Solid Wood Flooring from Hackworth Sawmill

Fitting Hardwood Flooring

We find that increasing numbers of our customers want to tackle the fitting of a wooden floor themselves. This is often a cost issue, but also it can be very satisfying to have done it yourself. But do bear in mind that fitting a hardwood floor is specialised and not to be tackled lightly. If in doubt, do get a professional to do the job, but if you do, make sure that the professional is an experienced floor fitter. If you decide to do it yourself, above all take your time not only in the fitting of the floor, but also in the preparation. Remember that provided you have made a wise choice in the product in the first place, and you have fitted it correctly, the wood floor will last longer than you will, so a few hours at this stage is a good investment. The main considerations are
Handling. Hardwood is a living substance which reacts to changes in relative humidity. Wooden flooring gains and loses moisture before and after installation as surrounding conditions fluctuate. It expands in the summer when humidity levels are high, and contracts in the winter when they are lower. At the sawmill the flooring should have been kiln dried down to about 10% moisture content (always check). It may pick up some moisture subsequently from the atmosphere, and once it has been delivered it should be left to acclimatise at house temperature for a minimum period of 10 days, and if it is solid wood flooring, considerably longer where there is under-floor heating. Any plastering or cement work must be completely dry before any wooden flooring is put into the building. As a rough guide only, concrete screed can require 4 weeks per inch to dry out sufficiently.
Tolerance As a natural product, hardwood floors are manufactured in accordance with accepted industry standards which permit a grading tolerance of 5% and a dimension tolerance of plus or minus 1% of face width. All hardwood boards should be checked by the fitter before installation, care taken to match for width etc in a given row of boards, and any pieces with glaring defects should be cut out. It is normal practice to use stain putty or filler for defects correction and gap filling. Because solid wood can expand as well as contract, a gap of 10 to 15 mm must be left between the boards and the wall. Failure to do this can lead to cupping. It is normal for the gaps between boards to open slightly during the cooler, drier seasons.
Installation – solid hardwood flooring. A hardwood floor must be securely fixed down to prevent the natural twisting, rippling and bending of the material as it responds to changes in atmospheric conditions, a process which can start as soon as the board has been machined. This is why it is risky to fit solid wood flooring as a floating floor, i.e. where each board is glued to the one next to it. When a long board decides to turn into a banana, the pressure which it can exert is so great that it can break the glue and cause significant gaps in the floor. This can’t happen if the board is securely fixed down. And so solid wood flooring is fixed down either by nailing or screwing along the length of the board on each joist or batten, or every 350 to 400 mm if fixing to an existing wooden floor. See Step by Step Guidance Alternatively in some situations it can be glued to a concrete floor, although where height is not an issue, it is better to fix battens to the concrete and then nail or screw the hardwood floor. See fixing to battens.
Installation – engineered wood flooring. An engineered floor can be nailed or screwed down just like solid hardwood flooring, or it can be glued to a concrete or existing wooden floor.