Herringbone/parquet flooring

[Mjward]

Seems to be one of those situations where the internet/suppliers are full of conflicting advice when it comes to installation so thought best check in here as it's my first time laying a floor.

In a nutshell, I am looking to lay wood flooring over plywood and the options seem to be 1) solid wood 2) engineered wood affixed by 3) glue down 4) floating 5) "secret" nails.

I'm mostly indifferent between 1) and 2) just as long as the engineered veneer is thick enough to survive a future sanding.

What I can't quite get my head around is what fixing method is best to the plywood. Most of the products I'm finding seem to be T&G and I believe the best fitting method is to directly glue this down to the plywood (not gluing the T&G themselves). Is that correct or with T&G and ply is the underlay & floating method preferred? (ignore fitting time etc as will be DIY)

 

[Dibs-h]

Since you put parquet in the title - I did some a very long time ago. Here's the thread:

https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/parquet-floor.18288/
There will no doubt be other threads where other folk have laid parquet.

 

[Bingy man]

Hi - what is the existing floor -solid ? Suspended? If it’s solid then I’d start with sealing the solid floor then using a suitable adhesive to fix the plywood to the solid floor and maybe screw or nail to prevent it flexing up . If suspended wooden floor then ensure all boards are fixed and stable. Remove any protrusions and screw plywood at regular intervals. Your chosen floor type will dictate what fixing method is best . Ripped up many parquet floors but never laid one ( apart from ceramic tiles) hope this is helpful.

 

[recipio]

I have laid an engineered floor by glueing the T+G joints. As far as I know engineered floors have a resin layer on top and cannot be sanded. Parquet is the only flooring system i know of that can be glued directly to the substrate and that is best left to a specialist. You are limited to the the manufacturer's recommendations which are nearly all glueing T+G or 'clip on ' like laminate.

 

[Jones]

The subfloor must be reasonably flat for a floating floor or the t&g gets stressed and can come apart over time. Fitting wise use the manufacturer's recommendations, there's various different systems, hence the internet confusion. Glueless clic together engineered planks and parquet are available, I've used the planks and they're very good and quick.

 

[Mjward]

Thanks all, basically the floor already has 9mm plywood screwed down over existing floorboards and is flat within limitations (3mm over 2m). I should have picked my flooring product first as as per Recipio/Jones comment, manufacturers recommendations answered the question and in this instance:

It's an engineered brushed and oiled oak parquet floor with T&G fitting, 15mm thick with a 4mm veneer later (for future sanding if required). The instructions recommend a fully bonded install, where appropriate adhesive is spread using a 4mm notched trowel onto the plywood subfloor then the parquet laid on top (i.e. not gluing between each T&G)

 

[Mjward]

Just realised I hadn't posted an update. Master & dressing complete. Will attack the other bedrooms once this room fully complete (wife's orders!)

 

[Bingy man]

Just realised I hadn't posted an update. Master & dressing complete. Will attack the other bedrooms once this room fully complete (wife's orders!)

View attachment 147914View attachment 147915View attachment 147916

Absolutely stunning and beautiful you must of worked you scallops off lol . A job to be very proud of

 

[Mjward]

Absolutely stunning and beautiful you must of worked you scallops off lol . A job to be very proud of

Cheers mate. Yeah was hard work, legs and knees covered in bruises (should have worn knee pads) but happy with the end result.

Learnt a lot. Was about 1.5 days to get 80% of it down then best part of another 2-3 days for the cuts around edges, doorways, fireplaces etc.

My 2 big lessons for the next time (and for others that may stumble on this):

1) get that starter spine spot on and ensure EVERY single plank is seated and tight. One millimetre wrong and you'll be seeing that repeat itself if you're not careful

2) be tidy/controlled with the glue. You don't need to go to the very edge of the board and if you're working over more than one day it's simply not worth having dried glue where it shouldn't be (in total I must have spent an hour cleaning out tongue and grooves that wouldn't seat properly because there was true glue in the way)

 

[Bingy man]

Cheers mate. Yeah was hard work, legs and knees covered in bruises (should have worn knee pads) but happy with the end result.

Learnt a lot. Was about 1.5 days to get 80% of it down then best part of another 2-3 days for the cuts around edges, doorways, fireplaces etc.

My 2 big lessons for the next time (and for others that may stumble on this):

1) get that starter spine spot on and ensure EVERY single plank is seated and tight. One millimetre wrong and you'll be seeing that repeat itself if you're not careful

2) be tidy/controlled with the glue. You don't need to go to the very edge of the board and if you're working over more than one day it's simply not worth having dried glue where it shouldn't be (in total I must have spent an hour cleaning out tongue and grooves that wouldn't seat properly because there was true glue in the way)

Good advice and the results speak volumes