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T&G strip floor: expansion joints at wall and between
boards
Timber floors should be installed once the building is
enclosed. They are fitted between the walls. A movement gap
of at least 12 mm needs to be provided between the flooring
and any wall. Large areas of floor need to have expansion
gaps built in at regular intervals. Often filled with a
color matched sealant, these joints may close up as the
timber reaches equilibrium with the internal service
environment.
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Overlay strip floor: double sprung
support
Timber or resilient pads are fixed to the floor
and two layers of joists are laid over them before finishing
with strip flooring. This arrangement gives the floor the
feel and bounce of a natural timber floor and is useful for
sports and dance floors.
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Overlay strip floor: resilient pad
sprung support
Resilient pads are fixed to the floor and battens
are laid over them. Timber strip flooring is then fixed over
the top. This arrangement gives the floor part of the feel
and bounce of a natural timber floor.
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T&G strip floor: surface nailed
Floor boards of all widths can be nailed through
the top surface. Boards butt join over a joist and the ends
of the boards are usually pre-drilled before nailing. After
laying, the nails are punched below the surface of the
boards and filled before the floor is sanded and finished.
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T&G strip flooring: secret nailed
Floor boards narrower than 85 mm can be 'secret'
nailed by nailing or stapling through the tongue of the
board. Secret nailing profiles are available or the nails
can be driven at an angle through the tongue of standard
profile boards. Boards over 85 mm need to be held down more
regularly and should not be secret nailed.
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T&G strip flooring: end joined and
surface nailed
End matched boards feature a tongue and groove at
the ends of the boards as well as on the sides. This means
that the full length of boards can be used as the end joints
do not need to occur over a joist.
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T&G strip flooring: fixed to
joists
Tongue and groove strip flooring fixed directly
to timber joists. Boards 19mm thick are used with joists
spaced 450 mm apart. Thicker boards can be used for wider
spans. Traditionally, the strip flooring is sanded and
finished on site but pre-finished material is now becoming
available. The intended service life of the floor is an
important consideration in selecting the thickness of the
board. Boards likely to be sanded several times should be
thicker than originally required.
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T&G strip flooring: fixed to
battens
Strip flooring can be fitted over concrete floors
by fixing a systems of battens to the concrete. The battens
should be fixed at regular intervals to eliminate squeaks in
the floor and the concrete needs to be dry.
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T&G overlay floor: fixed to sheet
flooring
12 &endash; 15 mm thick t & g strip flooring
can be nailed and/or glued to a sheet flooring substrate. If
the boards are glued, then the boards can be secret nailed.
If they are to nailed only, then the nailing spacing
normally required for that width of board should be used.
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T&G overlay floor: fixed direct to
slab
Overlay strip flooring can be glued directly to
the slab. This method requires particular care as any
moisture present in the slab can cause the timber to swell
and buckle. The moisture content of the slab should be
tested before floors are laid.
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T&G overlay floor: floating on
resilient mat
Overlay strip flooring can be installed as a
floating floor over the top of a resilient mat. As the
boards cannot be nailed, they are glued along the joins
and/or fixed together with clips on the bottom surface. The
floor is then held down by the skirting boards. Particular
care needs to be taken with the moisture content of the
timber in this type of installation. If the timber is too
wet or dry at the time of installation, the movement that
occurs as the boards reach equilibrium with the surrounding
environment can lead to significant difficulties.
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T&G overlay floor: fixed to sheet
flooring over slab
12 &endash; 15 mm thick T&G strip flooring
can be nailed and/or glued to a sheet flooring underlay that
has been fixed to a concrete base. The sheet flooring is
often glued and screwed to ensure that the floor does not
develop 'drummy' sections after the strip flooring is fixed.
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