The 3 Most Common Methods Of Fitting (And a 4th that’s not so common)
- Secret Nailing (for solid or engineered)
- Glue or Stick Down (for solid or engineered)
- Floating (for engineered only)
- Self Adhesive Underlay (for solid or engineered)
1. Secret Nailing
The use of a special Floor Nailing Tool drives a barbed steel cleat into the tongue of the new floor board at an angle of 45 degrees, and then into either a suitable sized, kiln dried batten, joist or into a plywood subfloor. (Using non kiln dried battens can result in ‘cupping’ or warping of the floor boards due to excess moisture). It’s also possible to drill and screw each plank in this way, so that the boards can be removed as and when required but this obviously takes much longer to do.
To Watch Demonstration Video for Secret Nailing click here
2. Glue or Stick Down
This method requires the wood floor to be stuck directly to the subfloor with a suitable flexible adhesive (rigid can be used for Engineered flooring). We recommend the Sika range of products because of their performance and value for money. The Sika T54 Flexible Adhesive and Sika Liquid Batten Adhesive provides a measure of flexibility whilst maintaining a strong bond, thus allowing the solid oak floor to expand and contract without damaging the structure. In some situations, the Sika 5500S Rigid Adhesive can be used when gluing down an Engineered floor because it does not generate as much dimensional movement as solid but the extra coverage of the flexible adhesive makes this the most popular choice.
3. Floating
This is where the new floor is fitted over an underlay without being fixed to the subfloor, which is ideal when there is some doubt regarding excess moisture in the subfloor or the absence of a Damp Proof Membrane. We recommend our Sonic Gold Excel underlay (2x DPM) or Comfort Silver underlay (single DPM) because of their superior performance.
NB - This method of fitting is only suitable for the Engineered Oak flooring and must not be used for Solid Oak boards. The underlay we recommend (Sonic Gold Excel or Comfort Silver) both incorporate a damp proof membrane to isolate the wood floor from any moisture beneath it and so reduce risk of dimensional changes and damage due to the new floor ‘soaking up’ the excess moisture available. This method will result in a slightly cushioned feel when walking on the finished floor surface but this can be overcome by installing the heavier 21mm structural grade board instead of the lighter 15mm.
To watch Demonstration Video for Floating a Floor click here
4. Self Adhesive Underlay (means you can ‘sort of’ float a solid floor)
We also supply a Self-Adhesive Underlay that allows solid or engineered oak to be ‘sort of’ floated. Its simply rolled out onto the subfloor and then when the removable film is peeled back, the flooring, having already been positioned above is then pushed down and stuck onto the underlay. You can read a little about this product in our Free Info Pack
We can supply a Self-Adhesive Underlay with integrated DPM for situations that require extra protection from moisture below.
To watch Demonstration Video for Self-Adhesive Underlay click here
IMPORTANT NOTE
How you actually fit your flooring is up to you but we advise to stagger the joints, no matter what fitting method you choose because this, in our opinion, creates a more authentic looking floor. The picture below explains the staggered joint installation appearance, which is the most favoured. See our Installation Guidelines for more detailed information
Unfinished Oak Flooring 
Lacquered Oak Flooring 
Brushed & Natural Oiled Oak Flooring 
Double Brushed & Dark Oiled Oak Flooring 