Hi All, My first post, and it’s a monster – and a LOT to ask, I realise. Basically, because finances (lack of) we’ve had strips of off-cut carpet as hall flooring for as long as we’ve had the house (8 years!), so the time has come to do something. So I’ve just bought some Karndean Knight planks, with adhesive thrown in (new & boxed) off ebay (after lurking around for ages waiting for the right-ish colour at the right price). I’ve looked at Youtube videos of fitting Amtico/Karndean, but not confident in what’s out there and all the conflicting advice. Then I stumbled on this forum - which is credit to you all. I know most people will take a look at this post and give it a swerve, but I’m hoping one or two will help me out and see me for what I am: a bloke who has to do this, as he just can’t afford to get a pro fitter in. Anyway, I’ve numbered all my questions, to make it all easily referenced for any replies Thanks for reading & well done on such a great site/forum. All the best, Harry. Door Mat ONE. I’m going for fitting coir matt, as the main stopcock is just inside the front door, and I obviously I need access. I hope that sounds sensible. TWO Would it be best to NOT plywood that bit where the mat is going, so the mat is recessed and level-ish with the Karndean? THREE. How do I get the mat to fit snugly to walls etc. – a template? FOUR. How do I cut the mat – brand new Stanley knife blade on the back? FIVE. What threshold strip do I need there – is there one that’ll cover the edge of the coir mat, and also cover all the cut Karndean edges? Plywood SIX. Do I butt plywood edges tight, or leave a slight gap for screed to squeeze into (like plaster boarding)? SEVEN. Hallway is 40 inches wide....is it OK for all cuts to run width-wise, or should I stagger the joins like you would plasterboard? EIGHT. Screws: will any wood screw the right depth be right (depth of ply, plus chipboard)? NINE. What intervals do screws have to be at......would every 8 inches in all directions be right? Prep TEN. I have been given glue (Uzi KE 200s...is this good stuff?). ELEVEN. What is decent cheap screed to feather edges & fill holes? TWEVE. How does screed go on....do I need to seal ply first, if so what with? THIRTEEN. What would be the most idiot-proof way of me screeding (very tight coat all over, then sand as necessary?)? FOURTEEN. BTW: Would wood filler in all the screw holes and across all joins (sanded back flat) be a ridiculous way to go? I’ve got the patience and time to do it, but wouldn’t do it it’d fail. Karndean FIFTEEN. Should it butt tight to skirtings / do I undercut all skirting and ‘tuck it under’ / or do I need an expansion gap? SIXTEEN. As it’s such a tight space (and my budget), Karndean’s garden roller isn’t possible. I’m going to buy a rubber hand roller and 'guess' the right pressure to apply. How much rolling does it need / and at what stage in proceeding do I do it? If you got this far, thanks for your patience in reading....any advice will be like gold dust. Thanks again - Harry.
Hi Harry, I'm new here myself so can't answer many of the questions but with regards to the coir matting... Coir matting is great in a recess or mat-well. The "standard" height of coir is 17mm but if you shop around you can find smaller or deeper sizes to find something that's flush with your Karndean. To get the right size, order a made to measure or cut to length version. When you order, add an extra 3cm or so to the size you measured as the recesses are often not truly square. You can then use a Stanley Knife as you suggested to trim the edges down so that you get a perfect fit. For the threshold, I don't know any sources but it is possible to purchase coir mat framing and edging so have a look on Google for matwells or coir mat frames and see if anything there is suitable. Hope this helps, over to the rest of the board for the remaining questions.
Many thanks, Mats. I didn't know coir came in different depths - thanks. Got to start this project by the weekend, so I hope some can mark my card for me! All the best.
The floor would need a complete screed usually a min depth of 3mm, ply would need to be staggered and the joints feathered, the ply should be of a flooring grade like sp101, for a diy’er there looselay would have been easier and also there are other matting options available other than coir which could prove easier to use yourself.
Adam has a good point, the smallest depth/thickness of coir that I'm aware of is 12mm so getting a flush finish isn't likely to be achievable without digging out a mat well. You could try and use other made to measure entrance mats and drop it into the recess but the easiest way will be to just use a loose lay mat.
Many thanks, Adam. For a long time, I was looking for Loose Lay, then I started to see all the negative press about it....and that it actually need ply beneath it ...and probably gluing anyway. So I thought if I'm plying and gluing, I might as well grab whatever is cheapest of a decent brand and looks right. What other door mats are there....any chance of a link or company please. All the best. PS. Thanks again Mat.
Well you can use indoor and outdoor door mats. Normally, rubber doormats are used outside to scrape stones and mud off shoes, then indoors you'd use a fibre mat such as cotton or poly based to absorb the water. Coir is a good choice as it offers a good mix of "scraping" and absorbing in one. If you can't use coir, then a mat with a raised waffle pattern finish would be a good choice as it'll help to scrape as well as absorb. (Example of a mat with waffle pattern shown above) A selection of different types of doormats can be found here; https://www.firstmats.co.uk/collections/entrance-mats Most mats come with a Rubber or PVC backing, this makes them grippy and heavy (especially the rubber backed mats) so you shouldn't need to be gluing it in place but you could add a couple of strips of double sided tape just to be sure. A lot of these fibre mats are also available in a made to measure size, so you should still be able to get something that's a good fit for your space without it having to be a permanent fixture. Hope this helps!
You're a star, Mat. Great info & link. Off out to buy screws & ply etc....sort of excited and bricking it about doing this floor!
Be careful using pvc backer matts on a lvt floor can discolour the floor. Turtle Matts are suitable or something without pvc backing Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thanks, Merit. I was thinking of having the fitted door mat direct on the chipboard floor, so the ply / screed/ karndean create a well for it to sit in. Up the Villa! Do you still have the Villa Village (& did you know Bob Monkhouse thought up the name?) Anyone use Karndean Skimcoat much? Just ordered some.....can it go straight onto the ply, or does it need a primer like PVA? Cheers, all.
