First ensure that the floor is completely clean, free of dirt and debris. Before you begin installation it is good practice to ensure that there are no loose floorboards. Loose boards can squeak and once the floating floor system has been fitted there won’t be any access to the floorboards. When screwing the floorboards down ensure that you will not screw through pipes or cables. You will also need to remove any existing skirting.

This hardness score of the wood boards tells you whether they can be easily damaged or worn, and is an indicator as to where you can lay them. For example, what type of wood board should you use in a playroom or living room? If the wrong nails were used for securing the flooring, then there is a chance that they are not strong enough to keep the floor in one place. To solve this issue, just remove the incorrect nails and use the ones that fit your floorboard. This type of wooden floor adhesive is the most popular glue used for securing your hardwood flooring. The benefit of using urethane glue is that it is designed to be very flexible when dry. This means that you need to use it if you are installing a solid hardwood floor, or where the floor is going to be carrying a lot of weight. In these situations, the floor needs to be able to move or be flexible when someone walks over it. We’re going to have a look at the three recognised methods of oak floor fitting, firstly the glue down method. Read on to find out if this will be your favoured method when fitting your oak floor. Prepare Oak Floor Boards If you notice a gap between the top of the floor joist and the underside of the subfloor, then apply some carpenter’s glue and affix a thin wood piece to fill in this gap. Make sure the wood piece has the right height because there is a risk of raising the subfloor, which creates a bump in your floor.Wipe up any excess wood glue with a damp cleaning cloth before it dries. 4. Let The Glue Dry, Then Sand The Floor

This helps to reduce the friction between planks and silence small squeaks. To remove the remains of the lubricant, just use a vacuum cleaner or damp cloth. If it doesn’t help, then try spraying a dry silicone lubricant between the floorboards. After doing that, wipe off the excess lubricant with a damp cloth or paper towel. Tip 2: Fill the Gaps with Construction Adhesive All skirtings, doorframes and architraves need to be cut at the bottom to the depth of your floor so that the floor can be fitted under them creating a clean finish for your room. Use a flooring board as a depth guide. Cut your frame so that the finished floor can slip underneath the cut. You can use your scraper to level out the mixture. Then, carefully wipe away any excess from the surface of the floorboards with a damp cleaning cloth. 4. Let Dry And Sand Again If you are in the process of sanding and re-finishing your floor, after the initial sanding (you should save as much sawdust as possible in a container) you can apply a layer of PVA adhesive to the gap. This will only work with tongue and groove flooring where the PVA can "sit" on the tongue. Then sprinkle sawdust over the PVA.

Wooden Strips

With this form of substrate, you, unfortunately, are not able to use the nail-down method of installation, you will have to glue your floor down. Gluing down is considered a superior method of installation as it recognizes the wooden board’s natural movement, allowing the wood to contract and expand to stop any noisy boards or failure. The durability of your floor will also be enhanced thanks to it creating a strong bond between the substrate and the wooden boards. The floor joist is the wooden beam underneath the subfloor that holds the suspended floorboard’s weight. If there is a gap between the top of the joist and the subfloor’s underside, then there can be a space for movement when you step on the flooring. Now it is time to start the installation of your hardwood floors. Ensure that you leave an expansion gap of roughly a quarter of an inch when laying the flooring, from the wall. This should allow enough room for the wood to expand and contract. This will be where the initial row begins. We recommend planning out the installation pattern prior to installation, by laying the boards down as you want them before applying the glue. Many professionals recommend using strips of wood cut to size and hammered into the gaps. However, it can be difficult and a little pricey.

We recommend using a stud finder, taking a hammer and tapping the carpet to listen for the difference in sound, or using the tool found in your Squeak No More kit. There’s a special sc Step Three: Use a floor repair kitWe recommend you install a vapor barrier for your hardwood flooring. A vapor barrier offers protection and stops any mildew or moisture from reaching your wood. There are specially formulated glues available to use as a vapor barrier. Flooring professionals consider this to be one of the most effective methods for filling in floorboard gaps. When you finally find the main cause of your creaking floorboards, then you can figure out the needed steps to solve this problem. If you find that loose floorboards do not cause the noise, then there is a high chance of friction between the boards. This can be fixed in a few minutes by using a dry lubricant like talcum powder. There are a number of things to consider before you can begin laying down a new floor. These include the type of substrate onto which you will be laying your flooring, the type of flooring you choose to use, the species of wood and finish of those wooden boards, as well as the pattern of the wood grain.