Fitting Wooden Floors

Background & Preparation for your wooden floor

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Why choose a solid timber floor?

Solid timber has proved itself throughout the centuries as the best material for flooring because it:

	will last indefinitely if properly laid and cared for
	is resilient and therefore less tiring to the feet than more unyielding materials
	provides very good thermal insulation being a low conductor of heat. The equivalent thermal insulation value of wood is about 16 x better than concrete, 400 x better than steel. Heat losses through solid floors can be significantly reduced by overlaying a timber floor
	can be easily be renovated after wear or neglect
	remains fresh and attractive long after other surfaces (including laminates) have become unserviceable
	is less dusty and therefore healthier especially for Asthmatics
	has superb natural grain and colour and enhances any environment.

Preparing to lay a wooden floor

Understanding your Wood

From the moment a tree is felled timber loses moisture and the process of drying and seasoning begins. As wood loses moisture air moves in to fill the emptying spaces of its cells and so becomes lighter, harder, stronger and shrinks a little. Seasoning continues slowly under natural conditions until a balance is reached between moisture remaining in the wood and the water vapour in the air around it. In a warm centrally heated room wood holds a quantity of water at least equal to 12% of its own dry weight. In a damp room or outside it holds much more. Timber losing water will dry and shrink, and wood which is dry and well seasoned can absorb air borne moisture rapidly and result in swelling and twisting. One cannot completely prevent these natural processes but steps can be taken to limit them.

Priors Reclamation - The steps we take

	New Kiln Dried Oak - This is kiln dried to 10-11% moisture content, ready to be laid into a normal centrally heated house.
	Reclaimed timbers - These are very well seasoned and may have been laid for many years. Our re-sawn pines are in the main cut from beams and joists from Victorian properties.
	We carefully stack and store all our timbers in dry covered storage.
	We only buy and sell quality timber.

Do

	Store timber inside your house at the appropriate living temperature.
	Take delivery only when other building work is complete and wet work dried out.
	Allow the timber some acclimatisation time prior to laying. You should take the timber from us at least two weeks prior to laying and either: - stack with plenty of spacers to ensure good airflow. OR - have the floor loose laid ie cut and laid out but not nailed down to be fixed down a couple of weeks later.
	Run the heating system in new buildings or extensions for at least 10 days prior to laying and ensure plenty of ventilation to disperse dampness drawn out.
	Continue to run the heating during and after laying.
	Lag underfloor pipes to prevent localised shrinkage.

Do Not

	Store timber outside or in a damp or open outbuilding where it will absorb moisture.
	Take timber into a building site environment where plaster and concrete floors are drying out.
	Take delivery from us until your room is at your living temperature.
	Use gas or oil space heaters to dry out rooms as these create moisture.

Wood Problems

	Dampness and moisture as outlined are the main enemy. If you have doubts about where you are laying your floor, discuss this with an expert before proceeding.
	Infestation - we never knowingly sell infested timber, but we cannot be responsible for site conditions. To be certain you should consider treating all timbers including joists and battens.
	Marking - stiletto heels are a problem, the point loading is so heavy that this may mark even the hardest of hardwoods. Hardwood floors will mark less than softwood, but remember pine boards are also very hardy and many Victorian pine floors are still going strong! If moving heavy items on wood floors, it is best (assuming the item cannot be lifted) to drag with a piece of carpet underneath to act as a slider.
	Dirt & Grit - vacuum regularly to minimise wear to the floor finish.

Problems are few, and handled, laid and cared for properly wood floors give years of wear and satisfaction.

Laying your wooden floor

All our floors can be laid by a carpenter or competent DIY enthusiast. We work closely with a small team of fitters whom we can recommend should you require an expert.

Here are some laying tips:

1	Laying strip and board floors
1.a	Laying over a concrete sub-floor
	Sub-floors must be fully dried out with a maximum moisture content of 5% and must contain an effective damp proof membrane. For a "belt and braces" job lay building paper on the concrete as an additional vapour barrier.
	Battens should be screwed and countersunk on to the concrete. Centres should measure no more than 300mm.
	Minimum thickness of battens should be 25mm (20mm is possible if the nailing is driven at 30 degrees).
	Normal batten width is 44mm.
	Thermal insulation is improved by laying insulation between battens.
	Ensure all underfloor pipework is lagged before the floor is laid. This will prevent localised shrinkage in the floor from hot adjacent pipes.
1.b	Laying on ground floor joists
	Hardwoods should not be nailed direct to joists over a ventilated ground floor void. Flooring will absorb airborne moisture from the ventilation and will swell.
	We recommend that plywood of at least 18mm is laid first followed by a sheet vapour barrier (not polythene) and then the hardwood floor.
1.c	Laying over an existing floor
	You can lay over an existing floor if it is sound and level.
	Counter punch any nails and check the floor for high spots before sanding flat if necessary.
	Lay your new floor at 90 degrees to the existing floor if possible and nail at 300mm intervals.
	If your new floor must run the same way as the old one, lay plywood of at least 6mm thickness to the old floor before laying the new one. It may save cost if the plywood is laid in strips at 300mm centres. In both cases when you lay the new floor fix with nails of sufficient length to fix through the ply and into the old floor.
	If your existing floor is laid over a ventilated void ensure that a vapour barrier (not polythene) is sandwiched between the old and new floors.
1.d	Other laying tips
	Wide boards are more likely to bow than narrow ones especially if laid in rooms subject to seasonal variations in temperature and humidity. If you are secret nailing t&g wider boards (ie where the width of the board is >5 times the thickness of the board) consider additional fixing by nailing through the face of the plank, plugging the hole with a plug made from the timber. This will give a smooth finish if you do not wish to see the nails.
	It is a wise precaution to treat all battens and existing timber joists against infestation and rot before laying your new floor. Although we never knowingly sell infested timber you may also wish to treat our flooring.
	Remember all timber moves between seasonal extremes, expands in summer and shrinks in winter when the heating is on. This is quite normal.
	T&G end matched boards need not terminate on a joist or batten provided the board on either side does not terminate between the same joist or batten.
	Always leave an expansion gap of round the perimeter of the room. This should be 15mm for small rooms and 15-20mm for larger rooms. In most cases the gap will be covered by the skirting board.
	Cramp boards before fixing to ensure a tight fit.
1.e	Nailing
	When surface nailing use a nail punch to drive below the floor surface. This will assist sanding.
	T&G floors may be secret nailed using a porta-nailer and driving the nails in at 45 degrees. Use 45mm nails or staples for a typical 20mm thick board.
	Traditional cut nails (brads) are best for surface nailing use 50-60mm brads for boards up to 25mm thick.
2	Laying parquet
	We cannot do better than refer you to an American Flooring Trade Association website www.nofma.org/installation4.htm, which has comprehensive details.
	All the same rules on ensuring the dryness of the concrete sub-floors apply. A paint on damp sealer is a recommended extra precaution.
	We recommend and sell Lecol 5500 adhesive for use with reclaimed parquet blocks. From experience it provides an excellent bond.

Finishing your wooden floor

Sanding

This stage is perhaps the most critical, so take care and time.

	Use a drum type commercial sander (hire by the day).
	Three stages to sanding working from coarse to fine grit - Coarse - to remove dirt, old finish, marks and high spots. Sand at 45 degrees to the direction of the boards then with the grain. - Medium - to remove marks made by coarse sanding - Fine - to achieve final surface, finish with grit 120 or finer.
	Edges should be sanded with a hand sander and using same process as above
	Filling - some customers choose to emphasise scars and minor knotty imperfections in the timber. If you wish to do any filling use a resin (eg Lecol clear resin) mixed with sanding dust, and fill prior to the final sand.
	Remove dust. This can be done by thorough vacuuming and prior to applying any finish wipe the floor with a damp cloth or rag coated in white spirit and allow to dry.

Finishing

The choice of finishing products is wide and can change the look of the floor considerably. The choice you make should be geared to the amount of wear the floor will get and the look you require. Some tips:

	Try finishes over a decent area, use board backs before they are laid and offcuts to decide, this is especially important if you are colouring the timber.
	Remember all timber darkens naturally over time with the effect of light.
	Whatever you choose, 3-4 coats as a finish will give you longer life.
	Apply all products according to instructions detailed by the manufacturer.

1. Wax Polish

	gives a sheen to timber , successive layers building to a patina
	gives a good natural finish and feeds the wood. We like Briwax and Fiddes Wax
	can be applied to bare timber but first coats should be mixed with white spirit, this aids application and ensures the polish really soaks in. A shellac (alcohol based resin) could also be applied as the base coat to seal the grain, with wax applied on top. The wax goes further and buffs more quickly to a shine
	downside with waxing is high maintenance as rubber soled shoes and water will mark the wax
	a must for antique timbers such as old oak and elm
	other timbers, only consider for low traffic areas or areas where rugs will take the majority of the wear

2. Oils

	there are lots of different oils on the market. We recommend and sell products by Danecare and OS Polyx Oil. Both sell oils which have been specially developed to provide a long-lasting quaility floor finish which is easy to maintain.
	sink deep into the grain hardening and protecting the wood and gives a good natural finish which slightly darkens the timber and enhances the grain
	suitable for all areas

3. Varnishes

	Oil based polyurethanes, water based acrylic varnish are all suitable for floors and are normally available in matt, satin and high gloss.
	These are very hard wearing and ideal for floors which get lots of wear and where you want easy care. eg Ronseal heavy duty/Commercial use Floor Varnish.
	Only downside is that this is obviously a less natural finish.

4. Water based lacquers and sealers

	Wide range eg made by BonaKemi Limited.
	Suitable for all wear requirements including commercial floors.
	Downside is these do not give such a natural finish as the oils.

5. Colouring

Think carefully before you decide to colour your floor. Any newly machined wood eg our new oak or our cut pines will age and darken naturally. They darken considerably in the first year, especially if in an area where there is plenty of sunlight. Stains may easily wear off poorly maintained or high wear floors. If you must stain here are some tips!

	Try a large area first using off cuts and the underside of some boards.
	Be absolutely certain of the colour and appearance, there is no going back!
	We recommend and sell coloured oils by Danecare for a natural coloured look.
	Use water based stains (except under water based lacquers which require a solvent stain), these soak in more unevenly and therefore look more natural.
	Once the staining is completed a finishing product should be applied. Check suitability for application over stain.

Maintenance of wooden floors

	Dust and grit should be removed on a regular basis using a vacuum cleaner, soft broom or other dry cleaning method.
	If wood floors are in kitchens then vacuum as above then wipe over with a damp mop. The amount of moisture on the floor should be kept to a minimum by ensuring mops and cloths are only lightly dampened.
	Spillages - refer to floor finish manufacturers advice.
	For varnished floors maintain as above. Ronseal make a sheen reviver and cleaner.
	We recommend and sell maintenance products by Danecare and Osmo .