-
About Good Brothers
Contact
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01568 708 382
- enquiries@goodbros.co.uk
- Mortimer’s Cross, Herefordshire HR6 9TQ
About Good Brothers
Contact
01568 708 382
About Good Brothers
Contact
01568 708 382
Before you lay your flooring we recommend you leave it in the property for two weeks prior to laying. This is so it can acclimatise to the temperature of the room it will be fixed in, so if any movement is going to occur it does so before it is laid.
Please ensure all wet work; i.e. plastering, is done before the Oak is in the property as it is possible the wood will absorb the extra moisture.
The method used to lay the Oak flooring depends on whether you have an issue with raising the height of your floor.
If you don't, the most popular way is to fix softwood battens by screwing and plugging them to the concrete floor.
The concrete surface should be sound and completely dry, lay polythene DPM (Damp Proof Membrane) underneath the battens. This acts as a vapour barrier to prevent possible moisture entering the boards.
The recommended section of the PSE softwood battens is 25mm x 50mm. Larger sections can be used but no smaller than this. They should be set at 400mm centres to prevent the floor bouncing. Because the flooring is tongue and grooved all around, including the ends, it means you don't have to meet on a batten/joist.
If an increase in the floor level needs to be kept to a minimum, an ideal method of fixing your floor is by gluing it directly onto concrete. We would recommend a glue which is specially designed for gluing Oak to concrete.
Existing floor
Hardwood Oak flooring can be laid onto existing timber floors by surface nailing or secret nailing.
Surface or secret nail, as below.
Depending on the height of your battens, we would recommend using either 40mm or 50mm lost head nails to fix your floor.
The boards are nailed through above the tongue at a 45 degree angle and punched home with a nail punch. The recommended distance between battens is 300mm. The maximum face width of flooring you should secret nail is 140mm.
Again, 40mm or 50mm lost head nails can be used and again punched under the surface with a nail punch. Alternatively, cut rose head nails can be used which sit above the surface. Nail holes can be filled or left open, depending on the look you are wishing to achieve. We recommend 2 nails per board on each batten. The recommended distance between battens is 400mm.
Whatever you are laying your floor onto, it is very important that you leave an expansion gap of 15mm around the edge of the room. This is to prevent the floor rising if the flooring expands.
To cover the gap, we recommend that you fit skirting boards over the gap or if you do not wish to remove the skirtings, you can use a 20mm x 20mm Scotia moulding which fits above the floor and against the existing skirting. This can be supplied in matching wood to your floors.
Our flooring comes with a planed surface, which requires sanding before the finish can be applied.
Sand your floor with either an upright floor sander or a hand operated belt sander. Sand until smooth to touch all over. If you do not have this equipment, it can be hired.
All of the knots come pre-filled*, however should there be any knots you feel require further filling, we can supply you with a resin filler. This is often a popular option as dust may gather in larger knots. Once the resin is dry, you can sand it to a finish before applying the finishing sealant.
The method used to lay the Oak flooring depends on whether you have an issue with raising the height of your floor.
The following options are available: