new oak floor

[sue denim]

I am due to fit an oak floor onto softwood joists. The room is 10 metres long by three metres wide. The boards will run across the width . I have had the oak in dry storage and the moisture content is stable. The boards are currently twenty seven millimetres thick and I expect the finished board to be twenty three millimetres . I intend to screw with pellets.

Question 1

due to the long length of the room would I be wise to interrupt the floor with an expansion joint, if so what and how often ?.

Question 2

Tongue and groove or loose tongue ?

Question 3

to glue or not to glue and which glue ?

Thank you in advance

'Sue'

 

[Waka]

Sue

Before I answer any of your questions, I have one for you. Is it possible to lay down sheet material over the joists and then lay the oak flooring over the material?

 

[sue denim]

yes

 

[MJ80]

T&G

Secret nail with flooring nailer. The L shaped cleats get a better grip, one in each joist. alternatively tongue tite screws through tongue into joist. They are really good for doing the edge where you cant get the flooring nailer in. If you face fix with the its easy to wax the holes.

Don't see the point in overboarding, going right into the joists is way secure enough, never given me any problems.

Are you putting a v groove on the edges or staying square?

Glue, up to you.

Leave the boards in the room where they are being fitted also for a week at least to let them acclimatise.

Are you laying perpendicular to the joists ie longways down the 10m run?

 

[No skills]

I'm for putting sheet material down first, done my front room with oak straight onto joists - no problems as such, put half inch ply down in next room first and also used a flexable adhesive... wow its loads quieter and just feels better to walk on (more solid generally).

So when I get time (some time before the apocalypse I hope) and some spare ply the front room will be pulled up and re-done.

As ever JME.

 

[skipdiver]

Last one i did, i used tongue tite screws for the first time and they did the trick. You need to get the angle correct though. Not enough angle and you can split the tongue. Too much angle and they don't bite correctly.

Personally i would go for tongue and groove and as for the expansion, i would have thought the planks are more likely to shrink further than expand and cause lifting, but couldn't be sure as i have never done a floor that long.

Wouldn't glue them myself as i think they need to move with the conditions.

Would point out though, that with my limited knowledge of fitting oak flooring, i did have a gander on the 'tinterweb and it seems every man and his dog had a different approach, so i did what i thought was right and had no comebacks.

 

[LBCarpentry]

Hire a porta-nailer from a hire shop (search on google if you haven't heard of one). Fantastic bits of kit. Whack straight into joists using a rubber mallet. Where you can't get the porta nailer in (ie when boards are too close to the wall etc), just use nails and drive in by hand (at the correct angle).

Do not glue, use a 1.5mm - 2mm spacer to align boards which will allow for expansion. Only use glue on engineered floorboards.

Don't forget your 12 - 15mm expansion gap round the edges!

 

[Ollie78]

Tongue Tite screws angled at through the tongue Slightly more vertical than 45 degrees. No glue needed.
Set up one drill for pilot holes and another for the supplied small torx bit, saves time. Also reversible if you cock it up, unlike porta nailer.

Works well.

Ollie

 

[Waka]

Sue

I would be inclined to lay a sheet substrate over the joists.

You should leave the machined T&G in the room for a while so it can become acclimatised before laying.

On the market there are some under lays that have a sticky side which is covered with a clear cellophane, the sticky side is face up. The T&G boards are laid on the cellophane, removing the cellophane allows the T&G flooring to stick to the under lay. Therefore the T&G requires no nail or glue fixings. It might not sound as if it will hold the floor together, but believe me once in place on the under lay its not going anywhere.

Regarding expansion, I leave a 10 mm gap between the walls.

I have used this method in my home and it works a treat, its not as complicated as it sounds. I think the under lay comes in at £45 for 10 sq mts.

Hope this helps.

 

[LBCarpentry]

Sue

I would be inclined to lay a sheet substrate over the joists.

You should leave the machined T&G in the room for a while so it can become acclimatised before laying.

On the market there are some under lays that have a sticky side which is covered with a clear cellophane, the sticky side is face up. The T&G boards are laid on the cellophane, removing the cellophane allows the T&G flooring to stick to the under lay. Therefore the T&G requires no nail or glue fixings. It might not sound as if it will hold the floor together, but believe me once in place on the under lay its not going anywhere.

Regarding expansion, I leave a 10 mm gap between the walls.

I have used this method in my home and it works a treat, its not as complicated as it sounds. I think the under lay comes in at £45 for 10 sq mts.

Hope this helps.

My god! Not that stuff again!
You've just reminded me of one of my most stressful jobs ever!

Do not go near this stuff unless you know someone who can give you a quick master class in getting the first row of boards down, because if they aren't perfectly straight........well, it will be a long day.

 

[MJ80]

Noooo not the sticky back plastic. You've no chance of getting it straight and those wayward boards will be a mare.

Used once. Never ever again

Flooring nailer and tongue tite every time

 

[Waka]

Well I must just have been lucky then, the floors that I've laid in my house are as good as you'll get from any professional with a nailer and glue.
I agree there is a technique to it, but isn't there with everything?

 

[mtr1]

Don't over complicate a simple job...

Just lay the Oak boards on the joist if level, shim or cut fearing strips. If you lay sheets on the joists your floor will be higher at the intersections/thresholds, or you will need to make your flooring thinner, and this is all a waste of time IMHO. Cut your first row in 10mm/12mm from wall, tongue towards the room, I like to glue this first row down using sticks like sh!t clear, nail and leave over night, nail through the tongue at an angle into the joists in the next rows. Get this first row spot on, and try not to have any end joins less than 16"/400mm away from the end joins in the next row, also avoid any joins opposite each other it looks better this way. It helps if there is a small chamfer on the long grain, but not the ends, make sure the ends are tongued too. I have laid a number of floors in this manner.

 

[sue denim]

Thanks for all the advice. I have made the decision.
There is a temporary 22mm chipboard already on the joists so that can stay after I have lifted it and placed a dpm under it. . There are no doorways or intersections as it is a room with only one entrance with a mat well.

I will put down the first length glued as suggested then use the tongue screws (which I didn't know existed) for the rest.

Off to machine it all tomorrow.....

I will keep you posted and maybe a photo soon.

regards

'Sue'