Wood Floor Stuff Up

[Larry McCully]

My question is.... How dry is the climate where you live and is the floor subject to any heating devises.
It may not be a excess moisture thing.
It is quite possible it may be that the boards may be back sawn rather than quarter sawn.
Back sawn boards will cup as they shrink as the boards are subject to dry conditions.

[DFA]

G'day.
was it laid over ply or batten fixed to slab?
Was it a liquid barrier or sheet barrier?
What size is the flooring?
Was it secret nailed and glued?
Was it poly or water based glue?
how high is the slab from ground level?
Have any walls started to show signs of movement?
Has the whole floor cupped?
What finish was used?
Has all perimiter exterior work been completed?

What state are you in?

Get back to me.

G'day Trev!
Time to pick the guru's brain again. Just reading samara's problem has got me worried.

As you know from my previous posts, I'm doing a 19mm battened 80x19 Manna Gum Floor on slab. The slab will be 4.5mths before timber floor is installed but the house is in sunny brisbane with the drought and everything, so the weather has been fairly dry but we had a some rainy days during construction.

Got a few questions:

1. Is ply base better than battens? (But I really want the traditional batten feel underfoot and cheaper)
2. Is batten still a good system then?
3. 80x19 flooring will be secret nailed and glued to battens,
4. Is sheet barrier not as good as liquid barrier under the battens? ie can't glue battens to plastic, but can to liquid barrier (liquid is $1000 more than plastic as well).
5. Glueing battens down instead of just mechanical pin to slab is better isn't it? But is still a sturdy system if battens just pinned through plastic onto slab instead of glued?
6. My slab is 300mm above pad and is a waffle pod with polysterene void formers, I guess would stop most of the rising damp?
7. See attached site plan: I'll be pouring all the external concrete alfresco, back path, driveway and portico 1 week before flooring. You reckon we'll get much moisture transfer to the internal slab? I'll make sure I wrap external underslab plastic up against the wall.
8. I'm thinking of using water based poly as finish. Would this help timber movement and prevent edge bonding?

Sorry for the long post.
Appreciate any advise in advance!

Cheers.

[Larry McCully]

If i may coment...
Battens are a good feel, a bit noiser than ply.
It is best to use splitz or powers fasteners spikes to anchor your battens. Glue is not recomended, anchors are.
A plastic sheet vapour barrier is fine. make sure you overlap the joins at least 200mm, also lap the plastic up the walls about 100mm and trim it down once your floor is installed. your fasteners should be 400 to 600 mm apart. Countersink the holes in the battens so that the head of the spike is not protruding above the batten. your floor will last a lifetime.

[Larry McCully]

and again.
make sure that all your timber floor components are stacked on site and under cover for aleast two weeks before you do any installation of batten or flooring. Water based poly is fine, but if you climatise the timber on site for thye min of two weeks then you will be able to use any type of coating , even solvent based poly.

[Groggy]

No one has asked if it is a heated slab - is it?

[Larry McCully]

No one has asked if it is a heated slab - is it?

That is a good one, my guess is that it isnt, I come from qld and i know brisbanes weather. They get it cold their , but not like syd or further bown melb, act and others. Higher humidity their. A lot more rain. Also when i was doin floors their, i didnt come across any heated slabs,(not that they are not their). i have in syd but. But it is still a factor to consider. Samara , hows it their ?

[Groggy]

Qld is it? I had no idea where Busselton was, so a heated slab is unlikely. Still, answering the question with a 'yes' would certainly change things...

EDIT: Just re-read the thread, he is in rural WA.

[glock40sw]

G'day.
Ditto what Larry said.
Just make sure you use a good brand tape when lapping the joins of the poly sheeting. Cheap tape will let go in no time.

[Larry McCully]

Qld is it? I had no idea where Busselton was, so a heated slab is unlikely. Still, answering the question with a 'yes' would certainly change things...

EDIT: Just re-read the thread, he is in rural WA.

hmmmmm, jUSTB TRYIN TO THINK WHERE I GOT BRIS FROM.... o I GOT IT , FROM THE thread about battens . sorry chaps.
in the case of rural WA. I recon it would get verrrry cold and dry their. add of course the heater, Waddia recon samrose, A bit cool where you are or shud i say was cold. Hmmmmmm ?

[Larry McCully]

Howdy trev, howz it mate ?

[glock40sw]

G'day Larry.
Flat out like a lizard drinking. 4 days until we knockoff for the year.
loading 3 trucks each day of flooring. 1 to Brisvegas, 1 to Newcastle and 1 to Sydney.

2 trucks 12mm Overlay to W.A. 1 to Melbourne.

2 trucks of 260x65x19 and 260x65x14 Block parquerty to Brisvegas as well.

My 1.5 acre storage shed is almost empty.

Big chrissy bonuses for my production crew this year.

Ho,HO,HO.

[Larry McCully]

awesome , thats a lot of wood . All the best to you and the company , some of us have to keep going through, mabe next year i will be able to pull up for a week or two.

KInd regards.


MERRY XMAS TO ALL FROM "CREATOR 1st HARDWOOD FLOORING,"

[samrose]

Firstly, I've only just realised there was a second page of postings, derr! Secondly, no the slab isn't heated. Regards the climate, it doesn't get overly hot here, tends to be a bit cooler than Perth. Doesn't get especially cold either as we're only 20 km from the coast. The boards were layed in winter and they cupped after around 3 months, so I don't think heat would be a factor.
The guy hasn't been out yet (and there have been words) and he says he has an independent inspector from the builders registration board coming down on the 17th of Jan, so we'll just have to wait and see. (Don't have much choice, do we?) I'll keep you all updated!
Sam

[glock40sw]

G'day Sam.
Yep. Keep us posted.

Don't stress about it. If it is not too bad, it can be rectified.
Relax and enjoy the festive season.
All the best.

[samrose]

Hi everyone,
Here is the long awaited update which answers nothing! Four guys came out, the guy who sold us the floor, the official guy from Perth (who looked very official and sombre) amd two other blokes whose role was unknown to me as a missed introductions. But anyway, the official sombre guy spent a lot of time looking at the floor, tapping it, measuring it with a ruler, moisture testing it, taking photos and making notes. He will apparntly know write up a report which gets sent to the guy who did the floor and he will ring us to let us know what is happening, which could take 2 to 3 weeks (probably more if we're realistic). And with that they thanked us and proceeded to go. I asked how the problem would be fixed and the guy who sold it said it would have to be sanded again.
So, yet again, we are left waiting and wondering!
(Though I have to say I feel somewhat better that it has actually been looked at now. The guy who did the floor does actually seem like a very nice person and I don't think he's going round deliberately trying to screw people, so I live in hope!)
So again, I'll post un update when we found out whats happening.
Thanks, Sam