Advice for flooring?

[NT0S]

Hi.

I'm wanting to lay some new wooden flooring in one of the rooms in my home.
The room previously had carpet in, and underneath are a mix of boards and chipboard.
I'd like to start fresh here, taking everything up and replacing it with new flooring but am unsure where to start or what is the best option.

The options I know of are to fit new boards to the joists, float new boards on a subfloor of plywood or chipboard, or use engineered flooring,
Ideally I'd like to opt for real wood but if that's going to be really complicated I'd go for engineered flooring,

Any tips on where to start and which would be the best option?

Thank you very much.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I had some very nice samples from -
www.directwoodflooring.co.uk
They'll send you four.

 

[Alexfn]

good quality engineered has solid wood down to the tongue say 6mm giving it the same life expectancy as solid wood, it will outlast us..

its also more stable, you wont get gaps forming,

i would just put engineered straight over, if you really plan to take it up then factor in insulating the floor you might as well since you have it up. if you want to fit solid you are going to need to use ply to sheet the floor, if you are going to use engineered you could use chipboard but for the sake of a few quid i would use ply

 

[NT0S]

good quality engineered has solid wood down to the tongue say 6mm giving it the same life expectancy as solid wood, it will outlast us..

its also more stable, you wont get gaps forming,

i would just put engineered straight over, if you really plan to take it up then factor in insulating the floor you might as well since you have it up. if you want to fit solid you are going to need to use ply to sheet the floor, if you are going to use engineered you could use chipboard but for the sake of a few quid i would use ply

Thanks for the post!
so what actually is the difference between the engineered stuff and modern floorboards? I thought the engineered boards weren't really wood.

 

[NT0S]

I had some very nice samples from -

They'll send you four.

Thanks for the link, I'll send off for some of those,

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Yes, I was quite impressed but decided in that room to tile because I'm in a wheelchair. Wise decision, but I'll go with them when I do the bedroom.

 

[skipdiver]

You could take up all the old flooring mish mash and fit oak floorboards directly to the joists.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Or if you have ample ceiling height (and no other considerations) just board straight over what's there - another layer of insulation.

 

[TFrench]

Engineered boards are a thinner layer of "real" wood glued to a thicker piece of plywood. You get the looks and feel of a solid wood board with the stability of ply. I've just fitted bamboo flooring in my lounge - Very impressed with it. Just a bit different to oak which seems to be all the rage at the moment.
http://www.bambooflooringcompany.com/al ... -flooring/

 

[meccarroll]

1. It is difficult to advise on this project without knowing the reason why you want to take up the existing flooring?

2. Are there any floor joist under your existing boards and chipboard or are they on concrete? It sounds like there are joists as you mention joist in your post but best to be certain.

Option A,
If your existing floor is sound and level I'd consider gluing and screwing some 9mm thick ply over the top then laying an engineered floor over that. You need to make sure the overall height will still fit in with existing doors etc or plan to make any necessary alterations.

Option B
If you have floor joist remove the existing flooring (excluding joist) and lay a tong and grooved floor in softwood to the same thickness. You may find that you will end up having to remove skirting s and architraves then replace them after fitting the flooring.

You can approach this in a number of ways but be aware of the cost of each option and the work involved before deciding.

Mark

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Bamboo is odd stuff - I had my kitchen done in it and made a kitchen table from some remnants. When making the table I would show the bamboo to the plane and the iron would wilt ... but it still blooody scratched when on the floor.

 

[LFS19]

You could take up all the old flooring mish mash and fit oak floorboards directly to the joists.

Would that be very difficult for someone who hasn't done it before, or is it learnable?

Cheers

 

[LFS19]

Or if you have ample ceiling height (and no other considerations) just board straight over what's there - another layer of insulation.

That would be nice and easy if my floor is level.

Thanks

 

[LFS19]

Engineered boards are a thinner layer of "real" wood glued to a thicker piece of plywood. You get the looks and feel of a solid wood board with the stability of ply. I've just fitted bamboo flooring in my lounge - Very impressed with it. Just a bit different to oak which seems to be all the rage at the moment.
http://www.bambooflooringcompany.com/al ... -flooring/

Interesting, thanks

 

[LFS19]

1. It is difficult to advise on this project without knowing the reason why you want to take up the existing flooring?

2. Are there any floor joist under your existing boards and chipboard or are they on concrete? It sounds like there are joists as you mention joist in your post but best to be certain.

Option A,
If your existing floor is sound and level I'd consider gluing and screwing some 9mm thick ply over the top then laying an engineered floor over that. You need to make sure the overall height will still fit in with existing doors etc or plan to make any necessary alterations.

Option B
If you have floor joist remove the existing flooring (excluding joist) and lay a tong and grooved floor in softwood to the same thickness. You may find that you will end up having to remove skirting s and architraves then replace them after fitting the flooring.

You can approach this in a number of ways but be aware of the cost of each option and the work involved before deciding.

Mark

There are joists underneath mine.
As far as the floor being level, after checking it isn't. So that would be my reason for starting fresh.
Seems option B is my best bet, then.

Thanks for the post!

 

[Alexfn]

Bamboo is odd stuff - I had my kitchen done in it and made a kitchen table from some remnants. When making the table I would show the bamboo to the plane and the iron would wilt ... but it still blooody scratched when on the floor.

thats because bamboo flooring is made with large amounts of glue, the bamboo is shredded mixed with glue them compressed in molds until it drys/cures

 

[skipdiver]

You could take up all the old flooring mish mash and fit oak floorboards directly to the joists.

Would that be very difficult for someone who hasn't done it before, or is it learnable?

Cheers

Not really that difficult. Once the old flooring is removed and any remedial work done on the joists, it's just a matter of cutting to length and fixing. Depending on what type of flooring you use, there are different methods of attaching it to the joists. You can hire a flooring nailer or use tongue tite screws, which is what i did on my last one.

 

[AndyT]

Just to pick up on "remedial work on the joists" and what it meant for me.

I laid a new floor in our dining room, which had one end about 2" lower than the other. I lifted the old boards, then cut long, tapering wedges ("firring pieces") to bring the tops of the joists up to a consistent level. (I used a laser level to mark them.) I glued them onto the joists.

I then screwed down 9mm plywood and laid a floating floor, on insulating foam. I think it's doable by anyone with reasonable diy skills and a methodical approach.

If you are paying for someone else's time it might be quicker to rip out the joists and lay new, level ones. My time is cheap and I didn't want to disturb the ceiling on the room downstairs.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Bamboo is odd stuff - I had my kitchen done in it and made a kitchen table from some remnants. When making the table I would show the bamboo to the plane and the iron would wilt ... but it still blooody scratched when on the floor.

thats because bamboo flooring is made with large amounts of glue, the bamboo is shredded mixed with glue them compressed in molds until it drys/cures

I know it's compressed with resin, but I doubt it's shredded - the fibres, growth patterns and nodules are all still clearly visible. The actual finish is extremely hard - I had to use a scrub plane to get under it - good quality 40 grit would blunt before it stripped its own surface area. :shock: A square foot of paper wouldn't strip a square foot of bamboo, in case there was any doubt there. Also, thinking about it, the stuff is manufactured in layers like engineered wooden flooring, not as a homogenous piece - if it were totally artificial there'd be no point in making it in tiny pieces just to make them back into bigger ones.

 

[LFS19]

You could take up all the old flooring mish mash and fit oak floorboards directly to the joists.

Would that be very difficult for someone who hasn't done it before, or is it learnable?

Cheers

Not really that difficult. Once the old flooring is removed and any remedial work done on the joists, it's just a matter of cutting to length and fixing. Depending on what type of flooring you use, there are different methods of attaching it to the joists. You can hire a flooring nailer or use tongue tite screws, which is what i did on my last one.

Right I see,
I guess that's my best option, then. I'm re-doing my floor also so this has been helpful.
I just have to find the right flooring now.