"Floorboards"

[Sue]

I am (finally) going to lay a wooden floor over concrete in my kitchen.

I want something that looks like floorboards but is in larger pieces (a bit like mock tongue and groove) so that there aren't any cracks for food to fall down. I'm going to paint it.

Can anybody tell me what I need is called, and recommend a supplier, preferably local?

[StraferJack]

engineered wood?

[Sue]

StraferJack Wrote:

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> engineered wood?

xxxxxx

Ah, that rings a bell.

That's not laminate though, is it?

Just googled it, and I'm a bit confused because it talks about layers. I don't want anything which is likely to come apart!!!

[Jeremy]

I'm a bit wary of the "engineered" wood flooring, seems to just basically mean wood veneer on top of something else. Looks a lot like laminate. You can't sand it down if it gets marked.

Can you just get solid oak floor, kind of like this: http://www.wickes.co.uk/Wickes-Cashew-Oak-Solid-Wood-Flooring/p/214485

Also I think bamboo flooring is good in kitchens because it's waterproof and hard wearing.

[StraferJack]

you can sand many engineered wood floors

Doesn't look or feel anything like laminate

[Jeremy]

I guess it depends on the individual brand/variety. Just my personal experience/prejudice.

[KidKruger]

Why not get some 2nd hand wood block flooring, perhaps t&g, blocks around 8" x 2", have it laid/sanded/lacquered.

Will last for years.

eBay has loads and it can be cheap.

Hate the faux floorboard / laminate stuff.

[niknak]

I've also seen some "wood" tiles recently which looked quite interesting - might be worth a look for a kitchen area? (easy to clean, no chance of food falling into the cracks!) I think I saw some in the tile shop up near The Plough on Lordship lane

[Sue]

Thanks all, I deffo want actual wood - not wood tiles, not laminate, not that vinyl stuff that looks like wood.

I want it to be floorboards or look like it. And I want to paint it so it matches the rest of my house, so it doesn't necessarily matter that it couldn't be sanded down, I just need to be able to paint over it if it gets stained (quite likely as I dye my hair in the kitchen so as not to dye my acrylic bath ...... )

But the food falling between the cracks thing puts me off having actual floorboards in the kitchen. I don't think you could ever really stop that, because of expansion and contraction with the heat. I know you can get strip things because I've got them elsewhere in the house for drafts, but you'd still have to fish the food out of them, YUK!

[Willard]

Hi Sue, this stuff http://stopgaps.com/ is good for plugging up gaps in floorboards and will catch any food nasties.

If putting wood on to concrete you will have to use underlay and some sort of vapour barrier to prevent warping and movement. I think engineered boards might be an advantage in this regard...

[Sue]

Willard Wrote:

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> Hi Sue, this stuff http://stopgaps.com/ is good

> for plugging up gaps in floorboards and will catch

> any food nasties.

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Thanks, that's what I've got in my living room, for draughts.

I don't much like the idea of having to keep taking them out and washing the food out of them in the kitchen though!

I do realise I can't lay the boards or whatever directly onto the concrete. I think battens maybe? I had a thread on this before, before anybody points this out, unfortunately my kitchen is taking a long time on the drawing board :(

[JOINERY]

Tongue & Groove Redwood Flooring 25mm x 150mm available from any decent timber merchants including this one http://www.hoppings.co.uk/mouldings.html & you won't have any gaps.

You can then paint.

[pps]

you cant just lay the timber on the floor you would need to make a frame work to fix the flooring to, not a job for a diyer done a few myself in the camberwell area the frame work will then give the floor a real feel .

[Jeremy]

pps, why can't use just use an appropriate underlay between the wood and the concrete?

[pps]

wood on concrete not a good thing with a frame the floor with be able to breathe .and it will be raised slightly plus any levelling will be done vai the frame work so nice level floor .

[Jeremy]

Think I'd just go with a proper breathable underlay, unless the floor was very sloped/uneven...

[Sue]

Thanks all, I'm certainly not intending to do it myself, I can't even hang a picture :))

[Sue]

JOINERY Wrote:

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> Tongue & Groove Redwood Flooring 25mm x 150mm

> available from any decent timber merchants

> including this one

> http://www.hoppings.co.uk/mouldings.html & you

> won't have any gaps.

> You can then paint.

xxxxxx

Thanks, I think this option will probably be the best bet.

Wickes do them

http://www.wickes.co.uk/PTG-Floorboards-18x121mmx2-4m-PK5/p/120832

The Wickes ones haven't got universally good reviews, but I assume they will change any which arrive split or otherwise broken.

They are kiln dried, which somebody PMed me that I should get (thanks that was useful!)

I am so stupid that I didn't even realise before that you could get actual tongue and groove floorboards :))

ETA: So I guess I should remove the inverted commas from "floorboards", as they are - in fact - floorboards ....

[Kimondies]

Hi Sue,

there seems lots of different opinion's how to lay wooden floors boards to concrete,

I would advise you go to whitten timbers in Peckham, and explained what need to done they should be able help you.

if you need any further advise please pm me

David

[Sue]

Kimondies Wrote:

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> Hi Sue,

>

> there seems lots of different opinion's how to lay

> wooden floors boards to concrete,

>

> I would advise you go to whitten timbers in

> Peckham, and explained what need to done they

> should be able help you.

>

> if you need any further advise please pm me

>

> David

xxxxxxxxx

Thanks!