Sub Floor & Fixings
A major factor in all types of floor installation is the condition and the suitability of the sub floor. A large number of modern homes now have concrete screed sub floors. Concrete contains moisture and this must be prevented from impregnating the wooden flooring.
A roll-on damp proof membrane should be applied before laying onto concrete. In addition to this, wooden flooring, when laid onto concrete, must be fully bonded i.e. the entire under surface of the wood must be in contact with the adhesive for a secure fixing to be achieved. (Very few manufacturers make solid timber flooring that can be floated on solid wood - Consilium can identify these products.)
When fixing timber flooring to battens it is advisable that there should be four linear metres of batten to one square metre of flooring. If this is not carried out then the fixings can weaken during seasonal movement of the timber.
Fixing to joists can also prove problematic. The wider the board the more unstable it is.
Fixing to joists can also prove problematic. The wider the board the more unstable it is. The standard procedure when nailing flooring is to fix every six to nine inches. Joists are normally 14 inches apart. This results in insufficient nailing and again, the fixing can fail during seasonal movement.
A very popular type of timber flooring used nowadays is engineered wood flooring. There are numerous types of this product (again Consilium can identify these) and they are generally laid by floating. However it is imperative that moisture is prevented from entering this type of flooring also. Special underlays can be used to achieve this. Consilium can identify whether these underlays have been used.
Consilium can examine the sub floor and advise on what preparatory treatment has been applied and also on what treatments should have been applied if they are absent. The sub floor preparation is the most common fault when flooring fails.