Solid wood floor underlay

[MissA]

I did a search and nothing jumped out at me, so apols if this has been asked a million times before...

Self adhesive underlay for solid oak flooring. I am thinking that the first row might be the trickiest but is it easy enough when you get going?

I am sure I saw a non adhesive rubber mat type affair that the wood "gripped" with friction rather than adhesive, but I can't find anything like it now.

I have 105 m to lay throughout my house so would like any useful suggestions (apart from get a man in and go out for the day/week..)

Thanks in advance.

 

[jasonB]

Welcome to the forum

A lot will depend on the type/size of your oak flooring and the surface you are laying onto.

The adhesives are often used to hold structural flooring to a solid (screed/concrete) floor where as an overlay floorboard can "float" on a loose underlay or structural flooring can be secret nailed to joists/existing boarding.

If you could give a few more details of the flooring you intend to lay that would help.

Jason

 

[floorman]

hi miss a , pm me and i will tell you all

 

[tsb]

Please tell us all about it!

 

[Marky]

Isnt that funny.

Hate doing it but just completing 155m of 18mm chinese oak floor into a mix of existing floor and concrete screed.

Using Elastilon (thats what you're looking for) equiv from screwfix.

It works really well. I have found that if you set up the first two rows and clamp then together it works fine. They are tricky to start but when you get going it is fast.

Jsut set up that first couple perfectly and then do three rows at a time using strap clamps.

You have to work fast because 155m is damn boring.

Get someone (a helper) to pass you the boards as it saves your back.

Would I reconmend the system..... Yes, and dont glue the tongues either.

Heres the link for the underlay.

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/74549/Flo ... d-Underlay

If its onto concrete you will still need a dpm...

Mark

 

[mack9110000]

Try "Googling" Elastilon,on their site they have a short video showing the correct method of instalment with their product.

 

[MissA]

Thanks for all the advice. It's 120 mm random length solid oak. I was worried that the plastic would get crumpled before the boards had actually put their tongue into the groove...

I will be passing the boards to my better half and he can do the fitting. We took deliver of the boards this week - I now have 67 boxes of flooring (unfortunately in the room where we are starting...)

Thanks again. I report back on how it goes!

 

[frank]

as the little irish man said i wouldn't start in that room

 

[misterfish]

I've just started doing a number of rooms upstairs - 120mm wide, 18mm thick solid European Oak t and g boards using Elastilon. Spend time getting the first three rows straight and wedges at the edge to leave expansion gaps. Once you've got started it's straight-forward. The most fiddly part was the last row of boards as the polythene backing sheet from the Elastilon has to eased out otherwise it flipped the row out of place.

I'm glad I chose that method.

Misterfish

 

[CWatters]

MissA - just remember to leave expansion gaps at walls etc. Cover with skirting. Humidity is low in the winter and the floor may expand a bit in summer when humidity is higher - but it depends on the current level of moisture in the wood.

 

[busy builder]

You must leave the flooring at least 7 days to acclimatise in that room before fixing down.

 

[RogerS]

.......
Heres the link for the underlay.

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/74549/Flo ... d-Underlay

If its onto concrete you will still need a dpm...

Mark

Mark

Does the Screwfix stuff come with the pull-back plastic sheet like Elastilon? Did you bother to glue the board ends?
Are you still happy with the Screwfix product?

Many thanks

Roger

 

[Marky]

Roger. Yes it does come with a starter sheet.

I have to say that the starter sheet is plastic backed paper about the thickness of copier paper. You get what is probably 1 x A0 sheet which you can cut to 3 or four pieces.

It is thicker than the backing on the elastilon / equivelent so pulling it is a bit trickier.

I have found that if you are doing a few rooms you can reuse the platic from the last room as it pulls better.

I did glue the 1st row ends on the 1st room, but to be honest I did not bother again, it really does not seem to matter and I have now done over 250m.

The screwfix product is as good as elastilon. To be honest I got it because I have a trade account with screwfix and that is important for cash flow.

Mark

 

[misterfish]

Did you bother to glue the board ends?

Roger

Should have mentioned this in my other post. Our supplier said not to bother gluing the ends and we've had no problems.

Misterfish

 

[RogerS]

....
I have found that if you are doing a few rooms you can reuse the platic from the last room as it pulls better.
....

Thanks for the quick reply. Not sure I follow you re reuseing the plastic. Doesn't it already come attached to the roll?

I also have one potential difficulty and that is that I need to lay some down but only a partial lay (to go underneath a new staircase)...then I want to comer back at a later date and finish off. But it is clear to me that the underlay holds the boards together and so if i cut off the underlay (because keeping the remaining roll will act as a trip hazard) will mean that there will be two sections of flooring not attached to each other...if you see what I mean. Any suggestions?

 

[misterfish]

The backing plastic on Elastilon is also very slippy (needs to be to be able to slide out from under the boards as you fit them. I wouldn't want to be walking on the elastilon for any great period of time before the floor is laid. If the area that is innaccessible due to the staircase work is a through route then I'd wait and do it all in one go. Bear in mind as I said before that the adhesive on Elastilon is very sticky and once it sticks to anything (apart from the plastic backing sheet) it stays stuck.

Misterfish

 

[RogerS]

Roger could never quite get the hang of using Elastilon !