Flooring: 1st floor part 3 - oiling

With the stairs up and (most of) the floorboards down, the next job was to apply some protection to all of the bare oak. We'd decided to use hardwax oil (that sinks into the grain), rather than varnish or lacquer (that just sits on top) but took some time to test out various products first, to ensure we would be happy with the results. 

We'd seen a lot of floorboards that after oiling had turned rather orange and looked more like pine than oak. Once you've oiled it, you're pretty much stuck with it, so it was important to get it right first time. Luckily we had plenty of samples so we tested loads of different oils looking for something that would make the oak look as natural as possible. 

We had high hopes for various 'raw' oils, but these proved very disappointing. These are marketed as preserving the light, pale look of raw oak, but we found they didn't bring out the grain at all and instead gave the oak a dull, milky-white or pink finish that made it look more like plywood! (see sample area in top right of picture below).

But one oil stood out as a clear winner; Fiddes Natural was sold as an oak lightening oil and we found it produced a warm, honeyed-oak colour that emphasised the grain but didn't make everything too dark or too orange like so many others. (Fiddes oil is on the top part of the bottom-left sample pictured below).

Once we'd decided on the oil, the next job was to get the floor ready for treatment. As they were all newly-laid boards, there wasn't much prep to do.

We gave the boards a quick sanding with 150 grit paper to ensure the surface was clean and free of any glue spots.

Once all the boards had been sanded, we vacuumed to make sure there was no dust or debris left behind.

We applied the oil very sparingly, using a lint-free cloth to wipe it into the grain. It immediately brought out all the rich patterns in the wood.

The oil looked dark when first applied, but got gradually lighter and more oak'y as it dried. 

The main bedroom with its first coat of oil drying. 

Same process in the landing. We brushed on a very thin coating of oil, then spread it thinly across the wood using a cloth.

The first coat looked a bit patchy as it was drying.

We left it to dry thoroughly overnight, then sanded it gently with denibbing pads to smooth it off further, before applying a second thin coat of oil.

The decision to use untreated rather than pre-oiled oak boards worked really well. Not only were we able to colour and finish them exactly as we wanted, but it also meant that the stairs (also supplied untreated) matched the floorboards really well. 

We're really pleased with the way that the stairs seem almost to be a seamless continuation of the floorboards. It would have been impossible to match the stairs and boards so well if we'd used pre-oiled boards.

We'd already oiled the outside edge of the stairs (before the glass was fitted) so only needed to treat the steps. 

We also re-fitted the diagonal panel that runs alongside the stairs. This had been removed to allow access to fit the glass, but could now be permanently installed. Once screwed into place, we filled and sanded...

...then painted it to match the rest of the hallway. 

Despite it being tucked away in the cupboard, we weren't happy with seeing the underfloor heating pipes emerging untidily from the screed, so decided to box them all in.

Alan built a framework out of some old battens...

...which we wrapped in Fermacell off-cuts...

... before filling and painting it to finish it all off. 

Once the floorboards had dried, we could finally start using the main bedroom. We set up a temporary clothes rail in the walk-in wardrobe.

Before we could move in, the site inspector insisted on conducting a series of rigorous tests on the new floor. 

They were highly technical tests, involving measuring...

 ... checking that the floor was perfectly level...

...and finally a stress test, to ensure the floorboards could support extremely bulbous and heavy weights.

Fortunately the boards did not buckle under such a massive load and thanks to the site inspector's diligent testing procedures, we were able to move furniture into the main bedroom. Hooray for the site inspector!

Stairs: part 3 - glass

After a few months the glass for the stairs and landing had all been cut to size, so the stair company returned to get it installed. We'd finished all the prep a few weeks ago, so everything was in place for the fitters.

This was not a job we could do ourselves; although relatively straightforward to fit, the glass was extremely heavy (needing two people to carry each piece). Plus if anything got broken, it was nice to know it was someone else's responsibility (for once).

The fitters started out with the glass on the landing. After lugging it up the stairs, this was just dropped into the pre-prepared aluminium channel and then adjusted with a series of plastic wedges.

Getting the glass straight took a bit of time. Once everything was level, more wedges were added to clamp everything tight. Using small bits of plastic to hold a heavy glass safety barrier in place seemed a bit worrying, but the system is well established so it was probably best not to think about it too much... especially when leaning casually over the edge!

Once the first sheet of glass had been secured, the next piece could be dropped in alongside it.

Getting the two sheets aligned took quite a time (mainly because the fitters had turned up with the wrong installation kit and were having to bodge something together - sigh). But once the glass was all level, it was clamped into place and a rubber seal fitted on both sides of the metal channel. 

The glass for the stairs was a trickier prospect. When the staircase was first installed, the ends of each step had been pre-drilled with pilot holes and these had been transferred to a template from which the glass had been made. That meant that the holes drilled in the glass would hopefully line up perfectly with the holes in the steps.

The pilot holes were drilled out to size and special 'pig nose' bolts were screwed tightly in position.

Despite having reminded the staircase fitters (about 20 times...) that they would need a right-angle drill in order to access the top part of the stairs, it was no surprise to find that they turned up without one! They had to borrow some of Alan's tools (irritated tut) and also had to waste time trying to bodge a DIY adapter to get the tools to fit (even more irritated tut).   

We had removed the bottom Fermacell panel (that runs diagonally under the stairs) to allow access to the top bolts. It was a tight squeeze, but eventually all the 'pig nose' fixings were secured at the top of the stairs.

Once all the pig nose fixings had been secured, each glass panel was carefully lifted into position. After the bolts had been tightened up, the glass was held rigidly in place.  

It seemed surprising that a few small bolts screwed into the side of the oak could hold such a heavy weight, but the glass certainly felt nice and solid. 

The glass bannister was used to open up the staircase and make it feel less confined. It certainly worked in that respect, but we're still expecting some scrutiny from the building inspector when the house is submitted for completion. Building regs allow for no handrail on the first two steps, but whether the curved glass will be judged as an acceptable 'handrail' for the third step is rather open to interpretation... we'll see. 

The worst case scenario is that the building inspector will demand we put an additional handrail on the left hand side of the stairs, which we will naturally do in order to get approval (then promptly rip out and toss straight into the bin as soon as he has gone).

Conventional bannisters, with thick handrails, stringers and posts would have narrowed the stairs by at least 100mm. Not only did the glass make everything wider, but it made everything feel clean and light too.

We do have the option of fitting an oak or stainless steel handrail over the top edge of the glass in future, but for aesthetic (and budgetary) reasons we decided to stick with the all-glass look. 

The glass reflects a lot of light onto the stairs from the windows upstairs and casts some interesting shadows too.

Still a little way to go; the bare oak requires oiling, the under-stair cupboard needs a door and we will be fitting stair lights into the wall.     

The site inspector was not impressed to find his shortcut had been blocked off.

It wasn't possible to climb over the glass...

... or squeeze through any gaps...

... so there was nothing for it but to walk round the long way.

Epilogue: The fitters attempts to bodge the job using the wrong installation kit didn't work. A few days after they'd gone, the landing glass on one side started to work loose (gulp)...

 

Before anyone could plummet to their doom, the (apologetic) staircase installers promptly returned - this time with the correct installation kit - and the glass was thankfully clamped tight. Of course, it would have saved everyone a lot of trouble if they'd used the right kit in the first place, but as we've discovered, this kind of palaver happens all too often in house-building!

Flooring: 1st floor part 2 - main bedroom

Once we'd painted the main bedroom, we could continue laying the oak floorboards.

We'd planned the bedroom flooring so that it should flow seamlessly from the landing, without needing any breaks or thresholds. If we'd measured everything correctly, the boards should fit neatly, with no narrow cuts at either end of the room or in the walk-in wardrobe. (Walls are never completely parallel, so a narrow cut will highlight any uneven lines).

Cutting the bottom of the door liners in the entrance worked well as it allowed us to slip the floor boards underneath to make a much neater job around the doorways.

Setting up the first floorboard took a bit longer than most. It needed to be absolutely right because it will set the position for all the boards that follow. 

It's not just the width of the board that needs to be taken into account; even fitted tightly together, the gap between each plank was at least 1 mm - doesn't seem like much, but after 30 rows of floor boards, that's an additional 30-40 mm that needs to be added to the total.    

In order to cut the boards quicker and easier, we'd set up a cutting station in (the still-to-be painted) bedroom 3. A chopsaw was used to cut the boards to the correct length, while a plunge saw with guide rails was used to trim them down in width.

Once the first board had been secured in place, the rest of the boards could be built up from there.

Any cuts have to take the expansion gaps into account. Two boards pressed up against packers were used to work out the exact size and position of the cut-out...

... and an oak board was trimmed to shape using the chopsaw and a multitool.

Phew! A perfect fit.

The boards run straight through into the walk-in wardrobe. More of a pain to do but looks a lot better.

The first 3 rows glued and screwed into place. 

The process of laying boards was very satisfying because, unlike many jobs we've done on the house, it completely transformed the room. In a matter of days, all that crumbly, gritty screed was being replaced with fresh, clean oak.    

The main bedroom gradually taking shape. Once all the extra cuts for the walk-in wardrobe had been completed, the rest of the room was pretty straightforward.

When they were first delivered, the boards had been in transit for a few days, perhaps stored overnight in damp warehouses, so before fitting anything we left them to acclimatise to the temperatures and moisture levels in our house for a few weeks.  

Oak is a natural material so will shrink and expand depending on how much moisture is in the air; too dry and the boards could start to split, too damp and they could swell and warp. After so much building work, we had no idea how much moisture the new house had retained so we bought a small meter to measure the relative humidity. 

A plank's width of (expensive) rubberised adhesive laid down...

... the next board slots neatly into place... 

... and the tongue and groove joint knocked tightly together using a rubber mallet, before being screwed down at 400mm intervals into the battens.    

As ever, the site inspector was there to keep a beady eye on our progress.

Winter sun going down across the fields. The view will be a lot nicer when we knock down that old house next door.

Marking out the board width so we know how far to spread the adhesive. 

Secret 'nailing' using tongue-tite screws. Once the next board is in place, the screws are completely invisible. 

Finishing touches to the final row of boards...

... and floor is finally down. The oak will still need protection from oil or lacquer but that will come later.  

Such a relief not to be walking on crunchy, gritty screed floors anymore. The whole room feels clean and fresh and another step closer to being finished.