Laying down timber floorboards can be a little more involved than laying down other kinds of floorboards, especially if you’re using glue to set them in place. However, the results can be well worth it: a beautiful, hardwood floor once you’re done!
But how exactly should you go about it? Well, that’s exactly what we plan to answer with this helpful guide.
Tools and equipment
To install timber flooring, you’ll need various pieces of equipment and tools. This includes:
- Underlay
- Drop saw
- Jamb saw
- Rubber mallet
- Pull bar
- Trowel
- Tape measure
- Protective eyewear
- Pencil
- Knee pads
- Floor spacers
- Moisture barrier (optional)
You will also need flooring adhesive if you choose to install your floodboards using a direct stick method. A floor camp might also be required for floorboards that use tongue and groove locking systems.
Before you begin
Before you start laying down your floorboards, you’ll want to make sure everything is set up properly. Most importantly, you should:
- Make sure that your subfloor is dry, flat and smooth
- Clean away any mess from the subfloor
- Ensure the room temperature is between 15-30 degrees
- Acclimatise your floorboards in the centre of the room
- Make sure that the humidity levels in your room are somewhere between 40-70%
This will also ensure that the whole process goes smoothly and reduce the risk of complications with your floor in the future.
Laying down the floors
When laying down timber floors, there are two different methods you can choose between:
-
Direct stick
This is where you would apply adhesive to the or subfloor with a trowel. After this, you can set down the floorboards and glue them in place.
- Floating
With this method you don’t have to glue or nail down the floorboards. Instead, you simply roll out an underlay and then set down the floorboards. The floorboards then join together with a locking mechanism.
Direct stick timber flooring is recommended if you’re looking for something that provides both longevity and a cleaner finish (minimal expansion trims required) and is less subject to cupping and warping. By comparison, floating floors make removal easier in the years to come and can be floated over most existing subfloors without further removal.
Fitting the floors together
Apart from different installation methods, timber floorboards also have different locking systems. These include:
- 5G Locking
This locking system allows you to easily float floorboards. You simply lock the two sides together to engage the floorboards.
- Tongue and groove
Each floorboard has a protruding ‘tongue’ that can fit into another board’s ‘groove’. This system requires additional adhesive to secure the join.
Both of these systems are great for preserving the stability and longevity of your floors. However, keep in mind that tongue and groove locking systems are a bit more complicated, and should only be installed by a professional flooring installer .
Finishing the installation
As part of the installation process, you may need to cut some of the floorboards and position others using a spacer. You can refer to our installation guide here for further instructions, or browse our selection here if you’re interested in getting some beautiful timber floors delivered direct to your home.
Smoothly, and reduce the risk of complications with your floor in the future.
Setting it down on the underlay is recommended here: https://flooringonline.com/blogs/flooring-blog/timber-flooring-installation
The floorboards then join together with a locking mechanism.
Direct stick timber flooring is recommended providing longevity, a cleaner finish (minimal expansion trims required) and less subject to cupping and warping. Whereas Floating floors make removal of the floor easier in years to come and can be floated over most existing subfloors without further removal.
You simply lock the two sides together to engage the the floorboards.
This system requires additional adhesive to secure the join.
https://flooringonline.com/pages/timber-flooring-installation-guide
By James Embelton