Timber bathroom floor

[SilentButDeadly]

We are working on a total ground up bathroom rebuild and the boss would really like a timber floor in the bathrooom. Rebuild involves a bearer and joist floor.

Bathroom is 2.5 x 2.8 with a bog (in one corner), corner bath with shower over (next to bog) and vanity on the wall opposite along with the door.

My slant at this stage is to go a T&G plywood floor with a sanded and sealed finish. We'd like that light honey coloured finish that you see in polished ply floors. So I'm not sure that typical marine ply is the go...

What I'm concerned about is sealing the joins in the plywood sheet and then finishing the plywood so that water damage over time is minimised, all in a way that is aesthetic.

And no the boss is not keen on timber patterned vinyl or PVC flooring

Any suggestions?

[silentC]

I doubt that would comply with the building code but I could be wrong.

I think you would need to sheet the floor first, apply a waterproof membrane, and then put your timber flooring over the top. You'd have to glue it I think because you wouldn't be able to nail through the membrane.

I think you are asking for problems down the track.

[sinjin]

Plywood the floor first using marine grade ply. Then apply a couple of coats of Rot preservative. Then using yr T&G boards cut off all the grooves and tongues.
Thenput your first board down say 5 mm off the wall. Use brass screws to hold the boards down. Counterbore the holes so they are 8mm below the surface and screw these boards so they will be on the joists when all the screws are down go along and fill all the holes with plugs not dowels. then follow with the next boards so there is a 5mm gap bewteen all the boards. Once you have all the boards down use SikaFlex one of the Marine grades such as 245 and slightly overfill all the gaps. Just enough so there is a little bit over the top of the boards. Once the Sika has dried using a sharp chisel you can skim along the top of the board and cut off the excess Sika. Then sand the whole floor smooth and flat. Slap on 4-6 coats of Urethane and mums the word. You now have a waterproof boat deck. This a little bit of a cut down version of what you would do on a boat but i have done it this way for a friend and it has been going for about 7 yrs. the floor looks wonderful.....But very slippery to say the least.
if they have plenty of money go for teak and don't varnish it. It won't leak at all if your careful when applying the Sika.
PS If you need to know about plugs etc send me a PM and i will tell you where to get them

[silentC]

I still doubt it would comply with regs. They are very particular about waterproofing these days (which is why there are people who make a living out of it). For example, before you can tile a bathroom, the entire floor and four inches up the wall has to be sealed with a waterproof membrane. Any floor penetrations have to be waterproofed. If you are tiling the wall behind the shower, it has to be waterproofed too.

If you're going to do it without approval, you're on your own. Even boat decks have to be stripped right back and resealed every now and then. If any water gets in under the poly, even marine ply will rot eventually.

I know it looks classy, like all those cedar lined bathrooms did back in the 70's But it's not for no reason that tiles are still popular after thousands of years...

[bricks]

I Agree with Silent C about the possibility of it not being allowed but if it were my bathroom id probably do some thing along the lines of..

Build floor structure,
Water proof the entire thing and the walls as well, using regular method.
Put in a false floor,
( same as Silent c's method.)
Cover the false floor with a coat of clear epoxy sealer, it goes on like glass and i rekon it wouldnt look to bad, But its a pain in the butt and its toxic and ....and...and..
The epoxy is the same gear that i have seen used in comercial kitchens i have no idea what its called and no idea how exactly to put it on, no idea how much it is.
I ve only seen it mixed, poured on and when i come back it really is like glass but it retains a non-slip surface.

If you come up with an idea and present it to your local building authority they'll soon tell you if its not allowed.

[SilentButDeadly]

Hmmm. If I were doing a false floor then I'd probably go with a compressed cement board for wet areas like Hardie's Scyon panel http://www.jameshardie.com.au/Produc...tAreaFlooring/
rather than ply.......

I suspect the boss isn't going to get what she wants....But I'll keep on hunting.