Hello there all, Can I start by saying a huge thank you for even taking the time to read this - any advice/help is seriously much appreciated! I have recently bought 3 natural fibre carpets (2 sisal and 1 jute) and Duralay System 10 for the underlay. Our flat is Victorian and has wooden floorboards as the subfloor. The first carpet fitter to offer a quote has suggested that the floorboards should have a hardboard overlay prior to double-stick fitting - which almost triples the fitting cost. While I am resigned to accepting this if it is truly necessary I wanted to double check first. I gather from alternative sisal carpet sites that the Duralay can be stapled onto floorboards. My own layman thinking is that a combination of Syccobond F40, staples and blind grippers would be sufficient. ? The rooms are 3.5m x 2.3m, 4.3m x 3.6m and 5.4m x 3.7m so not a commercial scale. On the point of grippers. I gather that blind or short-pin are recommended. Any advice on either or whether these are totally needed. Many thanks. Liam
Sounds like you have been given some good advise. As you say the underlay can be fixed/glued to the floorboards but using a hardboard or I would say 4mm ply will make a better job. It will help to smooth out the floorboards depending how uneven or warped they are. Plus your not fixing direct to the subfloor that could move and you also have a interlay between the subfloor and carpets to stop dust and draft coming through. It depends on the type of finish you want. It is possible to go to the floorboards direct but I think the carpet fitter has given you good advise to do the best job possible and blank gripper is much better for naturals as it doesn’t rip through the backing or hold lumps of glue Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thank you so much for the speedy reply. It's just that I'm not entirely sure that the new subfloor is really, really needed. The flat is 2nd floor and I'm not aware of any movement in the floorboards. Admittedly they are not totally level and smooth (judging from other rooms having sanded wood flooring) but the existing wool carpet doesn't suggest they are in a terrible state. I suppose I'm just hoping to avoid an extra £600 that would blow our budget out of the water.
To be fair a carpet and underlay hides a lot more than a natural fully stuck down. It really will take to the shape of the floor. So your sisal will look pretty much the same as your subfloor. It’s not a absolute must. I’ve double stuck naturals in old cottages direct to the floorboards but I would prefer to have installed a plywood first and if it was my floor I defo would ply it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I hear you Merit. But with 9mm of Duralay System 10 under the carpet any lumps and bumps would be smoothed out? Thanks very much again for your help. Liam.
Same here, depends on your boards, if very up and down or you can feel them in any way then ply, if they are nice and flat then hardboard would be ok. I recommend hardboard all the time and it's a legal requirement in upstairs flats as it's good at holding back smoke and fire for a little bit longer then if it wasn't there. I have seagrass on my landing and I just stapled it down the stuck all over and blind gripper as you can get glue upto the edge but also a neat tuck to make it look better. To keep cost down you can go over the boards but run the risk of seeing them when it's fitted if they are warped or rased in any way. Hard to fit but looks great and will last for ever lol. But if people ask if I fit it I say no
