Hello I have a hallway which is half cement/screed subfloor and half parquet blocks approx 1.5-2" deep sitting on bitumen then concrete/screed solid floor (is level all the way through, across the two types). Currently carpeted. I want to get rid of the carpet and lay a 15mm engineered oak through the hallway, and am not sure how to fix the engineered floor down. Do i rip up the parquet and the use 2 inches of screed to bring the height of the floor back up level with the rest of the existing screeded area? Prefer avoid this if at all possible due to disruption etc. Or is it OK to lay the engineered floor over two very different subfloor types? Is it ok to use elastilon over parquet blocks? Also thinking of getting the floor from jfjflooring who so far, presales support seems very good. I've never laid a floor before - am pretty sure I can do it though. Just want to give it the best shot i can! Thanks Mike
I would remove the blocks and level. You should test the moisture content of the concrete first. Then float the engineered floor on a decent underlay. Or if the floors dry enough stick it down
HI All This will be my first post, Not knowing how big an area you are talking about and how many doors ect are involved all this information plays a part in the installation, the best advice I could give you for a hall is to get someone with more experience to install it and look and learn from them, Halls are tricky if you never installed one. but if you want to install then. If the floors are level I would leave them and fit over them as is, 1000g polythene over concrete part only, as DPM if skirting are off bring it up wall a few inchs IF its your first time to install a floor I would not use elastilon or stick down just use foam U/L .Glue boards together only Take your time and plan ahead as its all in the prepration Hope this Helps
Thanks for the replies I am currently erring on the side of leaving the blocks in situ and covering the concrete part with a DPM, then a underlay or elastilon over the lot. The floor is fairly flat but i need to measure that to verify, couple of little drops / steps in places. The parquet blocks make up about 30% of the surface area (21sqm total). I also have a 35sqm living room that i'm considering doing - as thats square and a single subfloor type (concrete) perhaps i'm better off practicing in there first.. Not getting a "pro" in as I consistently feel depressed forking out for work and then seeing a job rushed and no better than I would have done myself, as I take my time. Any problems I only have myself to blame, rather than getting someone back and all the hassle that involves. Cheers for replies.
as the parquet floor has being in place for some time and has shown no sign of sweating or moving and i assume it was covered with something at some point. As it would require a change in the envoirnment for this to happen, if this change took place, the new floor is likely to be affected as well,If you think you can install the hall plan it carefully look at how you are going to finish around doors under arcs/frames ect best of luck
Yeah like being covered with a wood floor? I've gone over parquet floors with no problems before but I've also seen them bubble up. Is it worth going over it If it can happen?
Hmm got me wondering about this I perhaps naively thought the point of engineered is its tolerance to suboptimal conditions... Like a bit of moisture? Has anyone experience of JFJFlooring products? Thanks, lot of money so i appreciate the help.
I think Domermike you are right in your point on engineered flooring, most people would recommend engineered wood for the very reason its more stable, you seem to have done your homework and if you go ahead whatever way plan ahead take your time
Did the parquet floor fail or was it the new floor on top ? As we both have installed over parquet with no problems I was just interested to know which failed
The parquet bubbled up. Ive seen it happen with felt backed carpets, solid wood, laminate, engineered. We use to put down paper felt and that always appeared to stop it happening but Now I just remove it always
How do you mean "bubbled up"? The blocks in my hall are about 1.5" thick, and stuck down to a concrete base with bitumen. Been there 90 years. Cant understand how they would bubble up as you say, though they do occasionally come loose (rarely and not in hall but dining room).
the blocks expand come loose and lift like bubbling ive seen it to.id personally take them out if it was my floor.
British standards again lads, the parquet needs lifting a new sand cement screed applying with a working DPM, I will take a rough guess that the rest of the concrete doesn't have a working DPM if it was done when the parquet was installed so that MAY need replacing leaving until RH% drops low enough (this can only be tested to BS via a hygrometer either taken sub surface or non-destructive using a hygro box) roughly 30 days prior to applying a surface membrane then priming, self levelling compound preferably waterbased ardex K11/15 Fball 300 HD Mapei ultraplan etc... then fully bond your engineered board to the substrate try to keep the same manufacturers products throughought incase of any problems arising. Only using a VAPOUR BARRIER no matter what gauge over the concreted area still allows moisture to migrate through the openings underneath the floorcovering a vapour barrier not to be confused with an actual DPM must be fitted the full area overlapped at joints by a minimum of 20cm taped and taken up the wall to allow moisture vapour to evaporate out of the side of the flooring and not underneath. All of this can be found at your local library, but would be beneficial to get a quality professional installer to fit the flooring correctly for you, in reference to the supplier you found i've never dealt with them before but a quality installer could advise you on the right flooring for yourself.
