Solid Oak Flooring - Tricky questions...

[GotWood]

Afternoon all,

First time posting after months of loitering I would be very grateful for some advice, I have read all advice but cannot find answers to the below questions!

50m2 (3 rooms, one corridor) of real wood flooring (140x20xmin1500) to be put down on existing pine floorboards. Existing boards have localised legacy woodworm damage, plus a slight slope in one room.

Easiest method is to float perpendicular to existing boards on top of 3mm underlay, but the manufacturer's guidance state nailing only (sadly).

Questions below:

1) How do you determine whether your existing boards are level/flat enough to be nailed to directly? Whats the criteria?

2) The corridor favours planks to be laid along it's length. Rooms favour it being laid running away from windows. What happens if this has your corridor boards perpendicular to the room boards? Does it look OK?

3) Irregular room shapes. You have a rectangular room with the door on one short wall (3m) and the window on the opposite short wall. The two long walls (4.5m) aren't parallel. Where do you start?!!

3) Does anyone have any experience of GoodFellow flooring? Namely: http://www.goodfellowuk.com/node/91

All help would very gratelt appreciated.

GW

 

[flooringman]

A floor is considered level if it has no more than a 3mm variance over 3 metres.

Boards are normally laid in the direction the light falls, along the longest wall and at right angles to the existing boards. If you wish to install in the same direction as the boards you will need to ply out first.

A better look is obtained if all the boards run in the same direction but you will have to be the final judge.

You could always centre the room and start in the middle and you could always dry lay the boards to give you an idea before you fix them.

Make sure you check the condition of your existing floor including moisture equilibrium between them and the new boards.

I don't know the supplier you posted.

Good luck.

 

[GotWood]

Thanks flooringman.

The corridor issue is bugging me. I am not sure whether people entering a flat with a smart Oak flooring would believe it to be original - thus finding a mix of orientations strange.

Does anyone here have floorboards of alternating directions?!

I shall get hold of a long spirit level to check the variance. Dry laying sounds like a plan too. Thanks once again.

Giles

 

[mattysupra]

i always prefer to run the wood the correct way for the area.

Once fitted it looks fine. I will see if i can find some pics for you of rooms going different ways. However im not going into the shop for a few days so will be a while before i post them


You could always run at a 45 degree angle? its alot more work and you will get a bit more waste but i think it looks the best

 

[mac391]

I often fit wood floors on the same level in differnt directions, usually at a cusomers request. Laying the long length down a coridor and remaining rooms at right angles is common practice. You can lay rooms off the corridor by coming off the tongue or groove, with no breaks. Or you can break it up with an expansion gap under the door (threshold) and lay in the same or opposite direction with a transition (door bar) to cover the gap

1. Flooringman is right (3mm/3m) but probably impossible to achieve on existing floorboards.

2. yes it looks ok to most and you might also want to consider this if your rooms arn't square off the corridor.

3. I usually keep it square in this situation if the 2 long walls are abviously not parellel i.e 3 walls are at right angles and 1 shoots off. You could start in the middle but this would mean nailing half the floor through the tongue and half through the groove which isn't ideal and you would need to change shoes in the nailer.
You could snap a chalk line off the 3 square walls and start near the door, filling the non-parallel wall in last.

How hard is this to explain !!

Could also snap a chalk line down the coridor or use a laser level and come off it through the doors at right angles (3,4,5 method) to see how it all shapes up. Or buy carpets lol...

 

[GotWood]

Thanks all.

Mattysupra - By running wood "the correct way for the area", do you mean that you run corridors along their length and all rooms away from windows even if this means having a 90deg difference from one room to the next??

If I were to do this, sadly I would still need to lay ply in the corridor (as I will be running the same direction as the subfloor) thus having to ply the other rooms to avoid a step...rubbish.

Final question (for now): I will be skimming the walls and ceiling of one room prior to the floor going down. How long should it be left to ensure humidity is at safe levels?
Another thread stated that if doing the plastering after the floor you can cover it in sheeting - I suppose I could this if the drying times are too long?

GW

 

[mack4]

"I often fit wood floors."

You could start in the middle but this would mean nailing half the floor through the tongue and half through the groove which isn't ideal and you would need to change shoes in the nailer.

Really,but you've never heard of slipfeather!
mack

 

[Petest67]

Really,but you've never heard of slipfeather!
mack

Are you refering to loose tounges?

 

[mack4]

[/quote]Are you refering to loose tounges?[/quote]

Different terms,different places,but yes where we say 'slipfeather' you say 'loose tongues' or tounges.(only kidding)In fact one side only is glued,we would rip them from whatever thickness of ply is suitable.
mack