so will 10mm around all the edges be needed/sufficient? - I am fitting new skirting so don't want to use scotia as well.

2. The original thresholds were T type (carpet to carpet) but now the bottom edge of the 15mm wooden flooring will be level with the top of the T section - what should I use as a threshold ? - one joins with ceramic floor tiles (kitchen) and the other onto carpet (lounge).

3. I intend to glue only the long edge tongue/groove not the ends - is this standard practice/ok?

4. Will the offcuts from the fibreboard underlay be suitable to use instead of felt pads on the bottom of my furniture to prevent scratching.

5. Finally, I intend to fasten down the first 'run' of boards using a single blind screw and plug at both ends of each board... I assume this is ok and the only run I should fasten down so that the rest of the floor can expand.

I have trawled the site and found some of these items discussed but there seems to be differing opinions - that is why I have put the pertinent bits in bold type

Many thanks for your consideration and help

Steve B

 

[WoodYouLike]

Questions are:

1. Can I/should I bring the DPM up behind the skirting (say 25mm)

You should

2. Is expansion of the boards greater widthways and if so will 10mm around all the edges be needed/sufficient? - I am fitting new skirting so don't want to use scotia as well.

Depending on the total width of your room 10mm as minimum would do (if your room is wider than 4 meter make it 15mm)

2. The original thresholds were T type (carpet to carpet) but now the bottom edge of the 15mm wooden flooring will be level with the top of the T section - what should I use as a threshold ? - one joins with ceramic floor tiles (kitchen) and the other onto carpet (lounge).

Have a look here for ramps (wood to carpet) and ends (wood to tiles)

3. I intend to glue only the long edge tongue/groove not the ends - is this standard practice/ok?

No, that's not OK. You have to glue all the T&G's or end up with gaps between joins in the long run

4. Will the offcuts from the fibreboard underlay be suitable to use instead of felt pads on the bottom of my furniture to prevent scratching.

Don't know and if you are not sure don't 'skim' on some pounds for the felt pads

5. Finally, I intend to fasten down the first 'run' of boards using a single blind screw and plug at both ends of each board... I assume this is ok and the only run I should fasten down so that the rest of the floor can expand.

Now you are definitely asking for trouble!! That's one sure way to 'screw' your floor in the end.

Install the first few rows 'loose' to check if both wall and materials are straight. Then place spacers between first row and wall and glue first row, then install 2nd and 3rd row (glueing all T&G's! !)

 

[steviebilbo]

WoodYouLike...many thanks for your prompt response - I am out at work from 0600 - 1700 so I have just read it.

My room is 4.5 x 3 metres, both short walls are solid, one long wall has the entrance door to the lounge and the other has the archway into the kitchen and next to that is a 4ft wide window looking out onto the back of the property (the light sources).

Intention is to lay the boards across the short length towards the window/Archway light sources.

One reason I WAS (notice past tense!) going to fasten the first set of boards was that two of the three need to accommodate the radiator risers (15mm). The radiator is against the (short) starting wall.

I understand that I can drill the required hole, cut the whole board along its length and then offer up the board either side of the pipe. What I intend to do is actually drill the holes large enough to fit over the 15mm compression fitting on the two risers and then keep the board whole. I understand there will be a little expansion lengthwise (less than widthwise) but the oversize hole 20-22mm should take care of that. I will fit spacers between the wall and the first run etc. as you suggested.

I have taken a look at the 'ramps' and 'ends' but still can't work out which 'end' to use at the interface with the tiles which are some 15mm lower than the boards - would another ramp (down) not be better?
Maybe its just me - I am a little more tired than usual today.

Many thanks (again!)

Steve B