What's the best way to lay real wood flooring? Do I need underlay?

Question

We want to put real wood flooring in the hallway. There is a chipboard floor underneath, sitting on joists. Presumably, I'll need some sort of underlay board. Doesn't this mean that the hallway floor will be about 3-5cm higher than the adjacent carpeted lounge floor? Is that really what's meant to happen?

Answer 1

3-5mm may be but not cm!

Answer 2

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What's the best way to lay real wood flooring? Do I need underlay?
We want to put real wood flooring in the hallway. There is a chipboard floor underneath, sitting on joists. Presumably, I'll need some sort of underlay board. Doesn't this mean that the hallway floor will be about 3-5cm higher than the adjacent carpeted lounge floor? Is that really...

Answer 3

Solid Wood Underlay

Answer 4

By your description, your sub-floor is already sound and set for a covering. Real wood is a great choice and adds value to the property (more so than laminate). As previously stated, just lay tar paper (roof felt paper) over the existing sub-floor and away you go. Make sure you vacuum before the tar paper and get every bit of stuff off the sub-floor. I go one step further and sprinkle and spread baby powder on the tongues of the wood during installation. The baby oil in the powder soaks into the wood and swells the tongue ever so slightly, to tighten the interlock. The powder remains in the joint to prevent squeaking as the wood swells and contracts over the seasons. This is really helpful with flooring installed that is less than 3/4" thick wood. After you're all done, a few cleanings with a swiffer or damp mop will clump and remove the excess powder.
As far as the transition to your lounge-area carpet, you can get thresholds that cover the transition (overlaps both carpet and wood) or one for the carpet that wraps the end of the carpet and butts to the wood edge. Two different types but both acceptable for the purpose depending on the look you desire. Good Luck!

Answer 5

yes you will need to remove the skirting or baseboards, read the instructions of the wood before laying it. some brands require that the home stay a constant temp throughout no matter what the weather or the boards will shrink and separate. some require more room around the edges normally a min. of 1/4" is needed for expansion or the floor will buckle. which if your baseboards aren't wide enough at the base to cover the gap needed for the floor you will need to buy more base. the gun to mail the floor runs about 300 to 400 dollars plus the hose and air compressor. glue runs 90 to 200 dollars per bucket and depending on the trowel size needed to do the floor that will tell you how much glue you will need. when you glue you will need to lay a few rows let the glue set up a few hours and then proceed or you will end up with a mess because the floor will slide everywhere. i suggest you figure it out boths ways as to which will save you money and which will be easier to do.

Answer 6

Instead of solid hardwood, have you looked into engineered hardwood? It's a nice cross between laminate and solid, but instead of a picture of wood on the top layer, a slice of real wood is used.

Solid hardwood is a ***** to install, and usually needs a professional. I wouldn't suggest doing solid on your own. Absolutely do not use it if you're working on a concrete slab, as it will warp due to moisture even with a vapor barrier.

Engineered wood is as easy to lay as laminate, but it looks like real wood. It can be installed as floating, glue, or nails which depends on your sub-floor. You can also refinish engineered 3-5 times (if doing it in 16ths), whereas laminate you can't. Obviously wood can be refinished many more times.

It sounds as if you need to put an underlay board down, you have concrete sub-floors? If so, rethink your choice of solid hardwood.
Engineered *is* wood, laminate is not. Both weather better than solid hardwood, too.

Answer 7

You do need an underlay, also acts as a damp barrier,B&Q have a good one. Make sure you leave the necessary gap from the skirting, to allow for expantion, typically a good 12 mm. If that wood moves it will push on your skirting, bringing it off the wall at the top, Better if you are renewing the skirting as well, then it can go on top, still need to leave your gap from the wall

Answer 8

your right you may need a subfloor increase but how much? you want to be in the neighbourhood of about 1"- 1 1/4" total subfloor inc whats over your joists( if you have a heat register on the floor pop it out and take the measurement from there). you will usually lay your hardwood accross your joists not with them to prevent cupping, but if your just doing the hallway then it should be fine as the hallways are usually about 4feet at most wide. if you are wanting to go into the main living areas then yes you want to go across the joists. as for any felt paper or drypaper its a personal thing. if your house is old and by that i meant like 100yrs or so then yes use those underpads but dont go to the edge of the wall as you need to use a glue(PL400 from bulldog) on your first 3 rows of hardwood along with a 15G finishing nail. all the underpads do is help with possible squeeking in the floors. but if you put a extra nial or 2 in each board then you will be fine.good luck and have fun its a fun project to play with.

Answer 9

I have real wood flooring in my hallway. I used a heavy foam sound deadening underlay with a moisture barrier underneath. Underlay is about 4mm thick. Use threshold strips in the doorways and you will never notice slight variations in level.

Answer 10

Yes you should install wood flooring underlay as it provide large number of benefits like -
-It act as moisture barrier
-Its helps in determining the shelf life and durability of wood flooring.

Answer 11

the other answers are wrong first you never put underlay under real flooring...you cannot put the flooring on top of existing .as it will make the floor too high and will cause even more problems you need to remove the old chipboard flooring ..measure the thickness of it ..normally 18 to 25 mm and get flooring of the same thickness