Fitting Oak Floorboards

[diggerdidoodar]

I have bought some Oak Solid Floorboards (random lengths)which I want to fit to an existing wooden floorboard, is there a website/guide as to the best way/method to fit/install along with all the tools etc I will need.

Best regards

 

[masona]

Is the floorboard T&G or all square edge ?

 

[diggerdidoodar]

My Appologies, T&G.

Regards

 

[masona]

I want to fit to an existing wooden floorboard

Ahh, I read it too quick ! How thick is the oak flooring and it is not possible to remove the old flooring but does depends on the thickness of the oak

Also have a read here.

 

[diggerdidoodar]

It's 18mm prefinished randon length Oak.

Regards

 

[chappers]

if it is 18mm I personally would pull up your existing boards and then fit the oak directly to the joists.That way you wont have to trim all your doors or worry about an 18mm height difference between rooms you don't do.
Pull up all the floorboards and remove any nails left in the joists then either nail using a portanailer(to sectret nail) or you can nail through the face and countersink and plug to hide the nails.

 

[masona]

100% agreed with chappers and it will give you any chance to update any wiring or plumbing and inspect the joists condition.

 

[Jasonb]

If they are prefinished as you say then you will have to secret nail to avoide damaging the surface. If you have carpet in the adjoining room then it will be ok to overlay, if you have a thin floor finish then remove the existing or put up with a step.

Jason

 

[chappers]

just out of interest what do you guys do with old floor joists about a year back I laid an oak floor in a victorian house and occassionally where over the years so many nails had been pulled out and put in there was no substantial timber for me to secret nail to and some of the boards didn't hold down well at these points. I ended up screwing and plugging them through the face. Wasn't to bad as there were only about 5 or 6 and it was in my own dining room.

 

[diggerdidoodar]

Me again, had a way up of removing the original joist's, would be ok but new boards are various random lengths so could have several pieces unable to fix to joists. Door is okay with new floor level & step to adjoining room is hardley noticable. WHY CAN YOU NOT LAY FLOOR IN SAME DIRECTION AS FLOORBOARDS WITHOUT PUTTING DOWN PLYWOOD/MDF BOARDS, NEW FLOOR IS SAME WIDTH AS ORIGINAL FLOORBOARDS & WOULD NOT CONFLCT WITH JOINS ETC.

bEST REGARDS

 

[masona]

chappers,
I know the feeling, instead of screwing and plugging them through the face, I put 2"x2" screw on the side floor joists (double up) then use the new timber for secret nailing, somehow I think it's quicker to do.

Sometime you can get away with longer nail, can't remember what the longest nail you can use in the portanailer.

 

[masona]

WHY CAN YOU NOT LAY FLOOR IN SAME DIRECTION AS FLOORBOARDS WITHOUT PUTTING DOWN PLYWOOD/MDF BOARDS, NEW FLOOR IS SAME WIDTH AS ORIGINAL FLOORBOARDS & WOULD NOT CONFLCT WITH JOINS ETC.

You can but you don't know what is under the flooring as you may cut into the wiring or plumbing pipe plus not easy to tighten the floorboard together because you cannot use a floor clamp. If your oak flooring is the same thickness of the old one then best to remove it

 

[chappers]

chappers,
I know the feeling, instead of screwing and plugging them through the face, I put 2"x2" screw on the side floor joists (double up) then use the new timber for secret nailing, somehow I think it's quicker to do.

Sometime you can get away with longer nail, can't remember what the longest nail you can use in the portanailer.

Both of those ideas occured to me at the time but was feeling a bit lazy for the first one and it was a saturday afternoon/sunday and couldn't get back to the hire shop for longer nails. Anyway it was only a few and now the floors been waxed and is a year old they have become all but in visible.

Cheers mate

 

[2scoops0406]

Yeah, agreed, I'd definitely take the old boards up, differential movement, etc, could prove a real pain, plus as has been pointed out, big height differences.

 

[chappers]

its the only way to do it really you could just be setting yourself up for a whole heap of problems you can't even think of now.