Real wood flooring on fibre underlay? Float, glue or nail?

[Kerge]

Hi,

I'm trying to lay solid wood flooring on wooden underfloor. As the underfloor planks are running towards the window (just as my floor should at the end), I believe I need 6 mm plywood sub floor to be screwed to the underfloor first.

I also plan to lay 5 mm fibre underlay for sound insulation, these are the big green sheet from the big DIY retailers for £20 a pack. As I found they are suitable for laminate and for real wood flooring as well.

I found controversial information on the internet whether I should glue, nail or leave float the flooring, and unfortunately I have no guidelines come with the flooring I bought (125 mm width, 18 mm thickness, various lengths, hand scrapped solid oak).

One advise that solid wood should be glued to wooden underfloor only, but how can I use fibre underlay? I don't think that should be glued?

I would prefer to float it, as it will be fiddly due to the various board lengths and various board widths(about 3 mm tolerance).

What are your thoughts on this?

 

[crazydaze]

You can't use the underlay of you are fixing to the subfloor no matter what the method, the underlay is used when floating a floor.

 

[mac391]

Never float solid wood flooring, some instruccions tell you to do it this way but they are usually chinese, so who do you complain to when it goes wrong ?

Secret nail or glue down over 6mm wbp ply.

For a floating floor used engineered wood.

 

[Kerge]

Many thanks for your replies.

All information on suppliers and DIY pages are totally controversial. Finally it is clear now, and today I found a great page (woodyoulike) with thumb rules.

'You get what you paid for' is so true, and now I face a lovely jigsaw weekend with variable board widths, and obviously about 45% short pieces... I will nail it down on a 6mm plywood, it will be really nice once its ready (hope at least!)

 

[mac391]

3mm variation ? It must be from China!! Good luck....

 

[Floorsave]

It is a big no no, do not put underlay under any solid wood flooring