Tongue and Groove flooring

[OscarG]

Hi Chaps, can I pick your brains?

I need to install a floor in my parent's place (about 12 sq m). I've previously fitted 4 or 5 solid oak T&G floors always buying the packs from Wickes. The floors have always looked great, been easy to fit and reasonably priced. I went yesterday to look at their range and....oh dear. It's mostly click-fit laminate now and the solid wood seems to look poor and is now stupidly expensive. Same with B&Q, Bunnings Warehouse etc

I did toy with the idea of buying rough timber and making my own boards but I'm guessing my hobby standard tools couldn't cope with that.

Can you recommend any places that sell good and reasonably priced T&G wood?

Cheers!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Full legth boards or packs of shorter pieces?

 

[Homers double]

I use a company called peak oak a lot, they do different grades of solid and engineered oak in different widths.
I had about 700 square meters from them last year mostly their character grade solid oak and could not fault any of it.
It all depends on what you deem to be a reasonable price.

 

[Geoff_S]

In the past I have put down a lot (by my standards) go oak T&G.

I got it all from Champions timber, and the prices at the time were good.

It is all special order, but they might be worth a bell & haggle.

 

[OscarG]

Full legth boards or packs of shorter pieces?

A bit of both I guess.

I use a company called peak oak a lot, they do different grades of solid and engineered oak in different widths.
I had about 700 square meters from them last year mostly their character grade solid oak and could not fault any of it.
It all depends on what you deem to be a reasonable price.

Thanks, hoping to do the room for £30 sq m if that's possible. Certainly was a couple of years back at Wickes!

Thanks for your posts guys. I'll check out those companies.

 

[Sheffield Tony]

As mentioned in another thread, British Hardwoods are a helpful lot, and do delivery.

 

[woodywoodwood]

£30 per sqm sounds about right for the oak floor, although you can spend more. Bear in mind you should use an underlay - I always use the green mat type stuff, but others use different stuff.
This is going to stir up a hornets nest ; I have found, from experience, engineered flooring to be far superior to solid oak, and recently laid a click laminate, commercial grade floor, to my hallway. It is, so far, very good.
Don't be too quick to discount alternatives, you may be able to save some money and end up with a better product.
And, as an aside, I am in the process of fixing another solid oak floor, laid by 'professionals' that has bowed/cupped/twisted/split appallingly. The substrate it is laid on must be totally dry or just don't bother, you won't get away with it. Sorry if this is grandmas eggs, but I am a bit sick of fixing these. (Not that they can really be fixed).
Hth
Www

 

[OscarG]

£30 per sqm sounds about right for the oak floor, although you can spend more. Bear in mind you should use an underlay - I always use the green mat type stuff, but others use different stuff.
This is going to stir up a hornets nest ; I have found, from experience, engineered flooring to be far superior to solid oak, and recently laid a click laminate, commercial grade floor, to my hallway. It is, so far, very good.
Don't be too quick to discount alternatives, you may be able to save some money and end up with a better product.
And, as an aside, I am in the process of fixing another solid oak floor, laid by 'professionals' that has bowed/cupped/twisted/split appallingly. The substrate it is laid on must be totally dry or just don't bother, you won't get away with it. Sorry if this is grandmas eggs, but I am a bit sick of fixing these. (Not that they can really be fixed).
Hth
Www

Cheers fella. Yeah I always used that green mat underlay too, good stuff.

I'm happy to use engineered oak wood, even bamboo as long as the fitting method is T&G. I had a go at doing laminate, but we took it all back for a refund. It didn't fit, the boards were all bowed, it was like trying to do a jigsaw puzzle where the pieces haven't been cut properly.

I'd like to think I'm quite good at the T&G stuff but I must admit I don't "get" the easy-click method at all. I understand you don't push it in, but must tip it 45 degs first, fair enough, but how do you then fit it where it meets 2 boards, you can't tip it in 2 axis at once. The instructions of the laminate say you clip the boards end to end first, then tip the entire row to join it to the previous one. The idea of trying to tip an entire 5m long row in order to fit it in seems ridiculous to me.

 

[toolsntat]

Had some dealings with this crew, give em a shout.....
https://www.floorstock.co.uk
Cheers
Andy

 

[Jasper42]

Full legth boards or packs of shorter pieces?

A bit of both I guess.

I use a company called peak oak a lot, they do different grades of solid and engineered oak in different widths.
I had about 700 square meters from them last year mostly their character grade solid oak and could not fault any of it.
It all depends on what you deem to be a reasonable price.

Thanks, hoping to do the room for £30 sq m if that's possible. Certainly was a couple of years back at Wickes!

Thanks for your posts guys. I'll check out those companies.

The very nice couple next door just did their down stair with solid oak and it was £30 per meter not including glue/underlay y. No idea of the company name but they got it on line and it looked good stuff to me.

 

[HappyHacker]

I'd like to think I'm quite good at the T&G stuff but I must admit I don't "get" the easy-click method at all. I understand you don't push it in, but must tip it 45 degs first, fair enough, but how do you then fit it where it meets 2 boards, you can't tip it in 2 axis at once. The instructions of the laminate say you clip the boards end to end first, then tip the entire row to join it to the previous one. The idea of trying to tip an entire 5m long row in order to fit it in seems ridiculous to me.

You fit the long length by tipping along the long length, as you said, with one end close to the already fixed length. Then when flat tap the free end and it slides/clicks into the already fitted length. I was also concerned about how to do this when I first fitted a click fit floor and I had no problems. Use a shaped block on the end to prevent damage to the tongue.

 

[SteveF]

I have click flooring at the moment
about to be replaced with t&g
I have had so much trouble trying to fit the click stuff through doorways in the past
I will have continuous through five rooms so decided it not worth the hassle with doorways in both directions
Steve