Solid wood flooring

[chillout]

I am considering new flooring. The boards are pine I believe but have suffered from alot of cuts etc from plumbers in the past. Also a few planks have bowed completely due to a recent leak. Is it worth having them sand and the dodgy ones replaced or renew with oak flooring? If its the latter choice is it best to remove the old floorboards and replace or put the new boards on top of the old.

Also engineered or solid?

 

[ursamajor]

Depends on what you're going to cover the boards with

 

[big-all]

the oak flooring you get from b&q etc can only be laid on top off a structural floor because off the short lengths

 

[chillout]

I was going to cover the boards with wood flooring? I was going to go somewhere like a solid wood company on the net.

 

[WoodYouLike]

You're way off better with wood-engineered boards: much more stable and much more choice nowadays.
When you heart is set on solid Oak, remember the rules of thumbs in regards of expansion gaps and other issues

 

[chillout]

Ok cheers, maybe engineered is the way to go then! Is it best to remove the old flooring or place the new boards on top. In both cases what will stop the draughts? Does the flooring interlock like the laminate stuff?

 

[WoodYouLike]

If you replace your existing floorboards with new engineered boards the latter have to be at least 18mm thick to be loadbearing.
If you install over the existing floorboards, try to install perpendicular to their direction. This will also avoid a kind of see-saw effect when your existing boards are not that level and stop even more draft. If you have to go in the same direction, install hardboard or plywood first.

 

[benny123vanman]

you could always just paint the floor and then sweep all the shavings and dust in the nooks and cracks and save yourself some dosh! there are plenty of builders out there who specalize in that dont look in the yellow pages for a builder look in your nearest bookies