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.
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