first time for everything

[paulthenovice]

hi i am thinking of laying block (parque) flooring but my flat is hotter than the sun in summer and colder than the north pole in winter so if i use adhesive fitting type would it lift up on expansion or can it expand naturally without breaking the adhesive? Also, do i have to leave a gap round the edge or this just for tongue and groove flooring? Hope you can put my mind at rest , from a well nagged diy stress head

 

[WoodYouLike]

Your best bet is to use flexible parquet adhesive (Stycobond B93, Mapei P9901K or Lecol MS250)
And yes, even for parquet flooring you have to leave an expansion gap.

 

[sdavey]

Hi

How large should the expansion gap be?

 

[WoodYouLike]

Normally 10mm minimum all around (parquet blocks are what thickness? 10mm or 20mm with T&G?) If the latter, you have to calculate the expansion gap as follows: every meter wide = 3mm expansion gap with a minimum of 10mm e.g. room of 4 meters wide = 4 x 3 = 12 mm gap; room of 2.5 meters wide = 10mm

 

[sdavey]

hi

Thank you for the info

The room is 5.3 meters wide so i would need a gap of 16mm, the block are 3cm thick.

I will be hiring a professional floor sander, we are in the process of laying 60m2 of Herringbone pattern, is there any specific technique to sanding this pattern? ie certain directions ect?

 

[WoodYouLike]

I will be hiring a professional floor sander, we are in the process of laying 60m2 of Herringbone pattern, is there any specific technique to sanding this pattern? ie certain directions ect?

No, because the herringbone is laid in a 90 degree angle you just sand accross it, you can't go 'with the grain'. With every grit (start with 40) you sand 'horizontal' and then 'vertical'. With the first sanding round (grit 40) you have to try to level the blocks as much as possible.

Hope this helps