Laying on joists
The old floors were generally placed on joists made of hard oak or chestnut wood. If you want to opt for this technique, several points must be taken into account:
- Reserve height between 4 and 10 cm
- Expansion joint of 1.50 cm around the perimeter
- Moderate tightening of the blades to allow a good expansion of the wood
- Installation of an insulating strip on the joist to reduce noise related to the impact of footsteps
- Addition of sound insulation between the joists for better acoustic comfort
Today, laying on joists is mainly reserved for solid floors with wide boards. This allows the wood to work with more freedom, while enjoying good air circulation from below.
Laying glued in full or on the bead
The laying of parquet and solid floors can also be glued in full or bead. It is possible directly on different substrates such as screed, concrete, tiles or old flooring after checking the following elements:
- Insulated, healthy and dry ground (no rising damp)
- Blade width of 14 cm maximum and 14 mm thick (grooving from below): mandatory standard when underfloor heating at low temperature
- In old buildings: installation of a waterproofing resin recommended to avoid any risk of rising damp
- Installation of sound insulation (underlay) to improve acoustic comfort, especially on the floors
- Storage of the parquet in the room where it will be laid at least 48 hours in advance so that the wood adapts to the ambient hydrometry
The direction of laying a floor
The most classic floor laying is done in the direction of the light. You can also opt for laying across the width of the room to give the impression that it is wider thanks to an optical effect. For floors with tongue and groove, the English laying is recommended (boards of the same width but of different lengths, laid parallel).
Based in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, near Lille, we offer many collections of old parquet floors and new aged floors. The information provided on this page is indicative only. We cannot be held responsible for this information which may change over time. Only the professional installer of the floor or parquet will be responsible for the decisions he makes to work according to the constraints encountered on the site.