ᐅ Is it possible to install floating hardwood flooring continuously without any room breaks?

Franke89 schrieb:

Yeah, it’s going to be an exciting time, I’m looking forward to it. I’m confident with my DIY skills, I’ve already built some furniture myself and even felled a tree once 😉
Besides, I still have 400 overtime hours saved up.

I really think it’s great that you’re approaching it like this. However, 400 hours is “only” about 50 days, which isn’t a lot when it comes to construction work. How far along is your project? Often, people plan time- and cost-intensive features that they could have avoided, just a heads-up regarding the overall discussion.
If you end up using 10sqm (107.6 sq ft) inefficiently, it’s hard to make that up with your own labor. With my first house, it took me 8 years to finish, and by then I had already moved two interior walls because I wasn’t satisfied.
So get as much professional help as possible, and then you can invest your time and energy effectively where it really counts.

Franke89 schrieb:

Tensions are naturally a nuisance. Do you have underfloor heating? What type of wood was the parquet made from? How large was the gap to the walls in your case?

I hope you are not seriously considering adding a perimeter joint in the area of the edge insulation strips to compensate for a neglected expansion joint in every room (?). At least, you should never cover an expansion joint beyond ceiling panel boundaries. When building your own home, there are plenty of opportunities ("a dozen cheaper") to try your own work in areas where the marks of beginner mistakes remain inconspicuous.

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Hi,

Franke89 schrieb:

Tensions are obviously a problem. Do you have underfloor heating? What type of wood was the parquet? How large was the gap between the flooring and the walls in your case?

Yes, we have underfloor heating. The parquet was and still is oak. We bought exactly the same flooring again and glued it down. The gap to the walls was the usual 10-15 mm (we installed it during very dry air conditions, so we took the maximum gap to allow the wood enough room to expand in summer). However, the issue was not the flooring pressing against the wall but probably the crossing of one room into another. This creates boards that are 5 m (16.4 ft) long (still within one room) and others that are 10 m (32.8 ft) long (extending through the doorway into the next room). Naturally, these boards behave differently in terms of expansion because the 5 m (16.4 ft) board has a "joint" at 5 m (it simply ends), whereas the 10 m (32.8 ft) board does not. This leads to tensions within the parquet. When glued, this problem no longer occurs.

11ant schrieb:

I hope you are not seriously considering improving every room with a perimeter joint ring at the edge insulation strips to compensate for a neglected expansion gap (?).

In this case, you are somewhat misinformed. Parquet manufacturers do allow installation over distances of 10-12 m (32.8-39.4 ft) and across joints. Our parquet was approved specifically for this type of installation. The expansion joints in the screed are largely stable. Temperature fluctuations of the screed are probably no more than 10°C (18°F) between summer and winter. A screed expands by about 0.012 mm/mK when heated. For example, a screed surface with an 8 m (26.2 ft) edge length expands by about 1 mm when warmed by 10 K. This is negligible compared to the length changes in the parquet caused by varying humidity levels. In other words, bridging expansion joints is not a problem. However, for floating installation, the flooring must form a continuous, uniform surface, which naturally is no longer the case with multiple rooms.

Best regards,
Andreas

andimann schrieb:

Hi,

Yes, underfloor heating. The parquet was and is oak. We bought exactly the same again and glued it down. The expansion gap to the walls was the usual 10-15 mm (we installed it in very dry air, so the maximum gap was used to give the wood enough room in summer). However, the problem was not the contact with the wall but probably the continuous length running from one room to another. This means you have strips that are 5 m (16.4 ft) long (still within one room) and others that are 10 m (32.8 ft) long (running through the doorway into the next room). The strips naturally show different expansion behavior because the 5 m (16.4 ft) strip has a "joint" at 5 m (it simply ends), whereas the 10 m (32.8 ft) strip does not. This causes tension within the parquet. When glued, this no longer occurs.

In this case, you are not entirely correct. The parquet manufacturers do allow installation over 10-12 m (33-39 ft) and across joints. Our parquet was approved precisely for this installation scenario. The expansion joints in the screed are largely stable. The temperature fluctuations of the screed between summer and winter should not exceed 10°C (18°F). Screed expands about 0.012 mm/mK when heated. This means, for example, that a screed area with an 8 m (26.2 ft) edge length expands by approximately 1 mm (0.04 inch) when heated by 10 K. This is unlikely to have a significant effect compared to the length changes of the parquet due to varying humidity levels. In other words, covering expansion joints is not a problem. But with floating installation, it has to be a uniform surface, which usually does not apply when spanning different rooms.

Best regards,
Andreas

Thanks for the information.

In our house, there will be a section where the parquet flooring will have a length of 11 m (36 ft) and extend across three rooms. For this section, a break could reduce the risk of tension.