Tongue and groove semi-solid flooring - nail or glue?

crótach

Folks,

I'm thinking of laying down t&g semi-solid flooring in the downstairs of our house, replacing the carpet in the hallway, living room and back room.

The subfloor is concrete and at the moment the carpet is laid directly on it, no underlay, no glue, no nothing.

What's the best way to install semi-solid?

At the moment I see myself having two options:
1) Lay down a damp-proof membrane, then a decent underlay on top of it, and then glue the t&g floor (glue the grooves, not to the floor).
2) Put a subfloor, 5-8mm of plywood, and then nail the t&g floorboards into it.

My questions:
- If I go with a floating floor is it possible to replace segments that get worn or damaged once they're glued ?
- If I go with a nailed floor, do I still need a damp-proof membrane and/or underlay and where? (is it damp proof membrane, then plywood, then underlay on top of it?)
- Is it possible to replace segments of the floor if it's nailed? I'd imagine it's possible to pry off the floorboards that have been nailed but I've never done this.

Or lastly, should I just forget about t&g and go with the simpler option of installing a click-fit flooring?

Thanks!

Carra23

crótach you should use glue for a semi solid floor and only in the grooves don't glue to the floor. You are right about the membrane but generally when you but the floor the membrane and glue are also provided.

If you are laying it on concrete make sur that the surface is level , if there are any lumps of concrete knock them away with a hammer. Make sure to give the floor a good sweep and ensure its free of dust etc.

I dont think it's possible to replace just a segment of the floor if it gets damaged you will have to live with that or just be carefull not to mark it ! ! !

crótach

Hmm.. How good are the semi-solids? I keep hearing that you can sand them down if they get scratched and repaint/varnish them, but I don't know anyone who's ever done it.

And is it enough to tap the floorboards in with the glue, or do I need something to keep them tight until the glue has settled? (like ropes or clamps)

Carra23

crótach wrote: »

Hmm.. How good are the semi-solids? I keep hearing that you can sand them down if they get scratched and repaint/varnish them, but I don't know anyone who's ever done it.

And is it enough to tap the floorboards in with the glue, or do I need something to keep them tight until the glue has settled? (like ropes or clamps)

I don't think it would be wise to sand down a semi solid floor as there is only a 5-8mm layer of solid wood on top so if you don't know what you are doing you could sand through it. I can give you a tip , if you have any dints or scratches on the floor if you get a wet cloth and place over the mark then get a hot iron and place it on the cloth for maybe 10/20seconds this should swell the wood removing the dint or scratch. Only works on solid wood and only put the wet cloth & Iron over the mark you are trying to remove.

You shouldn't need ropes or clamps to put the floor together. You can tap the boards together using a hammer but make sure to use an off cut from one of the boards to protect the edge , dont hammer the floor board you are putting in place. Hope this helps

Baylee

I think it is better that you use glue to fix the carpet to the floor and I agree with carra23. I think you should go by what he is telling. I think this man knows what he is talking about.

ocokev

Invest in a floor puller for around Euro10.

It will come in handy when you are finishing the floor.

You can get very good 15mm ar 18mm solid floating floors for around Euro20 a sq yard.

This can be laid on an adhesive foil back underlay which enables the fitter to take the floor up again.

cork2

lay a polythene membrane with you underlay on top and glue all tongue and groove together. go with semi solid as it can be sanded and usually has very little movement. solid on the other hand can move quite alot.

davidoco

crótach wrote: »

Or lastly, should I just forget about t&g and go with the simpler option of installing a click-fit flooring?

Thanks!

There are some very good quality (usually German) click semi solid flooring. I've used a product called uniclic semi solid which is a very good product. Between 20 and 30 euro per sq m though. It has about a 5 mm wood layer which would be plenty for resanding.