The moister content will differ for each area so not a set figure you can put up. We can however tell you what the moister content should be for that area so you know if the plywood needs longer to acclimatise or if the area has a problem before you start laying. You have to calculate RH , temp and this will tell you what moister content wood products in that area should have. You also need to know how to actually take the moister reading of the product your testing and adjust the reading to suit the species. We teach it on all our courses, its actually simply but one of those things you need to be shown rather than try and read about. I will get the graph up in the trade area next week for reference.
What about a wee cameraphone video and stick on Youtube? Again little nuggets of info like this could be chargeable like £5 paypal donation to keep site going and you send member a link. Just a thought.
Have you always butted your ply and then feather? Have you ever left a gap between boards then feathered?
Happened on a few jobs at a shop I used to work for, all the edges flared up beneath the Amtico I'm pretty sure the timber merchant ended up having to sort it out. I've been screwing down and feather edging the whole floor recently, only bathrooms tho
Far eastern I've always left a mm gap (not exact) then feather, but make sure that the feather fills gap depth, you will see the feather sit slightly high in joints if not feather again if it looks as though it has dropped, but only on bigger jobs as feather will be dry enough to take a second coat by the time you're done. small job, just feather the whole floor with a good scratch coat. I always make a small amount of feather up quite thick then add a very small amount of water to it as it starts to set in the bucket until it's all gone. Right or wrong, never had grinning and i've been back to most of my work to do more areas and I do have a quick glance over. I did see in the cfj that balls are saying 6mm ply screwed then 700 @3mm... I'm currently doing a 3 bed house to be converted to a medic centre in a private school, 6mm ply over floorboards that make me sea sick just looking at them, they don't want a perfect level floor just flat. Stapled with 18mm, left gaps in ply everywhere, now feathered joints then went back when finished and second coat where needed ie: where ply was slightly prouder then next sheet. Fitting polyflor on monday, if I remember I will take a couple of pics
Whos gunno pay the xtra for that? lvts, especially amtico are expensive enough without us having to add on or worse still, suck up the extra cost of 700! :twisted: :cry:
just finished a 2 day job in a cafe kitchen in a garden centre, rip up then 6mm ply, feather and sheet c&c, if I had priced for 700 or equivalant I know I would have been over the price of others that had quoted. Now if I had priced for it would the customer look at that or just the bottom line price??
just to add in- Wood moves with moister. So plywood moving is caused by moister. 700 flex has a lot more water in it than some skim coat. Plywood will try and move a lot more with 700 flex on it rather than skim-coat.SO, dont presume that having 3mm skim over the top will stop grin of joints. It still happens but looks more like a lump than a plywood line. However, different timber products (wood species ) are effected differently with moister. Also the construction of plywood and adhesives used will make a difference and the fact that each plywood layer needs to be bonded together while in equilibration with each other.
Ye its getting that way. Just having good quality flooring grade plywood will solve most issues tho. our suppliers should not be supplying us the crap they do.
Hence I like to make feather nice and stodgy and add water to it as it sets just to keep it alive,,, if you know what i mean
