Out with old in with new (timber flooring)

[HawkEye244]

This is american white oak which came with the flat it's in.

The trouble is it is a sqeaky mess and has seen better days.

I'm not entirely sure how to rennovate it but I'm prepared to put the work in as it is lived in and not rented.

My options are :

1) Rip out the current boards and replace with 12mm or 18mm plyboard and lay a new laminate floor on top.

2) Lay laminate flooring directly on top of this existing flooring. There will be the problem of having to remove and cut down doors though.

I'm unsure at the moment whether to proceed with just the hallway area first to see how it looks, before doing the whole flat. Either way I'm keen not to remove the skirting, so I will leave an expansion gap and cover with trim instead ( a lot less trouble).

I had also thought about removing these oak boards and then re-fitting them on top of newly fitted plywood, sourcing replacement boards from a timber reclamation yard for any really damaged or unsightly areas. I anticipate this to be much more trouble than it's worth.

Any thoughts/ideas are very much welcome.

 

[gregers]

yep rip out the cream and instal a load of c.rap.

as you have the time,i would lift all lose boards and glue the t&g and then reinstate.

 

[HawkEye244]

yep rip out the cream and instal a load of c.rap.

as you have the time,i would lift all lose boards and glue the t&g and then reinstate.

Gregers, for one thing they are secret nailed which will mean that some break out as I pull them. Secondly, it will be very difficult to lift them and put them back as they were unless you suggest some ingenious numbering system? There's no real problem with me using something like marker pen but it may be some time before I can sand and stain them again. I also have to find somewhere that supplies these boards, which is going to be difficult. I've already had a so called 'floor expert' (friend of the family) try to use mineral oil between the boards in a test area, to reduce the sweaking, besides discolouring the floor has done very little. The main issue with the floor is the noise, this is going to need more than gluing back the lose boards and reinstating.

 

[gregers]

mmmm yeah thats a problem then,seems a shame though.

 

[HawkEye244]

Well I've found a merchant that can source me american white oak in any size, so it looks as though I may be able to rennovate the existing oak. I'm not sure whether or not I can get away with 12mm over 18mm ply and how exactly I'm going to manage with the skirting. It might even be possible to cut away all along the base of the skirting depending on how it works out, saves having to remove it and re-fit.

 

[gregers]

bejesus you want to reduce all the skirts insitu.speak to you next chrimbo then when you finished.
best of luck there.

for me id remove the skirts.