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Notes From a Forum

 

About two years ago, I was informed by one of my customers that there is a flooring online forum. All of the members there are in the process of building new houses. I was invited to this group to provide some advice. Their questions range from product choice, flooring installation, stairs etc. There were indeed a lot to consider when comes to house renovation.

 

One Sunday afternoon, Mr and Mrs Li from the forum came to Ozwood’s showroom to look at floors and wall decorations. The couples left me with a good impression. They expressed concerns that are shared by many people who need their flooring installed. The first concern is choosing the wrong floorboard supplier. Secondly, it is the wrong or improper floorboard and lastly, the installation of the floorboard. Since Mr and Mrs Li’s order is a long-term project thus we had a thorough conversion revolving renovation and decoration. Due to the nature of the conversation, I thought it would be of use for most customers when it comes to renovation their home.

 

We can divide decoration materials into two main types; hard materials and soft materials. Steels, bricks are considered as hard materials. Timber, textile and fabrics are soft materials. In my personal opinion, decorating primarily with timber is better. The reason being, timber is natural and it gives home a warmer atmosphere. In the three main materials used for flooring; bricks, carpet and timber can be used altogether. Timber is a popular choice among Easterners.

 

Mr and Mrs Li chose engineered timber; one of the four main types of floorboards. Thus our conversation mostly focuses on different types and installation of engineered timber.

 

It is unknown to most customers that engineered floorboard is among the most waterproofed floorboards. It also has a great requirement for evenness of the surface. The stability of engineered floorboard will be greatly compromised using floating installation method upon an uneven surface. With uneven surface, there will be hollowness when step upon.

 

The hollowness in floorboard is caused by uneven surface; lumps and pits of the surface will prevent the floor to stay flat. It happens between the area of lumps and pits.

 

There are several solutions to resolve this problem of the floorboard. A flat surface is difficult to obtain mainly because the concrete layer is normally not being applied evenly.  Thus, it is best to prepare the surface to be flat without any lumps and pits before laying the floorboard. The other alternative is applying a thin layer of concrete upon it to smooth the surface. This method is not only costly and also the thin concrete layer is non-sticky due to the thin layer of concrete. Eventually, it may fall off.

 

If the two solutions are not feasible, the most practical three are as follow.  First is to secure and fix the floorboard on the surface. The floorboard is glued to the ground for better stability and it is cost effective. It is one of OZWOOD’s common installation methods. Alternatively, it can be leveled with batten. The floorboard is laid upon the batten after it is leveled. However, this method is costly and the thickness of engineered floorboard is at least 18mm. If the surface is timber or plywood, nailing is the best installation method.

 

It takes an enormous amount of energy and planning into getting the ideal home. From design to construction, every step is a learning process and the forum makes it easier. Floorboard plays an important role in an ideal home; it can never go wrong with having insightful information. The forum provides a platform for users to learn from each one and pay it forward to those who are in need.