Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Preparations required prior to installing flooring
The floor joists have to be in a level line prior to the installation of the flooring material.
It may be that some of the floor joists are low while others are too high. The floor joists
that are too high will need to be planed down to the correct height. An electric planer is
by far the most appropriate piece of equipment for this task. If you are only building one
house the low cost tools will do the job, however if you are considering a change of career
to that of a carpenter it would be better to buy equipment from a tool shop that supplies
tradespeople rather than a hardware store. The specialist shops can advise you on what
the tradespeople prefer, which is a good guide.
The floor joists that are too low will need to be packed up to the correct height. Good
timber yards will sell masonite packers. Masonite packers are 3 mm thick, about 2440
mm long and obviously made from masonite. Glue the masonite packers to the floor joist
with construction adhesive prior to fitting the floor. By laying a straight edge across the
floor joists you will quickly see which floor joists need adjusting. Ideally the straight edge
should be about 2 metres long. A string line stretched very tightly across the floor joists
also works well. When you use a string line in this application, place a packer under the
string line to lift it slightly above the floor joists so that the high floor joists do not foul
on the string.
Fixing requirements for installing flooring
When installing flooring you are required to use nails with minimum length of 2.5 times
the thickness of the flooring being fitted. Strip flooring up to 75 mm wide can be fixed
with a single nail. Boards wider than 75 mm are to be fixed with two nails on a slight
skew.
Strip flooring
Strip flooring is only to be fitted once the house has all roofing and glazing in place, as
moisture from rain will quickly destroy the floor. You are required to leave a 10 mm
gap between the side of the flooring and any walls to allow for some expansion and
contraction.
Once the internal wall lining and skirting is in place this gap will not be seen. Even
though there is an expansion gap around the floor it takes very little rain on strip flooring
to cause it to swell and buckle. As the floor swells it will take up some or the entire
expansion gap and then buckle up. Once the floor is buckled up it is extremely difficult to
save. The tongues of the flooring often crack and the flooring itself will dry in the new
buckled position that is most often twisted.
Alternatively, if the flooring is not clamped tight enough, any shrinkage will cause the
floor to squeak and groan. This is difficult to rectify, however I know of one person whose
solution, while being effective, was short-lived. He fed a hose into the sub-floor cavity
and fixed a soaker hose (a fine spray water sprinkler) approximately six metres long
under the offending area of floor. He then proceeded to water the underside of the
flooring, causing the flooring to swell thereby eliminating the squeak. At least until the
timber dried out, which was undoubtedly some time after the property was sold.
