Design
Design criteria for timber floors
A list of 18 design criteria follow which need to be considered for a timber platform, including: demands of use, service life, bounce and resilience needed, colour range, fixing requirements etc.
Flooring Insulation - criteria for improvement
Ways to improve the insulation of timber floors include: eliminate excess moisture, limit excess air movement, install insulation, lay carpet, insert a ceiling below suspended timber floors.
Insulation of timber floors - design criteria
Floor insulation requires good design and consideration of seasonal variation, aspect of the building, the site's topography and also building features effecting thermal performance.
Overlay strip flooring - design and installation criteria
Overlay strip flooring can be fixed to a timber floor, to a concrete floor, to battens over an existing floor, on a rubberised blanket over the substrate flooring or as a floating floor.
Parquetry - installation criteria
Parquetry can be laid on timber and concrete. Considerations for laying include moisture content, level surface, stable environment, correct use of adhesives and installation.
Sound control in floors and ceilings
In addition to airborne sounds from within the room, floors are also subject to impact sounds from people walking or jumping, objects being dropped or machinery.
Standards of flatness for timber flooring
Where flooring has moved or cupped due to the effects of moisture and heat, there are limited standards that indicate acceptable limits of cupping. Some States have industry standards for level of newly laid boards.
Sub-floor ventilation
To achieve satisfactory long-term performance from a suspended timber floor, it is essential that correct sub-floor drainage and ventilation be in place.
Suspended timber floors
Timber floors that are fixed to a support grid of joists and bearers are called suspended timber floors.
Wood and its origins
Australian timber species suitable for flooring
Many Australian species of timber are appropriate for use as flooring. This article compares the common species.
Description of tongue and groove flooring
Solid strip timber flooring is assembled from tongue and groove timber boards that are manufactured in varying widths.
Parquetry - description
Parquetry flooring is an interior floor finish composed of a number of small timber pieces called fingers. Parquetry is available as mosaic panels, block parquetry and end grain parquetry.
Installation
Pre-installation care of tongue and groove flooring
Strip timber flooring must be protected from damage and moisture from when it first arrives on the building site.
Maintenance
Caring for a polyurethane coated timber floor
Newly laid polyurethane coated timber floors require special treatment until the coating is fully cured.
Maintaining a commercial hardwood floor
Commercial hardwood floors coated with polyurethane need special care until the coating has fully cured. They then provide a beautiful, durable finish if properly maintained.
Rectification
Edge gluing due to coating
Edge gluing is a condition found in strip flooring or paneling where the coating has a gluing effect, adhering adjacent boards.
Flooring - common causes of floor deflection
Floors deflect, bow, sag or are noticeably springy due to deflection of supporting members. This deflection may be due to a number of causes, including: joists or bearers downward, support members undersized, footing inadequate, moisture present or excessive load.
Mould growth on sub-floor timber
Airborne fungal spores settle and grow where there is moisture and lack of ventilation. Prevention is attained by: adequate sub-floor space ventilation, construction cleanliness, eliminate areas that trap moisture, check for leaks.
Shrinkage of tongue and groove strip floors
Timber expands and contracts with changes in the moisture content of the surrounding environment. Significant gaps between boards are due to moisture content variables and changes in the service environment after construction. Acclimatise the timber before installation and specify moisture content of boards. Extreme cases of shrinkage cause many problems.
Safety
Health and safety information on floor coatings
As with any consumer product, it is imperative that product labelling is read and fully understood prior to use of the product.
Finishes
Application of polyurethane timber floor coatings during winter
Special care needs to be taken when applying polyurethane floor coatings during winter as cold, damp conditions can interfere with curing of the coating.
Gloss reduced polyurethane coatings
The application of gloss reduced coatings such as matt or satin polyurethane floor coatings, is more demanding than application of high gloss coatings.
Guidelines for finishing solid strip flooring
Finishing strip flooring guidelines include: use a professional contractor for sanding and finishing, punch nails and fill holes, choose coatings appropriately and apply correctly.
Health and safety information on cured polyurethane
The general public is in daily contact with polyurethanes, in automobiles for example. Cured polyurethane is an inert polymer and is considered non-toxic.
Parquetry - finishing
Only use professional finishing contractor, use coatings appropriately, take time for adhesives to cure, sand and clean prior to finishes.
|
|
