have a bit of a new project and I'm hoping I could gather some expert tips while I'm still in the planning stages as I've seen some contradictory advice. I am moving to a new build and want to install parquet on most of the ground floor using a parquet block product called, solid oak rustic parquet smoked oil on flooring supplies .co.uk (sorry I can't post a link here) It's a prefinished product, any experience of this? I think it will need a sealing layer at end but no staining or sanding. A couple of initial items, I've had various other flooring suppliers warning off parquet in a large living kitchen. Their reason is moisture and temp changes, maybe I'm naive but it's not a commercial kitchen, it's not going to be any hotter or wetter than any other room. Any thoughts on this? The house isnt finished yet, and the first thing I needed to do is moisture test the concrete floor, I'm hoping this will be ok as it's been down for months and the house has been watertight for quite a few months as well. I'm assuming that the concrete will be ok but not great so banking on having to put down a sheet of dpm followed by 6mm ply to level it off. Is this ok and should I install the ply tight or leave expansion gaps between boards, I plan to nail direct to concrete. I'm then gluing the flooring to the ply in a herringbone pattern, planning on double block border following the plunge saw border technique that seems popular with skirts refitted on top. One issue is that I have to workaround a fitted kitchen that can't come out. I can obvs take out the baseboards and recut these so that the flooring goes under the kitchen units (but I won't be going right to the wall. The tricky bit is the end panels. Should I just block up to and around these or get them out I also wanted to incorporate a brass flat bar strip between the herringbone and the double block edging, I found this online , but not quite sure how to fit Any thoughts on any of the above would be greatly appreciated.
Please get a professional to prep the floor and install it correctly, you don’t have the tools to be able to take proper moisture readings and it’ll cost more than the install and your ideas on prep work are really wrong, this will be a costly mistake. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thanks,That's but not entirely helpful moisture readings are the least of it, I work in commercial construction so can test a slab, it's everything that comes after that I have a problem with as you don't find much parquet in warehousing and shell builds..... Can you answer any of my questions? Ps.. that MO came from a "professional" hence my issue....I was hoping that this forum would provide sufficient insight to either do it myself or at the very least pick out the "correct"installer from the already long list of answers I've had ranging from "can't install parquet in a kitchen to glue it to the slab to self leveller etc etc....
You’ll need to do Rh% test, dual screed surface DPM (dependent on readings), bond it to the sub-floor with the correct adhesive and use a moisture tolerant screed with a high compression and flexural strength, you always need a surface dpm which one will depend on your reading. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
As it's a new build and fixtures and kitchen can't come out, a new screed isn't ideal in this scenario, a vapour barrier most likely goes on subject to residual moist as at 6 months the slab prob isn't fully dry, this can be painted on but trying to run a self leveller isn't poss. However as it's a prefinished product and unlike bare wood. I can't sand any slight imperfections out it has to go on level so the subfloor needs ply/Hardie etc to level the existing screed.
How unlevel is the floor if your using ply? How will you fix the ply? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
The slab will never be dry enough for solid wood you absolutely need a surface dpm Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
As for how uneven, I’m not honestly sure yet, it’s a new build so have only visually seen it, not had a level on it yet as it’s still at build stage. seen a couple of other builds it looks level to the naked eye, but this is a big room,10m x 5m so I think the chances of it not ebbing and flowing enough to mess with the parquet are high. I haven’t picked a Dpm yet, had varying advice ranging from a liquid paint on dpm to a solid sheet dpm. I was planning on sikabond rapid dpm. Not sure on fixing and laying a ply subfloor, all the quotes I had were talking about nailing ply down. Not sure if that’s suitable for the dpm. my main issue with a self leveller is that it’s a big room with a built in kitchen. I can’t take the kitchen out (warranty and living in it reasons) out to truly run a self leveller wall to wall and in my experience without doing this, the self leveller falls away under the units and becomes pointless.
Your right, nailing through the dpm is a definite no, screeding up to the kitchen shouldn't be a problem, just batten behind the unit legs to prevent screed running under, unfortunately 6mm ply will only smooth out the floor, it will still follow the contours. The question of wether engineered wood is suitable for a kitchen, providing there is plenty of airflow so you're not getting a build up of moisture, it should be fine, but proper maintenance is essential to keep it water repelent in case of spills
Cheers, noted about the 6mm ply not fully leveling the floor. btw, its solid wood, not engineered, i still plan to seal the floor after with a wax or oil and as you say, regularly thereafter. is there a 2 in 1 dpm and self levelling screed, or are they always separate products? Anyone got any experience on the actual fitment ie. running a flat brass bar around the border blocks etc, i imagine, i have to cut the tongue off drill the flatbar and nail it into the side of the block, then fit the border as normal. and specifically what the pre finished products are like?
Just screed it and be done with it, cant see what your valid issue is by not wanting to screed it. Ply is not going to level it out as best as you need it to be. Just sounds like a whole load of ballache the way you want to do it but your a builder so go with what you feel, had to many disputes with builders and no matter what a floor layer says to one its usually disregarded anyway like we dont know what we talking about. What's wrong with LVT?? Amtico do some lovely parquet
Depending on the condition of the floor, it might be worth looking at having it ground flat I've never used a metal feature strip, but i would probably drill and countersink,so nail heads don't cause a gap Be prepared to have small gaps in the floor from the start, as the blocks are unlikely to be exactly the same width
thanks for the comments, ive had LVT. i recognize its advantages in modern houses and to be fair its all anyone seems to want to sell or fit at the min, but its not for me, i wont go into the reasons as im sure there is a whole world of threads of pros and cons, each to their own and all that. no idea on subfloor makeup, ill have to check prior to selecting any DPM etc but its builders choice, so i think it will be a cheap sand cement mix. I cant see it being an anhydrite mix as speed is of the essence with these guys. ps, not a builder
Make sure the laitence is ground off before doing anything then get your Rh% readings and check the evenness of the floor (make sure to check what screed was used too) and definitely check for lignite, until that point no one can really give any real advice on what products to use it’s a minefield. This is why I said to get in a professional to do it for you, the cost to rectify any mistakes can be horrendous. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
