How to Lay an Engineered Oak Floor on Joists

[@PEmma-k4j]

I watched this ages ago with my dad and it's still very informative plus well presented.

[@CharlieDIYte]

Thanks, I'm glad you found it useful.

[@vsberlina3712]

"It's nice to have a reminder of the old oak floor that used to be there". I love that. I've tried to keep something old in my renovations also. It's like story telling. Each generation can see a part of the generations that came before them.

[@CharlieDIYte]

Exactly 👍

[@RozP89]

that piece of oak at the end in the doorway is dreamy

[@CharlieDIYte]

Thanks - I was really pleased with that 👍

[@tbayboater]

An oscillating tool with a metal blade or an angle grinder with a thin cut blade allows you to cut the fasteners and salvage the boards. I’ve done it with 3/4” solid oak that was nailed to a plywood subfloor. Basically 2-3 times as many fasteners to deal with but hav salvaged several hundred square feet of 3/4by3&1/4 inch hardwood. Great job Cheers

[@cedarstuff]

Great video. Would love to see a bit more on how you did the leveling using the packers & glue.

[@YouZbychu]

Me too. This is where I failed laying my laminate flooring. Now it creaks.

[@johnfithian-franks8276]

Hi Charlie, I have a "Ruffeneck" bar that has two prongs that go either side of the joists and makes getting floorboards up a pleasure.

[@CharlieDIYte]

That's a great tip. Thanks John, and good to hear from you again!

[@raydunn3501]

WOW,,, Charlie what would we do without you,,, I always lookout for your vids I find them so interesting even if i dont have the work to follow,,, good ideas are given,,, good on ya mate,,, keep going with the channel.

[@CharlieDIYte]

Thanks Ray - I really appreciate that. It nearly killed me, this one. I video'd everything not knowing what angle I was going to take and ended up with about 110 videos each with about 3-10 minutes in duration - I kid you not - and it took about 5 days of solid editing to put together 🙄 Well worth it though when I get positive feedback like that 👍👍👍

[@mr1379]

Excellent. Did something similar but I installed my engineered flooring onto existing floorboards.

[@ryanstobie6558]

I hope you see this. I am hoping to do the same and wondered if you could answer a couple of nagging questions. What underlay did you use (if any)? How did you deal with uneven flooring?

[@mikes6844]

So pleased to see such a super job, looks great. I’m a great fan of engineered boards for the reasons you state. Mine have been down for 10 years or more in my living/dining area and even with scratches and stiletto heal marks it still looks fab. Expensive yes, but don’t regret it. Quality is remembered a long time after the cost? Great vid Charlie, inspiration for people to have a go. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@valborchardt3596]

Hellloooo Charlie, good to see you back again. Thanks for this one, your floor looks great. Take care

[@leebrown5090]

Looks really good the door tread very impressed matey

[@CharlieDIYte]

Thanks mate. Door tread!! I knew it had a name 🤣

[@mcba]

Very well put together video, and a great job on that door profile, nice one!

[@jonodogdesign]

So many of your vids have put me more at ease when considering my options for an up coming job! great stuff thanks!

[@tobybuk]

Great video Charlie. Thanks for taking the time to make it for us.

[@CharlieDIYte]

You're welcome mate. Thanks for taking the time to comment!

[@karlbratby4349]

im about to lay 220mm planks the same as yours but solid oak. the manufacturer has advised putting a DPM down even if it's on top of existing wooden floor and tongue tite screw so with your parent's floor using solid oak did they screw and DPM as a moisture barrier? JFJ I believe source some of their planks from french forest floors which Is where my solids were from.

[@danieljohnson7214]

Extremely comprehensive video glad I found it

[@trobbo7460]

Awesome informational views Charlie. My engineered oak floor starts next week. Any thoughts on how to save a tun of multi tool blades to remove all the chipboard edges to the wall?

[@ivangreat133]

Nice work Charlie, the floor looks great.

[@wheelyworld]

Thanks for making this video. You've inspired me to have a go as my floorboards in an old upstairs bedroom I've stripped down, they're awful. I'm going to replace them. I just hope I don't put my foot through the living room ceiling. 👍 Watched a few of your videos today, and they are brilliant.

[@CharlieDIYte]

Thanks mate. Yes be careful. I put my foot through the ceiling into the living room - twice in one day - when I was renovating my bathroom.🤦 I think I had a bad cold and it affected my balance/ coordination! Just make sure you go with a decent product of this type of thickness if you're boarding over joists 👍🏻

[@wheelyworld]

@@CharlieDIYte it was just that small beer of confidence that did it! 👌 Also, I just watched all 40 minutes of the video of Gerard skimming the ceiling and it was just.. memorising to watch! He is such a skilled chap, we really enjoyed watching him work. I feel confident about laying new floorboards but not sure I want to tackle plastering, so if he's free over next couple of weeks to do a 10m sq bedroom, we'd feel in safe hands!!! We are near Solihull! We shall keep him lubricated with strong tea too!!🙏

[@jonarchdeacon3761]

Excellent video as always Charlie. Floor looks amazing!!!!

[@YellowPinkie]

If you have an old house and do any form of DIY, glazing packers are just the best!

[@mabdub]

I Hope we get to see the floor in it's various stages of staining and finishing.

[@CharlieDIYte]

I think I'm going to have to now 😉

[@mabdub]

Your bathroom floor is really striking, I look forward to seeing the finished bedroom floor. Thanks for the tips about using engineered oak instead of solid oak which is what many people think is the pinnacle choice; so did I until I heard your explanation.

[@CharlieDIYte]

@@mabdub You're welcome. Given how good it looks if you go for the good quality version like mine, there's no need what so every to go for solid wood.

[@mabdub]

Hi, I hope you don't mind me asking how you sealed the bathroom floor to deal with the inevitable contact with water. Do you have to be especially careful about not getting water on the floor?

[@garvielloken3929]

yEah! Defo!

[@michaelbernon8117]

OMG! Thank you, i got into an argument with my partner today about how if you dont glue your floor boards down over a joist floor you will have squeaks... thank you..

[@purediy4452]

As always a very well done video always enjoy watching them giving me some really good tips for my day job thank you

[@CharlieDIYte]

Thanks mate - really appreciate that, and flattered that I have anything to pass on that you don't already know 👍

[@iwilson16]

Floor looks amazing! I’m currently fixing up a room in a Victorian property in Edinburgh and also had to level the joists (40mm sag in middle). I bolted 2x4 c24 timber to the side (m10 bolt every 1m) To get around the twisted joist issue I hot-glued plastic packers to the side of the joist at the point where it was bolted in order to get the 2x4 to sit vertically. My joists were only 75mm wide, so relatively easy to drill through that plus the 2x4. Looks like your joists would be pretty difficult to drill through. I’ll be putting down an 18mm sheathing ply sub-floor and then a 5-7mm vinyl/wood plank to finish. That should take u]me up to close to the original floorboard level.

[@aj1finch]

Another really interesting one, Charlie. I'm intrigued by the hot glue gun - definitely looking forward to the in-depth review!

[@CharlieDIYte]

Thanks! The glue gun, mate, is a revelation. I've never owned one and probably never would have, but it's ace. Used it today to glue an internal panel back in the Vito van, which wouldn't click back into place (pulled away when I had a new windscreen recently) because the little plastic grommet things have lost their spring. Worked a treat!

[@Dee2Bee]

Great video, one question: you have 180 seconds to position the board on the glue (14.00) but when you tighten the boards (7.50) surely the glue will have been well and truly set ... ??? Thanks!

[@CharlieDIYte]

Thanks. To be honest unless you've already bought a glue gun, I would instead buy a bottle of Egger floor board adhesive - as you have as long as you want to position the boards. In answer to your question it's borderline but the glue doesn't go off for a minute or so but you do have to work quickly - so much less stressful using the Egger. www.egger.com/en/building/product-detail/JOINTLOISTADH?country=GB

[@Dee2Bee]

@@CharlieDIYte Really appreciate that. Many thanks!

[@SL-ez7qn]

Good informative video. I didn’t know you could screw flooring boards directly to the joists. Also don’t you need some sort of a moisture barrier?

[@CharlieDIYte]

Well, it depends I guess with joists. I'm going to prevent the moisture rising up from downstairs by reboarding the ceiling with foil backed plasterboard, but you're right, moisture barriers are always an important consideration.

[@harrycallaghan22]

Excellent tutorial as usual. Love this channel. Totally inspiring and super helpful.

[@CharlieDIYte]

Aw, thanks Harry 👍

[@james-jq8sk]

Very impressive, thinking of doing my rental with these engineered boards, I wonder how they would hold up with wheeling suitcases in and out on a weekly basis?

[@cjtathome]

I noticed you have insulated - i have a room that has traditionally had condensation issues (2 external walls). I’m tackling root causes etc but would it be better to let air flow underneath the pine floor or insulate for the cost and environmental benefits ?

[@CharlieDIYte]

Have you looked at this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/inqnk2CmmbShjq8 ? It's a difficult one this. On one hand no insulation allows air to circulate as you say. But it could also allow vapour from the room below to condensate against the wall in the floor void. I insulated between the joists so I can control heating from one room to another accurately, now I have smart TRVs on my radiators, but I was worried about negating the air circulation. I think the main thing is to insulate the external wall as effectively as possible so as to avoid any cold bridging. Maybe don't worry about the floor insulation for now unless you have definite plans to rip the floor up.

[@cjtathome]

@@CharlieDIYte , thanks Charlie , my floor is up currently. Full refurb and spraying for beetle while I’m at it. Cleaned out all the rubble and thought why not insulate it. The damp video was really good.

[@marieaudreyduchamp8839]

Good job as usual Charlie, well done mate

[@CharlieDIYte]

Thanks Jean!

[@simonm9503]

Hi Charlie, what blade did you use for the cuts?

[@58elrond]

Great quality video as always - pleasure to watch & learn

[@CharlieDIYte]

Thanks! 👍

[@DerekTJ]

Great video. I didn't know that you just lay straight onto joists - I thought that a subfloor of osb or ply had to go down first

[@CharlieDIYte]

Only if the boards you're laying aren't thick enough. These are 22mm and designed to be laid without a sub floor.

[@fqlynx]

Top advice as always by a top man.

[@CharlieDIYte]

Aw, thanks for that 👍

[@JuiceBanger1]

Good looking job. Had you any cross cuts of boards to do....if so what blade, quantity of teeth did you use?

[@5N19ERG0D]

Thank you so much for this video! Brilliant work.

[@CharlieDIYte]

You're welcome. Thanks for the comment!!

[@TheDingfish]

Have watched this video countless times, so useful! Did you have to do a filler over the whole floor once it's down, to get into the grain since oak is such an open grained wood? I notice in your stain video that the grain looks beautiful, extremely evenly toned brown rather than having the grain stand out as black against the brown, I'm currently having this issue with my flooring where I also want to do hardwax oil but I'm getting extremely high contrast with the grain and the only solution i can think of is to fill it..

[@CharlieDIYte]

Sorry to hear that. No, the engineered oak boards are sanded to a certain finish by the manufacturer - I'm guessing 120 grit or thereabouts because when I spot sanded a few areas to 180 grit the stain didn't take as well as it did to the rest. I wouldn't ever fill it but you might have to sand it with a random orbit sander to achieve a consistent surface that can be stained and oiled.

[@harvey19750]

What a fantastic video. Thank you 🙏

[@CharlieDIYte]

You're very welcome. Thanks for the comment 👍🏻

[@andywagstaff8980]

Hi Charlie excellent video as always. Any tips for cleaning engineered wood as we’ve just had it laid in a new build that we are buying? Many thanks

[@JosePoloramos]

Might be a silly question but assume two boards meet where a joist isn't present. Is it ok for that joint to not have a joist under it for support. Many thanks.

[@jitsmen2519]

Hi. This is called a flying joint. Best not to have any flying joints. Use a noggin (piece of timber fixed between two joists) to support this type of joint.

[@jamiegleave7620]

Nice job! I did about 60m2 of pretty expensive engineered oak in the kitchen and utility room about 6 years ago. Boards are great but I found the hard wax oil (osmo) coating didn't stand up to much, particularly when the boards get water droplets on them and leave stains. What's your view on a hard varnish finish instead Charlie?

[@CharlieDIYte]

To be honest, I'm a massive fan of the Treatex Hardwax Oil. Granted my bathroom floor doesn't get the traffic the kitchen floor would but my experience with varnish is that it's only as hard as the wood below it, and even oak is going to get dented by metal capped shoes, stilettos and the like.

[@keithburgess4499]

Hi Charlie, fantastic video, you have inspired me to tackle the job of renovating our bedroom floor myself. One quick question, what colour finish did you use in your bathroom as shown at the beginning of the video. Cheers

[@CharlieDIYte]

Thanks Keith. Exactly the same. 2/3 antique oak, 1/3 ebony. Treatex.

[@bk3120]

Why did you put the floor down onto the joist straight away and not on top of the old floorboards? We are in a similar situation, but we are thinking of putting a layer of sound damping insulation on top of the old floor boards and then on top the new floor... would like to understand your thoughts on that.

[@CharlieDIYte]

I had to rip up the old floorboards because they squeaked to high heaven but also because I wanted to insulate between the joists and move the radiator across the room. For me, sound insulation isn't important but the Rockwall will help with that. There was no need to leave the footboards down as the 22mm oak can be put down without any sub structure or noggins. Also, if you're sound proofing, it's important you don't screw down the new floor. You ideally want it floating to prevent sound travelling through the joists.

[@bk3120]

@@CharlieDIYte Thanks, that's very sound advice, I appreciate it!

[@kmonnier]

This was very comprehensive and informative. 💥💥💥💥💥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@CharlieDIYte]

You're welcome! Thanks for the comment 💪💪👍

[@Vyker]

I just wish I was as bothered as you are. All of your projects are things that need doing in my place. Never get round to it. How do you do it!! Great video as ever. Well done.

[@CharlieDIYte]

Well, if it makes you feel any better, ironically I spend so much time editing, I never get any of the jobs that need doing done - which is why we moved out of our bedroom in February and are still not back in there 🤣

[@reallyniceone]

Hi Charlie, great video and very helpful. Hoping you can help to steer me in the right direction. I have an existing 18mm pine floor that I intended to remove and install 18mm engineered oak to the joists but some people have suggested that I lay the engineered oak on top of the pine. I’d rather not do this because I have a 30mm granite hearth that would only leave 12mm exposed but I’d like to know your thoughts on the pro’s and con’s?

[@CharlieDIYte]

Yes I think laying on top is a bit of a botch and could give you problems with floor heights in doorways between rooms. Clearly it's much easier to lay on top as pulling up floor joists is a pain and then you've got to pull out or grind off all the nails but it's a neater job and gives you the opportunity to insulate between the joists. Just remember that 18mm engineered oak might not be thick enough for you to join in between joists with using a noggin to support the join. That was the beauty of the 22mm I used. It's strong enough not to require a noggin.

[@reallyniceone]

@@CharlieDIYte thanks Charlie, that’s what I thought too but certainly something to think about in relation to the thickness, either extra support beneath of the 22mm as you suggested. Many thanks 👍🏻

[@raymondkelly3181]

any ideas on a tongue and groove cutter for ends as I have some long runs. Thanks

[@CharlieDIYte]

Yes, have a look at Wealdon Tools. They do some really good, reasonably priced router bits. I made my own groove as you saw, for the threshold strip, using my biscuit jointer bit.

[@raymondkelly3181]

Thanks Charlie. Got the exact same boards from JFJ - but have UFH. Using the glazing packers

[@attos11]

Hi Charlie, I have been watching you video on how to lay engineered floorboard. I have just moved into a 1930 flat with original pine floorboard. I tried to get a carpenter to repair this floor but basically they come to give a quote and never follow through. I decided to do it myself with the help of my brother- he is supervising it virtually. Anyway, you went through 3 different kinds of glue , I am leaning more towards the egger glue, but my question if I may is this. Should I glue the floorboard to the joists instead of screwing them. My brother is a bit against it because he says if I ever need to lift the boards to repair the heating or electric that run underneath I would be stuck. Since I saw you view the only thing I can see is that glueing would stop all the many creaking the floor makes. I have repaired and used plastic shim to support the joist on the concrete, so I can see that gluing would eliminate all the noise. Would you be able to give me your expert opinion?

[@CharlieDIYte]

Hi mate. It's a really good question. So my bathroom floor does squeak in a few places but not enough to annoy me. I agree, if you're going to use a glue, that Egger or even Gripfill would work well. I wouldn't bother buying a glue gun. So my floor was so springy before but it's solid as a rock now. If you glue it you will undoubtedly get a more solid feel. Whether YOU use glue really depends on whether you think you're likely to need to take it up for any reason - he's absolutely right on that one. If it's only a small section and the rest isn't glued, I probably wouldn't bother glueing the repaired bit. The reality is, assuming all electrics junction boxes if any, are in maintenance free boxes (eg Wago) your electric wires are not going to be chewed by rodents and any plumbing is unlikely to need any maintenance, and you've done any insulation to your satisfaction, you're unlikely to ever want to take it up - assuming of course you like your choice of flooring and are unlikely to go off it in a few years time!! Don't forget, if you lay a floor like mine, even just screwed down it would be a hell of a job getting it up. You'd have to cut through the tongue and groove and rip it up because you wouldn't be able to locate those hidden screws. Plus in my case there's skirting on top of it. So my anxiety is the new copper pipes that I didn't deburr before soldering together. So any pin hole leaks and I'll be going in from the room below! Hope that helps.

[@attos11]

@@CharlieDIYte Hi there, thanks for your response very helpful, I will consider them a bit more. But I will probably just screw them and live with some of the creaks that will develop over the months and years. Thanks again.

[@joescores19]

My budget is small and I need to cover 100 square meters, thinking of buying a solid timber 20 mm thick, would you recommend it? Great video btw.

[@suj1945]

Great vid Charlie mate

[@CharlieDIYte]

Thanks mate!

[@Dr.Stacker]

How do you remove floorboards that run under upstairs block walls?

[@1979com]

are we meant to put glue in the tongue and groove? thanks

[@one-off3264]

Nice video, I wanted to see more of how you levelled the floor though! ☺️ I am currently using strips of wood and packers to level my subfloor. I am going to use a 360 degrees laser to create a datum plane and then stick a ruler on the joists at various points and measure where the laser hits the ruler. How did you do it? Did you just rely on the boards as a straight edge and chock up where needed? To do this though surely you would need to start on the highest points otherwise you may encounter a situation where you need to remove material no?

[@CharlieDIYte]

Thanks Euan. I didn't completely level it. I just evened out the worst of the anomalies with wood and packers. The other way you could do it is screw new beams to the existing joists but you'll need a lot of wood for that so your way is probably the best.

[@BODGE71]

How did you put the floor boards down around the radiators? Did you remove the radiators first?

[@CharlieDIYte]

Damn it, I meant to show that. I think I'll have to do a video to show how I did the plumbing, and /or possibly an outtakes video showing the bits I didn't include. It took a lot of planning as I had to do the plumbing before I laid the floor because I didn't want to notch the joists so I had to take the pipes round the back of the joists (there's a gap between the joists and the wall as they rather bizarrely just sit on a timber pad that runs the width of the room). Basically I made sure I had two short lengths of floor boards terminating just next to each pipe. I had to route a groove in the left hand board so that it could slot together with the tongue of the right hand board. I started with the left hand board, slotted the board over the radiator pipe at 90 degrees to the wall (I had to take the radiator off the wall to do this) and then rotated the board clockwise into position, under the new insulated wall. The hole I drilled in the board was wide enough to give me sufficient play to enable me to rotate the board and crucially to move that board out of the way so I could rotate the second board into position, which I did in the same way but this time rotating it counter clockwise and then slot the boards back together, if that makes sense.

[@BODGE71]

@@CharlieDIYte wow. Sounds complicated.

[@dawnhandford8619]

How far away from the wall do the floor boards need to be (for expansion) if necessary?

[@mrskyfarmer]

Great video as always. How many times did you go through the ceiling below?

[@CharlieDIYte]

On the bathroom I literally fell through it twice in one day. My excuse was that I had a cold and my balance was affected 🤣

[@MrJofArnold]

@@CharlieDIYte When I was a kid my mum fell through the floor in similar circumstances. I picked up her shoe in the living room and took it upstairs to give to her. Such a great family memory! 😆

[@ChrisHogan87]

Good video as always, what brand of offset drill attachment do you use and how do you rate it?

[@CharlieDIYte]

Thanks mate. Wiha - yes, it's fantastic quality - funnily enough I thought I'd do a video on it some time soon as I think it's a tool everyone should know about 👍

[@ChrisHogan87]

@@CharlieDIYteCheers thanks for letting me know, I'd definitely be interested on video about them.

[@CharlieDIYte]

@@ChrisHogan87 I'm posting the video tomorrow so look out for it. If you click the bell notification icon next to the subscribe button on my channel it should ping through when it's live.

[@garvielloken3929]

Another amazing tutorial

[@CharlieDIYte]

Aw, thanks Garviel - good to hear from you again 👍

[@garvielloken3929]

@@CharlieDIYte Can't tell you enough how inspirational you and your channel have been to me

[@garvielloken3929]

I actually get excited when theres a notification fro our channel

[@CharlieDIYte]

@@garvielloken3929 Seriously? I'm bowled over by that!! This one was really difficult for some reason. I had 110 videos in the folder for this job, each with between 3 and 10 minutes of stuff to sift through and I didn't know where to start with the edit - which took about 5 days solid to do, but it's all worth while when I get comments like that. Thanks so much 👍👍

[@garvielloken3929]

@@CharlieDIYte WOW! Just wow. Its easy to forget how much time and effort is put into these videos. I take my earlier comment back & change it to: Another PHENOMENAL tutorial.

[@aaudain1]

Clearly explained 👍👏✋

[@CharlieDIYte]

Thanks Anthony 👍🏻

[@bikerchrisukk]

Great video, I would like to glue down boards next time as well, to avoid the squeak. But if there are services running between/through joists, they could need accessing at some point. So if glue is used, do you think it will destroy the boarding when it comes back up, especially T&G? Thanks and keep up the good work! 👍

[@jeffthewhiff]

Very informative video, Charlie, and I am currently working on my laundry area floor. I live in an old house too and the floor joists are not level and there is one that is twisted, so it is going to be a challenge to level the floor and I am still wondering if it would be a good idea to hire a profession flooring installer to complete my project.

[@CharlieDIYte]

That's exactly the problem I had, the twisting, which is what put me off attempting to level it as some people have suggested (check out HA's comment not far above this one). You could get someone in but chances are with all the research, you'll end up doing a better job. 👍🏻

[@jeffthewhiff]

@@CharlieDIYte Charlie, thanks for your reply to my post. Yes, I am a handy guy and own a small painting business, so I really think that I can install the floor myself, but it will just take me a bit longer to do so. Also, is it best to wait a few days before installing new wood flooring, Charlie? I have heard that by doing this, it helps the wood get used to the humidity in the home and reduces the chances of the flooring shrinking.

[@Mazza95]

What about expansion gaps as recommended by the manufacturers with floating floors? I've always been cautious not to lay engineering flooring over joists and screwing down, particularly because of the squeeking when the boards expand.

[@CharlieDIYte]

Engineered flooring doesn't expand or contract. That's the beauty of it.

[@Mazza95]

@@CharlieDIYte Although engineered hardwood floors can withstand changes in temperature and moisture better than solid wood floors, it is thought that they still need an expansion gap to allow for small movements as recommended by the manufacturers. The same goes with laminate and LVT flooring. I guess what I'm wondering is, if this is the case only in floating floors or in screwed down and glued floors too.

[@CharlieDIYte]

🛠Charlie DIYte Amazon Tool Store amzn.to/3fcLnY4 - all my tried, tested and much loved DIY tools. ☕Charlie DIYte Buy Me a Coffee Membership bit.ly/3xuQ3zb - access our incredible Discord DIY forum and help support my Channel. 👚Charlie DIYte Official Merch Store charlie-diyte.myspreadshop.co.uk/ - all new range of professionally designed merch.

[@alanmullock381]

Nice work Charlie!👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[@tubbycarpenter9847]

Great video mate

[@CharlieDIYte]

Thanks mate!!

[@markhannan5167]

Great work thanks for video

[@CharlieDIYte]

You're welcome. Thanks Mark 👍

[@AccountantDoesDIY]

Hi Charlie. Do you have any videos of a ground floor room being done? We’ve got T&G engineered wood floorboards throughout the hall, lounge and sitting room, fitted about 3 years ago during a refurb (done before I was into diy at all). They suddenly started to get quite bouncy and squeaky particularly around the doorways. I recall the builder at the time saying he had a hell of an issue levelling the ground floor floors before laying the boards so I suspect uneven subfloor/screed is the issue. I’ve not done any exploratory work yet, but guess I’ll just need to take off the skirting and lift up the boards one by one. I doubt the builder used screws given the screeding and think the boards are genuinely just “floating” on whatever underlay they used. I’m scratching my head as to how to fix the excessive bouncing / squeaking!

[@CharlieDIYte]

Hi Chris. Sounds like they are floating as you say but also possibly real wood rather than engineered? Real wood tend to expand in high moisture which could be why they're bouncy whereas oak laminate on a ply base doesn't as it can't move. You could get a dehumidifier and see if that helps, before doing anything more invasive? If it doesn't, you're going to bed to remove some slithers of wood to relieve the upward pressure.

[@fridgehorse]

Just watched one of your older videos where it had annoying constant looped unnecessary music in the back ground. I don’t know if other people commented on it but I’m glad to hear you didn’t use it on this one or a couple of other recent ones. Other than that they’re helpful videos.

[@CharlieDIYte]

Yes I'm sorry about that. It was a big mistake, but you live and learn 🙄

[@fridgehorse]

Charlie DIYte: Thanks... Yep you live & learn, at least you’ve learnt. It’s a pity some mainstream tv program makers can’t learn, especially on documentaries. I often think if “I wanted music over the top, I‘ll put my own on, Ive got an audio player”.

[@CharlieDIYte]

@@fridgehorse I'd agree with that 😉

[@DaddyBear3000]

Love the look, really nice job. Your joist spacing is pretty small and they’re vintage beasts. Otherwise you’d have to overboard first. 👍🏼

[@an-sofievanrafelghem1918]

Thank you for this video Charlie, I'm feeling confident to try this now! Do you think this is possible with engineered oak which is already waxed and oiled, or would you recommend going for an unfinished board?

[@CharlieDIYte]

Yes definitely. If you can find a pre finished board you're happy with, it removes the need for you to do it yourself.

[@an-sofievanrafelghem1918]

@@CharlieDIYte thank you! ☺️

[@niall456]

Do you not need to leave expansion gaps? I laid oak floorboards from B&Q and they expand quite visibly over a year

[@CharlieDIYte]

Not with engineered oak as the ply sub core doesn't move. If it's solid oak, then yes it will move all over the place

[@RossMitchellsProfile]

I find your hot glue gun setup kinda funny, kinda got the oposite adapter situation, got the same brand of adapter for a hot glue gun but it's a Ryobi Hot Glue gun and a Makita Battery.

[@CharlieDIYte]

Good work Ross. Yes that glue gun is very reasonably priced. 👍

[@gaborzamborszky5992]

How much width do you recommend between joists?

[@ryank8385]

Great work Charlie

[@shaun...6838]

Top job C. Will this expand and contract much ?

[@CharlieDIYte]

Shouldn't move at all, except perhaps if I didn't acclimatize the boards properly.

[@alexdarton5940]

Hi Charlie. Another great video, thanks. Curious to know your thoughts on the insulation you packed in between the joists. Particularly around electrics (need to be careful of heat build up?) and also whether a ventilation gap would be needed between the top of the insulation and bottom of the flooring? Much appreciated. Keep up the good work! Alex.

[@CharlieDIYte]

Hi Alex, thanks for this. I decided to insulate (with Rockwall) a) for sound; and b) for heating considerations. At some point I'd like to install the Drayton wiser system, and it will be much more effective to zone each room if they're properly insulated. The point you make about the electrics is a good one - which is why I was careful not to bury the electrics in the insulation, rather have it sitting on top. The room below is the sitting room, the ceiling of which needs reboarding, so I'll probably use foil backed plasterboard so as to stop vapour from going through. I also have a pretty good dehumidifier running at the moment - video to follow 😉

[@alexdarton5940]

@@CharlieDIYte thanks Charlie. Appreciate your reply. 👍🏻

[@5N19ERG0D]

Can you make a video on how the stand on the chop saw

[@CharlieDIYte]

It was just plonked on top of an old Black and Decker work bench. Not the best as long planks tend to crash to the floor when cut in half.

[@dannymurphy1779]

Super vid Charlie! Just wondering what happens if you need to get them up??? I had a leak with an oak floor and I was able to get them up because the chipboard they were glued on had weakened with the water ingress, it was water going through the cracks not a pipe leak. Would it be possible to have some kind of access point that wasn't glued so you could open it to get a multi tool in there to cut the glue between plank and joist? If anyone can solve this access issue it's you anyway :)

[@CharlieDIYte]

Thanks Danny 👍 I've thought about this and if for example I had a leaking pipe I'd probably go in from below by taking the plasterboard ceiling down in the sitting room. Just praying I don't have to!

[@stephencassells2855]

Hi Charly, I have a drop of 8 cm from one side of the room to the other and wondered if you have any tips to enable me to level the room? Also, do you think I need underlay, my situation is really similar to yours. Cheers

[@CharlieDIYte]

Hi Stephen. HA a few comments above yours has explained what he did here. Basically he used 3x2 timbers cut at an angle (you'd need 4x2) and then on the other side he used a combination of Broadfix packers and timber shims where the difference was only a couple of cms. It's a massive pain and will take you ages, but well worth it. I probably wouldn't bother with underlay but if it's downstairs and draughty below it would be well worth investing in some sort of insulation to go below it.

[@aleksandrk9703]

Why did you not use a damp proof membrane between the floor and the insulation? I presume you used insulation because there is a cold surface below the floor of the room.

[@CharlieDIYte]

It's not necessary because there are no cold surfaces to create a dew point although for belt and braces I might use a foil backed plasterboard when I repair the sitting room ceiling. I did it primarily to make zonal heating more sensitive when I installed our smart heating system with its smart thermostats.

[@davidpearson3052]

Great video again Charlie, did you foam around the edges?

[@CharlieDIYte]

That's my next job, David!

[@davidpearson3052]

@@CharlieDIYte I'm in the middle of fitting flooring and skirting board, never thought of putting foam in there. What made you think of it?

[@OriginalgEd]

very informative video, thank you!

[@t_doc]

Great stuff.

[@CharlieDIYte]

Thanks 👊

[@AliAli-ir8kq]

I love your Channel 😍

[@azza1793]

So i’m assuming that by using the straps across pretty much the width of the whole room that you don’t screw down every board?

[@CharlieDIYte]

I screwed down every board. You just extend the straps a little for each additional line of boards that you lay.

[@harpo187bling]

Good stuff pal.

[@ArthLud]

Awesome

[@CharlieDIYte]

Thanks 👊

[@adamwilliams9463]

Why is it age restricted

[@geoffreycasey875]

What is the difference between a crow bar and a gorilla bar?

[@woody123930]

Gorilla bar has a straighter hook. I find I get better leverage with a gorilla bar because the round curve of a crow bar can get in the way esp if your working close to a wall for example

[@CharlieDIYte]

@@woody123930 Thanks Tony - I missed that so I'm grateful you replied for me 👊👍

[@TevjaWeston]

1st Looks good

[@CharlieDIYte]

👍👍

[@AndrewHelgeCox]

Don’t you need a subfloor under these boards? I thought this kind of flooring is meant to float.

[@CharlieDIYte]

No, not with these 22mm thick floor boards with tongue and groove all the way round. Anything thinner and you would at the very least need to insert noggins where the boards butt up to each other.

[@danielburton5468]

Boards should always be joined on a joist other wise they will creak

[@isyt1]

Wee tip: If you are going for engineered wood then make sure the top section (the slice that contains real wood) is of a decent thickness. I floored my kitchen with the cheap stuff - maybe 2mm veneer - and every drip of water darkens it at the seams. Looks shit.

[@ZylonFPV]

It’s feb 2020 and you didn’t review this glue gun yet - just mentioning in case this is a useful reminder.

[@CharlieDIYte]

It's coming, my friend! It only went on sale on 28th January, www.ebay.co.uk/itm/124063571962 and I've got a couple of videos to get out of the way first. Got to say though, it's been a complete game changer for me. Losing count of the amount of jobs I've used it for!

[@ZylonFPV]

Cool! I know ryobi also has one on sale too. I use my glue gun a lot but it’s a really cheap one from banggood and is not very good 😛

[@jonesconrad1]

-"cleverly designed"- cut to fit round the radiator

[@CharlieDIYte]

It shouldn't have been as complicated as it was, but I had to fit the boards around the pipes rather than vice versa, which have me a real headache. After much head scratching I realised I had to cut the boards down so each board terminated just after the pipe, introduce a new groove in the cut edge using my router and then slide the board down onto the pipe at 90 degrees to the wall and rotate it into position.

[@jonesconrad1]

@@CharlieDIYte I was only winding you up mate (it did sounds a little oversold :) to someone who's made lots of these kinds of things), I might rewatch it I missed the groove in the board. Keep up the videos.

[@jmtworm]

I was wondering how you got around the radiator pipes, cheers Charlie DIYte

[@andyf10]

Why grind the old nails off? Just hammer them in 🤷

[@mabdub]

Did you know that your video has a warning which says, " may be inappropriate for some users"? Wow, that warning is beyond me, I didn't see anything in the video that was at all offensive. I don't get it, maybe some gorillas took offense to the name of your "crow bar". I hope you didn't mean to be offensive and I'm just too thick to get the point.

[@CharlieDIYte]

Thanks for pointing this out. There's been a massive change to KZbin's policies imposed by the US government in the last week to protect kids from online content. I have to self certify now whether every video I upload contains children or is aimed at them. The warning message you refer to is a bit heavy handed but hopefully they've imposed it across the board but will make it more focused as the months progress.

[@mabdub]

I'm Canadian living in Canada, we know all about rules and restrictions imposed by our neighbour. Often leaves us scratching our heads in wonder.

[@mabdub]

Just checked your video again. The warning has since been removed.

[@sophialow340]

Try the best carpenters and woodworkers plans. Stodoys.