Timber floors.

[Kevin]

I like the look of wooden floors but do not like laminate. I did think that when installing the flooring in the new extension that I might simply stain and varnish/polish the T&G boarding. I realise that ordinary T&G from most timber merchants is of questionable quality and in any case is likely to shrink causing large gaps in a relatively short time. I wondered whether it would be possible to get hardwood T&G boarding which is less prone to shrinkage than normal softwood T&G. We are hoping for a light finish, so mahogany etc. would not be suitable. Any ideas/recommendations ? I realise hardwood is likely to be more expensive but what about compared to installing new softwood T&G covered in a good quality laminate ? Any other options I need to consider ?

Thanks.

[Christian McArdle]

That's understandable.

There is masses of different hardwood options, depending on what look you want and how much you want to pay. The cheaper hardwoods actually overlap the more expensive laminate options in price. The real hardwood stuff tends to come either as meaty T&G floorboards, or, more usually, as random length T&G strips, which are narrower than laminate boards, but laid in the same manner.

You'll find loads of suppliers on the Internet, i.e.:

(I haven't used them, so this isn't a recommendation).

Christian.

[Andy Hall]

Oak or Beech look pretty good and you can buy good quality for around £30/m^2

Well prepared board is properly seasoned and normally has groovees machined on the underside to prevent cupping.

You can finish in oil or wax which looks really good or in varnish if you must.

I don't know of any good quality laminates. They all look like plastic to me...

.andy

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[The Natural Philosopher]

Stack the T & G indoors for AT LEAST 6 weeks before laying, and screw it down HARD.

[Mary Fisher]

That's because they ARE plastic, Andy ... like other things you probably use every day.

Mary

[Jerry Built]

Amen.

It's usable. It produces a reasonably good result IMO.

You can - but it will still shrink a bit!

Go to Jewson's and talk to the friendly man there.

The friendly man at Jewson's will be able to show you some samples of flooring timber. I would not, IIWY, use the narrow strip that you can get from S/fix or similar IIRC. Use boards 4" wide minimum, depending on the size of the room 6" or 8" well may be better. Don't use timber in short lengths. Consider using quality softwood boards and not using laminate on top. I have installed some stuff that's pretty good. Again, talk to your friendly man at Jewson's; go to the sales counter and explain that you're looking for someone who can advise you and show you samples, and they'll fetch him.

J.B.

[Mary Fisher]

I had a friend with hard floor ghroughout his enormous house. It was installed by the first owner, an architect, and was maple.

It was divine and looked as I'm sure it did when it was new (in the early thirties) when my friend moved.

If I ever won the lottery ... but it's not important enough for me to want to buy a ticket :-)

In our dining room we have a stripped pine floor - the original 1930s boards. There are the marks of nails, children's atenttions and hard stuff dropped on them as well as scrape marks from furniture being dragged across with a minuscule piece of grit under a foot. In other words, it has a characterful pattern!

The gaps between the boards are up to 1/4" wide but it doesn't matter, things don't get lost and can be picked or sucked out easily. Spouse keeps wanting to fill them with fillets or wax but there are more important things to do.

Funny how a family literally makes its marks on a house. We once had expanded polystyrene tiles on the dining room ceiling and there were lots of odd shaped intents in it. Damn champagne corks! Their loss was the only thing we were sorry about when we took it down.

Mary

Mary

[Andy Hall]

OK, but there's applicability and aesthetics. If something is required to be plastic then let it look like plastic. If it's wood then make it from wood.

What I don't like is plastic made to look like wood.....

Austin Powers: "Basil! This coffee tastes like shit!"

Basil Expedition "Austin, it is shit."

Austin drinks some more, licks his lips and says, "Hmm. It's kinda nutty."

.andy

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[Mary Fisher]

Andy, how long do you spend looking at the floor?

Mary

[Andy Hall]

Hours. It's a great source of inspiration for me.

.andy

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[Pete C]

The air in your house is probably a lot drier than in the woodyard at your timber merchants.

Unscrew the T&G and shuffle it up to close the gaps, then screw it back down.

cheers, Pete.

[Mary Fisher]

I'm very happy for you ...

Mary

[The Natural Philosopher]

sadder even, is wood that is polished and sheened so presciely that it looks like plastic :-(

[Andy Hall]

I couldn't agree more. It's also much easier to maintain using oils and waxes and localised blemishes can easily be fixed.

.andy

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[Rick Hughes]

Floorco do engineered h/wood floors that are load bearing .. i.e can be laid direct across joists.

They are worth trying. I have bought a lot of wood, ask for Angus and mention my name it may get you a good price. they are good for all engineered & laminates floors.

Floorco 01933 418899 (Rushden)

If you don't know difference between engineered and laminate take a look at sect I wrote for Uk_SelfBuild FAQ ......

Rick