Interested in your comments on glueing but struggling to believe this is really viable
what about the level of the floor , surely you'd need a pretty tight tolerance on levels ??

Also surely wooden boards wood bow up down & sideways ..... is this a major issue ?

Given the above issues can be countered , then the floor couldn't have any dust whatsover on it ...... whats the glue you would recommend , how much would you need per m2 and how much would it cost ?

Appreciate it if you could advise

Thanks
Dave

Dave November 27, 2014 at 10:16pm

Hi Dave,

Yes the floor level is a point to consider. The floor would need to be reasonable level within a few mm. If it was not it would require a self leveller. If the floor was not level, you would find yourself using a lot more glue than required.

As for bowing, this is something that will vary in quality. a higher quality board is less likely to encounter this. Bowing upwards can be counteracted with weights.

For dusty concrete floors, we would recommend priming with a DPM.

The glue we always recommend is an MS Polymer Flexible Floor Adhesive. 1kg normally covers 1m2 when applied with a 6mm V Notch Trowel. A 12kg box is priced at £43.99 + VAT.

Hope this answers some of your questions

Many thanks

Peak Oak November 28, 2014 at 3:59pm

I am laying solid oak planks to a new build concrete floor. I have been advised to lay the all important first row and glue it down then masonry nail it to prevent movement. Do you have any advice or an alternative method?
Thanks

Mike Rees April 12, 2016 at 8:50pm

Hi Mike,

Our normal recommendation for laying onto concrete floors would be to not glue solid oak boards which are wider than 120mm in width. For wider boards we would recommend engineered oak flooring.

For the glueing of oak flooring, it is important that a flexible flooring adhesive is used. This will allow for the natural movement in the wood to take place, whilst also being strong enough to provide a stable flooring.

Alternatively when fixing solid oak boards you have the option to lay timber battens which solid oak boards can then be screwed or nailed into.

With regards to the concrete, this needs to be checked to ensure that it is has a moisture reading which is less than 3%. The concrete needs to be below this figure before fitting any type of wooden flooring.

Hope this helps

Peak Oak June 10, 2016 at 6:19pm

Just had a solid maple floor laid by experts.....not happy with the results and hope I have not been conned. The fitter has filled some of the spaces between the boards with some sort of filling material. Is this normal? When the boards were being laid he strapped and harnessed some of the boards together. This is a maple floor , laid on concrete and glued to the floor.. Any comments from the experts?

Claire August 1, 2016 at 11:26am

Good morning,
I've read your article above and it's give me great advice but a little too late.
I have boards that are wider than 120mm wide. I don't want to put timber battens to the floor first. I was going to glue but do you have any advice on laying method down onto concrete floor? Boards are 140mm wide.

Thanks
Russell

Russell Hill October 11, 2016 at 6:04am

Hi Russell,

Our recommendation when glueing onto a concrete subfloor with a solid oak board is to opt for a board no wider than 120mm in width. 120mm is normally the maximum we recommend. Engineered oak boards can be glued at wider widths due to their added stability. Engineered oak boards can also be floated in this situation, however you should never float a solid oak floor.

If it is indeed solid oak flooring you have purchased, and room height is not an issue, timber battens is normally the recommendation.

Hope this helps.

Peak Oak October 11, 2016 at 3:18pm

Hi
I have a concrete floor on level one so it's not damp from the ground.
It's very dusty and a bit rough. Can I screw marine ply to it and then secret nail my tongue n groove floorboards to that? This would save me building a frame to board over. Thank you.

courtney November 12, 2016 at 1:35pm

Hi Courtney,

Laying plyboard on top of the concrete and then fixing a solid oak floor into the ply is an option some customers have chosen in the past. The main downside of this option is losing room height through the thickness of the plyboard and the thickness of the oak. There is also of course a cost to laying the plyboard.

Normally in your situation we would recommend laying an engineered oak board. This would save the cost of purchasing additional plyboard and would also provide additional stability in comparison to solid oak flooring.

Peak Oak November 18, 2016 at 5:10pm

I am really impressed by reading this article. Interesting post and I really like your take on the issues. Thanks for sharing.

Garry December 2, 2016 at 8:42am

Iam laying solid wood flooring (15mm thick)on a new concrete floor,it was laid mid jan 2017 to a depth of around 8-9 inches thick,then two thin layers of self levelling compound.
It is now early june 2017,according to manufacturers instructions they recommend 'self adhesive underlay' is it o.k. now to start laying the floor given the information outlined above?

paul clark June 20, 2017 at 3:57pm

Hi,

Can you supply the required adhesive. Please advise on current cost and shipping. Can you also advise on door thresholds that would work for the timber floor on one side and carpet on the other?

Thanks

Nigel

Nigel Hunt August 3, 2017 at 6:33pm

Hi Nigel,

Yes we do indeed supply this adhesive. This is a MS Polymer Flexible Flooring Adhesive which can be found in more detail via the following link:

http://www.peakoak.co.uk/wood-care/adhesives/ms-polymer-wood-flooring-adhesive/

Price for the shipping really depends on quantity and location, if you wanted to give us a call on 01538 304584 we can quote accordingly. Finally with regards to the thresholds, we have a couple types available which can be seen here:

http://www.peakoak.co.uk/skirting-architrave/

Many Thanks

Peak Oak August 4, 2017 at 10:42am

I have a room that has a concrete floor (but it is a suspended floor with a ventilated airgap underneath). I plan to fit a real wood floor to this. I have 2 questions:

1) As the floor is a suspended floor do I need a moisture barrier (and if so why?)

2) I plan to glue the floor in place as above (the planks are narrow enough to be ok). Do I also need to glue the planks together or is glueing it to the concrete sufficient?

Thanks

Craig January 9, 2018 at 10:36am

Hi There, I might be too late already and taken the wrong decision. really appreciate if you can tell me what option I have left with.
I already purchased 180 mm wide, 20 mm thick solid oak flooring. I have a concrete floor with a Bitumen layer on top (shining black surface) in 70s house.

Thanks
Regards
Rupesh

R Agarwal February 2, 2018 at 6:26pm

Hi R Agarwal,

Normally in your situation, with the wider boards we would recommend an engineered oak floor. If you were to lay solid oak boards, if room height was not an issue, the boards could be fixed to a wooden subfloor (e.g plyboard) or wooden battens.

Peak Oak February 14, 2018 at 4:57pm

Hi. We had engineered wood fitted and there is now creaking near bifold doors. Can we somehow attach the engineered wood floor to concrete underneath, by screwing or nailing? Gluing does not sound like an easy option as the flooring is already fitted.

Russell Carr September 8, 2018 at 4:21pm

Hi I have a solid oak toung and grove board in a conservatory their is a concrete base I am going to screed with under floor heating I was going to bond the ply wood to the screed then glue the oak to the ply
Should I glue the toung and grove as well ?
Is it ok to glue the toung and groves
And what is the best adhesive
Any help would be appreciated
Alan

Alan freeman September 27, 2018 at 8:12am

Hi Alan,

When laying over underfloor heating, our recommendation would be to use Engineered Oak Flooring rather than Solid Oak Flooring. This is because engineered oak flooring will be more stable and therefore suited to this situation. When fitting an engineered oak board over underfloor heating we would not recommend using the floating method of fixing. Typically the boards would need to be glued to the subfloor using a MS Polymer Flexible Flooring Adhesive.

Peak Oak September 28, 2018 at 10:16am

Hi I'm thinking of using a insulation roll on top of concrete, tile and wood floor all on ground level.then screwing battens onto the insulation then solid oak on top. Is this ok any advice.

mark warhurst September 30, 2018 at 11:22pm

Hi Mark,

In this situation we would probably suggest laying the battens and insulating in between the joists. This would provide better insulation value, as you are removing the air void.

Hope this helps, if we can assist any further please give us a call.

Peak Oak October 1, 2018 at 10:18am

Hi Peak Oak, how far apart should battens be on solid oak floor? many thaks dave

David Burnage October 22, 2018 at 2:41pm

Hi David,

Typically standard 50mm battens are laid with a 400mm gap in between to allow for 450mm centres.

Peak Oak October 23, 2018 at 10:17am

Hi,

I have a narrow, L-shaped hallway and a concrete floor. I was thinking about laying a floating floor - membrane, underlay then solid or engineered wood. I am reluctant to glue because if I get something wrong it will be very hard to remove, and also the smell.

Would that work?

Thanks
Cathryn

Cathryn Symons October 8, 2020 at 10:44am

Hi Cathryn,

No problem, if you are intending to lay the oak flooring as a floating floor we would recommend opting for engineered oak flooring rather than solid oak flooring. This could then be floated over an underlay - such as our Sheep Wool Underlay: https://www.peakoak.co.uk/wood-care/underlay/peak-oak-sheeps-wool-floor-insulation-underlay/.

Hope this helps.

Peak Oak October 13, 2020 at 3:05pm