T@G floor boards over a concrete floor

May 03, 2006 5 Replies

I understand from previous responses that ideally they should be laid on battens, but is it possible to lay a T@G wooden flooring (probably just standard new pine floor boards) over a concrete base as a floating floor by simply glueing the boards together? The main reason for this is to avoid having a step.



If this is Ok is any underlay required such as plastic sheeting to act as a moisture barrier, although the concrete has been down at least 20 years so I assume its dry! Also, to reduce any noise, would it be sensible to lay some type of cushioning material such as the stuff sold for laying under laminate flooring.



If the floor boards have to be fixed to the concrete, again to avoid using battens, can you simply screw them directly to to the concrete. I appreciate that this will be a tedious job, but is it at least feasible.



Any advice gratefully received.



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I've just been negotiating to buy a house where the present owner has laid T&G just as you describe direct on the concrete. If I buy it then one of the first jobs will be to rip it all up and burn it! It is awful as various bits move and one or two plank ends are sticking up a good half inch !!!

AWEM

Andrew, thanks for your response. I did ask the opinion of someone in a builder's merchants and he also advised that the wood would move. Whilst I appreciate this, is it feasible to fix the boards direct to the floor to prevent this happening and if so what would be the most appropriate method of fixing them to the floor.

At a push you could use one of the gooey preparations like 'no more nails' but I personally wouldn't be too happy with that approach. As the wood expands and contracts with changes in humidity and temperature it needs lateral freedom

AWEM

If you do that, you're likely to have awful problems with shrinkage and splitting.

I've done this - 22mm t&g glued with evostick wood glue and laid on litho blankets (because they were free, from work)

Treat it like "laminate" flooring - leave about a 10mm gap around the edges.

The main problem is the butt-ends - I t&g'd them on a router table.

If you do a google for "laying parquet flooring" it will give you some ideas.

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