A Complete Guide To Real Wood Flooring
1. HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR WOOD FLOOR
There are a number of points to check when choosing a new wood floor and some of these will depend on the type of floor available to you:
1.What is your Sub Floor (existing floor)
2.Do you have under floor heating?
3.Is the room a south facing conservatory or basement (below ground level)?
4.Are you fitting in a bathroom or kitchen?
SUBFLOOR
Your subfloor is very important as this will need to be flat, dry and suitable for laying a wood floor on.
For existing timber floors, you must ensure that your floor is flat and that it is free from any type of woodworm or rot.
For existing joists, you need to check that these are also free from woodworm or rot and that they are level enough to lay boards onto.
For concrete floors, you need to ensure that the floor is flat and is dry (check using a moisture metre) and that there is a damp proof already in the concrete.
For asphalt floors, these need to be dry and flat.
If the subfloor is not suitable, then consider laying ply throughout the area to level it off (18mm ply is needed when the floor is very uneven, although a thinner ply can be used) or lay the floor as a floating floor using underlay.
If a concrete floor is uneven, consider using a self levelling compound or a screed to level off, alternatively you can ply out the area as above or lay the floor as a floating floor using underlay.
If you need to apply a damp proof course this can be done either by a dpm sheeting or by using a DPM epoxy resin spread over the floor.
If your subfloor has tiles laid, these cannot be glued down onto or nailed into - therefore it would be best to either ply out the area or take up the subfloor (or lay the floor as a floating floor using underlay.)
Please note, for existing timber floors, the new boards must be laid at 90 degrees from the existing floor - if you want to lay the boards in the same direction then you must ply out the area first.
UNDER FLOOR HEATING
If you have, or are going to have under floor heating you are recommended to use an engineered board rather than a solid. This is due to the stability in the engineered boards. As the boards are made up of cross ply backing it stops the oak from moving with the fluctuating temperatures and humidity.
If a solid board is to be used, the width of the board should not be more than 5 times the thickness of the board.
The reason for this is due to the movement from solid boards which can affect the floor, causing cupping and warping of the boards.
SOUTH FACING CONSERVATORIES AND BASEMENTS
As with under floor heating, there is a great level of difference with the temperature and humidity in conservatories and basements, therefore an engineered board is recommended for these areas.
BATHROOMS AND KITCHENS
Wood floors can be put in bathrooms and kitchens but please note the following advice:
For kitchens, the best floor to use is an unfinished floor which can be sealed once laid - this will ensure that the joints are protected better from spills and splashes - for kitchens in regular use or with little ventilation an engineered floor is recommended.
For Bathrooms, an engineered floor is recommended and it is also best to lay an unfinished floor which can be sealed once laid - this will ensure that the joints are protected better from spills and splashes. Wood floor is not recommended for use in bathrooms where there are small children (where there is a higher tendency for splashes) and it must be noted that the life of the floor is not as great in bathrooms due to the moisture. Bamboo floors are better suited for bathrooms as they do not expand or contract with moisture.
2. WOOD FLOORS - BOARD TYPES AND FINISHES
ENGINEERED AND SOLID BOARDS
One of the most commonly asked question is ‘which boards should I get, engineered or solid?’ Generally the answer depends on the type of room you have - see section 1 for specific details.
Engineered boards have come a long way in the last few years so it is now impossible to tell whether it is a solid floor or engineered floor once laid. Gone are the days when the engineered boards are all three strip boards - there is now more choice than ever before in the sizes and finishes of the boards.
Solid boards are suitable for most situations with the exception of under floor heating, south facing conservatories, below ground rooms (ie cellars) and bathrooms. In all of these circumstances, engineered boards are recommended.
The engineered boards are more sturdy and are less prone to movement due to the structure of the board. They are made up of a layer of real wood glued down onto a cross ply backing - usually between 10 - 15mm thick. The layers of real wood vary from 1mm - 8mm (the usual size is 4 - 6mm)
The cross ply backing is stable and does not move with differing humidity or temperatures. With the thinner layer of real wood on the top, the ply stops the real wood from moving, therefore preventing it from cupping or warping.
The thicker (21mm thick) engineered boards can also be nailed directly onto joists making them just as adaptable as the solid wood.
The boards are available in planked wood, two strip or three strip. They come unfinished, oiled or lacquered.
Due to the stability the widths of the boards can be wider than the solid wood - currently we have available up to 260mm widths in the engineered board which can be laid with the safety that they will not have movement over time.
Solid wood boards are the original boards and can be sanded down time after time. They can give a more rustic look (especially unfilled boards) as the knots can go right through the boards. The solid boards can also be adapted to make steps and other accessories without the worry of the ply showing at the edges. The solid wood floors move more than engineered boards so you will find that when the central heating is on in the house and the humidity is lower, you will see gaps appearing between the boards. However once the heating is turned off and the humidity is normal, these gaps will disappear.
UNFINISHED, OILED OR LACQUERED?
The finish of the board is purely a matter of choice and does not depend on the room type.
All the finishes available are hard wearing and durable, it is only the final look that changes:
PreLacquered Floors
Boards which come pre-lacquered have been factory finished with around 5 coats of lacquer to give a hard wearing and perfectly smooth finish. Most of the lacquers are a satin finish however there are some matt lacquers now available. No maintenance needs to be done on these floors - only the usual cleaning.
Oiled Floors
The oiled floors have a much more natural appearance. The oil soaks into the floor leaving the grainage showing through so the boards feel like natural wood. The oiled floors need maintaining around once per year. One bonus of oiled floors is that if there is a particularly nasty stain in the floor, you can spot sand it out and re-oil which is not possible with pre-lacquered boards.
Unfinished Floors
When you purchase the floor unfinished it gives you the widest choice of finish - you can sand it down once it is in place, then choose to stain it, oil or lacquer. The beauty of having the seal of your choice also means that when you need to spot sand an area and refinish, you will be able to match the finish perfectly as you have the original seal.
Stained Floors
A lot of the stains can be oiled or lacquered over the top, however the trip trap oils are an oil and colour in one, meaning that when the stain is on, the boards are finished. There is a large choice of stains to use on the floor boards from white washed finished to a very dark antique look finish. Purchasing an unfinished floor gives you the option of staining the boards once the floor is laid so you can check that the colour is correct for the environment.
Aged Flooring
These boards have been aged by using distressed boards - usually with dents, chips and a generaly "used" look to them. They are not perfect but look as if they have been in the house for a long time. These boards are normally oiled rather than lacquered as this gives a more natural and original look.
Smoked or fumed Oak floor boards give a darker look with lighter streaks - generally giving a darker, older look which can be used with "distressed" boards or just on its own. These also give the appearance of the original floorboards - originally found in barns where the cattle had been - the ammonia from the animals urine turned the oak a darker colour which gave it the original look. These days a more modern "fumed with ammonia" process is used to smoke the boards!
Brushed and Burnt oak is made by literally burning the top of the board, giving an antique look and darker colour to the boards.
FITTING METHODS AND THE TOOLS YOU WILL NEED
Handling and Storage
It is essential that you unload your wooden flooring in dry weather - never unload in the rain as the moisture could cause the planks to warp. Your wood flooring should be stored n a dry place at room temperature and if possible should be raised off the ground. You should store your wood flooring in the room that it will be laid for a minimum of 72 hours (preferably a week) so that it has time to acclimatise to the humidity and temperature of the room.
Preparing to lay your flooring
The most dangerous enemy of a hardwood floor is moisture. You must ensure that the sub floor is dry. This is especially true when laying a hard wood floor in a new build property where concrete floors will still contain a high level of moisture. Your solid wood flooring should have been allowed sufficient time to acclimatise to the conditions of the room in advance of installation.
Any timber - existing flooring, joinery or battens - should have a moisture content of no more than ư% above the moisture content of the new floor. It is advisable when laying onto existing timber that you ensure it is treated against fungal or insect attack. Concrete or screed should contain a damp proof membrane and have a moisture content of no more than 5%. This is in practice almost impossible to achieve and so additional precautions should be taken to prevent moisture reaching the new floor.
Concrete or screed will take approximately 1 day per mm thickness to dry or 1month per 25mm of thickness to dry naturally to a moisture content of 5%. The deeper the concrete slab the longer the period - for example a 150mm slab will probably take around 6 - 8 months to dry back to a safe moisture level.
The ambient conditions in the room should be around 40 - 50% humidity and a temperature of 15 - 25 degrees at the time of laying the floor. Never store the floor in a room that is wet, outside or in a garage where it could pick up moisture.
Solid Wood Floors
The best fitting methods for solid floors are to either nail down to the subfloor (secret nailing through the tongues) or glue the floor down directly to the subfloor.
For nailing down directly the flooring nailers are best used as these will automatically fire the nails at the correct angle (nailing is not suitable for chipboard floors - these should be glued down instead)
For gluing the boards down direct a special heavy duty adhesive needs to be used - this is applied with a trowel over the whole floor.
Floating the floor is not recommended for solid wood in normal circumstances.
Engineered Wood Floors
The most common fitting method for engineered floors is the floating method - this is done using and underlay laid over the existing floor and then gluing the tongue and groove of the engineered floor together. This way the whole new floor is ‘floating’ from the original floor. The underlay is used to cushion the floor and to stop any echo noise that occurs when there is a space between the two floors.
The adhesive used for floating the floor is a basic PVA wood adhesive.
The underlays available vary depending on the thickness and quality required.
The basic 3mm foam underlay is fine for general floors, as it absorbs the extra noise and cushions the new floor.
Fibre boards are not recommended for real wood floor as there is too much movement.
The sound insulation underlays such as the silent floor gold and the timbermate excel are very dense and act as sound insulation as well as a cushion for the floor. These are especially good for flats etc where minimal noise is essential.
The Envoy multi adhesive underlay has a sticky side which sticks the new floor together - you peel back the backing as you go and it instantly holds the floors in place. It is also recommended to glue the edges when using the adhesive underlay. This underlay is very popular with DIYers.
When floating floors you will notice a small amount of movement or ‘bounce’ in the floor - this is normal for floating floors as they have not been stuck down to the sub floor.
Engineered boards can also be glued down directly to the sub floor or nailed over an existing timber floor. The thicker engineered boards (18 - 22mm thick) can be nailed down directly to joists as they are structural boards.
Tools
For nailing floors you will need a flooring nailer (or similar). You do not need an underlay or glue with this method.
For Gluing floors down directly to the sub floor you will need the adhesive and a trowel. The tongues and grooves do not need to be glued and no underlay is used.
For floating the floors you will need an underlay and PVA wood glue for the tongue and grooves.
FITTING ACCESSORIES
An expansion gap of 10 - 15mm must always be used to allow for expansion of the boards. This expansion gap can either be covered with skirting (when the skirting has been taken off before installation or the existing wood floor has been removed leaving just the joists), beading or edge profile.
The skirting should be either glued, or screwed and plugged (using solid oak plugs to blend with oak skirting). The beading can be nailed or glued using the 2 part instant bonding adhesive. The edge profile can be either nailed or glued using standard PVA wood adhesive.
The fitting kit ( push block and pull bar) is useful when fitting, the floor fitting tension strap is also useful when floating the floor as it keeps the boards together.
It is always useful to have a filler to fill any small gaps or nail holes in the floor - it helps to finish the floor off. The filler is available either pre-coloured to match your floor or ready to mix with sawdust from your floor. This is also used when some boards need to be surfaced nailed - countersink the nails and fill the holes with the filler.
The radiator pipe rosettes are perfect for covering the holes where the radiator pipes go - the holes need to be larger than the pipe as this pipe will change temperature frequently.
Thresholds and reducer ramps are perfect for filling in between different floors and varying floor levels - these come in solid wood or aluminium depending on your choice.
The fitting accessories are the items that finish your floor off so please make sure you have all the necessary items to give your floor the ‘professionally fitted’ look.
By: Real_Oak_Floors
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01 19th, 2009| 
