I have 16m2 living room, with old floor boards, which are flat. Im going to have 20mm real wood herringbone installed. The fitter came round did some checks and said he plans to fit 6mm flooring grade plywood over the old floor boards, and then glue down the wood direct to the plywood. He quoted £950, to supply the ply and fit the floor. Ive already bought the floor and adhesive. He said the ply was about £250, the rest labour. The plywood seems expensive, could he use a cheaper alternative? Is this the correct process to fit this type of floor? And is the quote fair? Im based in the North. Thanks, Jake.
Are you supplying the adhesive? Flooring grade ply has shot up in price and he'll be needing near 6 sheets of it, paying for fitting the ply then paying to fit the parquet. My price would be near that if you was supplying the adhesive
Yes, Ive already ordered and paid for the adhesive. So can I not just get him to use cheaper ply from wickes or a timber yard? He said he doesnt want to risk cheap ply layers seperating with the adhesive or something? Should he be putting anything else down? Ive heard about issues with temp fluctuations and moisture etc, or will it be fine with it being floorboards? I know the guys good at his job, just want to make sure everything is correct its a lot of money.
More than fair price. Agree with above, he's giving you the right advice. If you know he's good at his job, why question it? £950 isn't alot of money if your flooring lasts 10/15 plus years. You might get some fitters to lash it on wicks ply for half the price but have problems with it.
Ok thanks for the advice. I will do. Just worried not correct process, and over quoted on ply thats all. He didnt mention anything about moisture/temp fluctuations. He put a device to the floor but didnt mention what it said??? Is there something he should be doing to stop anything affecting the wood from the floorboards, is plying and sticking the wood enough?
As longs as he’s taken moisture readings of the floorboards and the wood floor to make sure they are both suitable levels of moisture he can ply a stick. The price of flooring grade ply is a bit of a joke. The only reason for using it is to have some sort of warranty or guarantee. I would want to know the ply supplier will guarantee their products. The wood floor manufacturer may specify it has to be used under their wood. But in reality a good quality ply or osb from a trusted supplier is just as good. You could find out the name of the plywood manufacturer and contact them to make sure they guarantee solid wood bonded to their 5.5mm ply Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Great. Ive not spoken to him since he first came out. I think ill call him and ask him to come out and show me the readings for the floorboards. He hasnt read the wood because it doesnt get delivered until February. If the moisture in the floorboards is reading too high, what should I expect him to be doing? And will it cost me much more? The last thing I want him to do it just fit it without giving me the information if theres issues down the line.
If the moistures too high in the floorboards you won’t be able to have a real wood floor until you address the high moisture. You would need to speak to a builder or damp specialist. How old is the house? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It was built in 1998. The floor boards are stained wood at the moment, and they have pipes for heating system running underneath them. Im just really anxious about it. I like to get more than 1 opinion to make sure the work will be done correctly. Thank you for your help.
1998. Should really be well built then. I’d be more worried about the heating pipes. They could shrink the wood. Does the surface feel warm where the pipes are? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Not noticed, had carpet down for years. The fitter did say that it would be better to install engineered wood as it is a much more stable product with temperature fluctuations . But we have our heart set on real wood. In your opinion is it a risk fitting over floor boards with central heating pipes running underneath?
Pull the carpet back and have a feel on the boards for the 'warmer' areas because that can give you some issues especially with real wood. Your fitter sounds like one of the good ones and so far he's advising you correctly. You have your heart set on the real wood and it's still doable but engineered would be alot more forgiving especially if you have more excessive heat in certain areas.
Yeah engineered is more forgiving. Depends how much heat is coming from those pipes. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It's standard practice to use a 6mm flooring grade plywood to create a stable subfloor before installing a new wood floor. This helps to even out any unevenness in the old floorboards and provides a solid base for the new flooring. The plywood also acts as a moisture barrier to protect the new flooring from moisture. As for the cost, it's difficult to say without more information on the specific plywood that is being quoted. However, £250 for the plywood alone does seem relatively high. You could ask for a breakdown of the cost, and compare it to other options available. As for the quote, it's a good idea to shop around and compare quotes from different flooring fitters to get a sense of what a fair price would be. It's also important to consider the experience and reputation of the fitter, as well as any guarantees they offer on their work. Finally, it is the correct process to fit this type of flooring over plywood, which will act as a stable base and provide a moisture barrier.
Do you actually have a clue about what you are saying?? Simple laws of physics and nature mean that plywood can not, nor will ever, act as a moisture barrier…
Plywood can act as a moisture barrier because it is made from layers of wood that are glued together with waterproof adhesive. This creates a barrier that can prevent moisture from penetrating into the wood, helping to protect it from rot and other forms of damage caused by exposure to moisture.