Solid Wood Flooring

[Owenski]

Anyone have it?
Anyone fitted it themselves?

What advice can you give someone who is thinking of getting it?

I've got roughly 20 square meters to cover including a WC with Basin, its going on the new house (new build) so its a virgin floor construction made up of a solid concrete slab.

Thoughts, Ideas, Do's and Do Not's etc all welcome.

Feel free to add pics and names of suppliers etc too :) cheeeeers

[SoulKiss]

Anyone have it?
Anyone fitted it themselves?

What advice can you give someone who is thinking of getting it?

I've got roughly 20 square meters to cover including a WC with Basin, its going on the new house (new build) so its a virgin floor construction made up of a solid concrete slab.

Thoughts, Ideas, Do's and Do Not's etc all welcome.

Feel free to add pics and names of suppliers etc too :) cheeeeers

Don't put wood floors down where they can get wet was advice given to me.

Seeing the state fo my Bathroom and Kitchen floors (still to get round to doing them up) I can see why.

Wood doesn't like moisture you see..

Vinyl or Slate I would have said for in the bathroom.

[flymo]

I would second that. I have solid oak down in my hallway, it can be very temperature and moisture sensitive.

Mine is nailed to original floorboard underneath.

For a room that might get wet I wouldnt bother, go for tiled floor with underfloor heating.

[flymo]

PS. If you end up fitting any to a wooden floor underneath I have the nailing gun machine thing that I would like to sell.

[andrewsmith]

As above

Fit lino if your short of cash atm
but tiles and slates are required

[maviczap]

I fitted laminate flooring in my shower room & bathroom, but it was rated for wet areas. The shower room stuff has been down for 5 years and no problems, although it doesn't get that wet.

The bathroom stuff was also rated for use in wet areas, and its been down for about 3 years. Its doing ok, but after a few drenchings from a burst fitting and sorting out blocked toilets its not doing so well. But its only a small area and won't take long to replace. Can't have tiles, because its a chipboard floor & flex's too much.

The one thing with laminate or any wooden flooring, is to get the first row in square.

I did both my daughter bedrooms with laminate flooring, its dead easy to do, just follow the instructions.

[speedplay]

I've fitted solid oak throughout my hallway.
8 inch wide, 1inch thick screwed and pelleted down to the concrete slab below with no issues on a main thoroughfare getting wet etc.
Timber is indeed hydroscopic so can take in and let back out water so should ideally be in a moisture stable environment.
If it is a laminate you are looking at, you can get laminates for wet areas and they are much better than they used to be.
Make sure the floor slab is smooth, if not a little latex levelling compound can sort out evils.
Use a decent underlay and away you go.
It's not rocket science, even Specialone can fit it... ;)

[Wideboy]

as SP said, screw it down rather than nail, nails allow to much movement. Use brass or plated screws to stop the timber staining but personally never bothered and never had a problem.

i laid beach laminate in my old house, was down for ages but did it properly under the skirting so never noticed it moving. Had plenty of drenches with spilt drinks but i still wouldn't put it in the bathrooms. Every laminate flooring I've seen has always said "for use everywhere except bathrooms and wet rooms" despite being advertised as moisture safe. Its still only MDF/HDF shehight.

[Owenski]

Laminate isnt an option its only solid wood/engineered wood Im interested in.
we've got laminate in our current hall and I've no worries about fitting some of that but real wood would be a new thing for me, it might not be a massive step up but it will cost a lot more if I get it wrong.

[Owenski]

Anyone put solid wood floor in a downstairs toilet? Had any issues with water damage?

[Wideboy]

aslong as its oiled/sealed properly you shouldn't have a problem unless you make a habit of missing the bog when you have a ****. Most untreated hardwoods go black when they get wet.

[dizzyblonde]

The one thing with laminate or any wooden flooring, is to get the first row in square.

I did both my daughter bedrooms with laminate flooring, its dead easy to do, just follow the instructions.

I layed my entire living room and kitchen, an absolute piece of cake. Its supposed to be for deadening sound, the sort I layed, I don't finks so!
It hasn't lasted long at the back door, the last plank has lifted summat chronic and gets in the way of the door, so looks crap! Its always getting wet, and is rubbish. Just don't know what I can put there, that won't look worse.

Always lay it parallel to the light source(window) apparently. Have to admit, it does look better that way, than the lot I replaced!

[Kilted Ginger]

Solid wood flooring (not laminate everyone) in a bathroom will be ok, but.
Burst pipe, overflowing toilet, overflow from sink will mess it up big time.
Like others have said far better with, tiles / lino / slate / wetroom flooring, much better (safer) options and will be cheaper as well.
If you still want to go hardwood (as is your choice) you have 3 options
1. Glue and bond the boards to each other and the concrete floor and screw down (through the bottom lip of the groove)
2. Get the floating floor type, you'll need to put a membrane sheet down underneath then it just slots together, no nails or glue.
3. Seal the concrete, fit either chipboard or ply sheet 20mm thick and treat with upva or waterproofing agent, fit the hardwood with a nailgun or screws through the groove.
The Hardwood will either be laquered, treated or untreated. If untreated give it a good coating of oil, then another then another. If its laquered you may be able to seal the joins with natural bees wax (try on a small test area first.
Hope this helps.

Personally i would go with tile etc but if its wood you want.

[andrewsmith]

Fit altro wetroom anti slip ;)

(I expect 2 people in here to know what it is)

[Quiff Wichard]

I know it my dads got it in his wetroom and it's right through the catering kitchen at work .. Ha

[andrewsmith]

I know it my dads got it in his wetroom and it's right through the catering kitchen at work .. Ha

3 then Quiff

[DJFridge]

I haven't heard Altro flooring mentioned in years!

We discovered parquet flooring under the carpets when we moved in and it's fantastic. It's warm underfoot, even in the winter and, providing it's well enough varnished, it's pretty real-world proof as well. The guy that did the varnishing for us used a different type of varnish for the bathroom and it's holding up pretty well after nearly four years. And when small boys miss the toilet, it doesn't smell as bad as the carpet used to.

[flymo]

3 then Quiff

Isn't that the stuff that's a carefully textured 2mm thick dimpled surface of Altro Marine™ specifically designed for safety with wet, bare feet or soft soled footwear. Comfortable underfoot, it affords superb slip resistance when wet, making it ideal for use in shower and swimming pool surrounds as well as other wet areas requiring slip resistance, such as care home bathrooms?

;-)

[andrewsmith]

okay okay

Smart Arris's
and that's straight off the web page

[Owenski]

As always the org speaks sense, cheers all I've discussed the above with the wife and we're taking the advice of the masses and going to tile the downstairs WC. Just the hall and dining room to wood then, cheers all :)

[Paul the 6th]

as SP said, screw it down rather than nail, nails allow to much movement. Use brass or plated screws to stop the timber staining but personally never bothered and never had a problem.

i laid beach laminate in my old house, was down for ages but did it properly under the skirting so never noticed it moving. Had plenty of drenches with spilt drinks but i still wouldn't put it in the bathrooms. Every laminate flooring I've seen has always said "for use everywhere except bathrooms and wet rooms" despite being advertised as moisture safe. Its still only MDF/HDF shehight.

Does anyone else appreciate how gav's spelling matches the way he looks?

[speedplay]

Fit altro wetroom anti slip ;)

(I expect 2 people in here to know what it is)

I'm one of them.

[Wideboy]

Does anyone else appreciate how gav's spelling matches the way he looks?

what's your problem man?!, ffs next time I see you I'm going to roshambo you to the fhloor keerrrpoow


:-*

[Paul the 6th]

I've seen roshambo in't karma sutra :) you dirty boy

[widepants]

Have you ever thought about putting Karndean or a similar product down.Some of their ranges look so much like wood ,its hard to spot its not.

[Specialone]

I would never have 'real' wood flooring, it's not anywhere close as resilient as laminate, you drop something on it and dents very easy whereas a good laminate will laugh and say is that ALL you got.

The only good things about it are, it's re sandable and it's looks nice.

[speedplay]

Feels better under foot too Phil.
Laminate and constructed flooring always sound hollow and cold.
Real wood feels much firmer and warm too.
And then there is the way it looks too.
No patern repeat on a real wood floor.

[speedplay]

Its still only MDF/HDF shehight.

Agreed there. But...
Mdf is much better these days.
We have used exterior grade mdf in facias and soffits on tesco shop fronts.
Was a bit weird to get your head round but the stuff does work.

[Amplimator]

I have a solid oak floor in front room thats just over 20mm thick, cost a friggin fortune but has been done properly (all skirting boards removed, membrane on concrete then chipboard then oak nailed to it at an angle in the joining lips) Its been down for 7 years now with no movement. It has minor marks and scratches from kids dropping stuff and is due its first sanding but the marks are only noticeable if you get on your hands and knees (which is why only the missus notices the marks ;) )

For the amount of wear we are going to get out of it was well worth it. Like everything you get what you pay for.

I wouldnt recommend for use in wet rooms for obvious reasons, get it tiled with some non slip tiles.