Upstairs, starting from the hallway, we have solid hardwood flooring. The floor installer did not leave expansion joints at the doorways, so the flooring was laid continuously (glued) and they said this has never caused problems before, even though it is not compliant with DIN standards. Acquaintances mentioned that their floor installer had advised against this. Should we have the joints cut in afterwards?
Hello questioner,
First of all, I want to defend the parquet installer—whom I do not know personally—against unfounded comments like "... was too lazy ...".
It is certainly true that in residential construction, all so-called false joints in a screed are closed, meaning the edges are firmly and rigidly connected.
If, for example, tiles are laid without a change of covering or direction, the (closed) false joint is revised.
With wood and wood-based materials, however, we need to think differently. For instance, whether it is a heated screed (underfloor heating).
In such cases, it is strongly recommended to carry the joint between rooms—not a "false" joint but an expansion joint—up into the floor covering.
If no heated screed is present and the false joints have been rigidly (properly) closed, it again depends on the wood species (beech, oak, or others), whether the construction is isolated, meaning it has several layers, whether it is a thicker solid parquet rather than strip parquet or mosaic parquet, possibly with upright lamella.
This all sounds complicated.
And it is, if you want to assess it properly. I haven’t even mentioned one of the most important components yet—the adhesive.
Let me put it simply:
If the parquet was installed on a non-heated screed using a parquet adhesive that forms a hard adhesive joint, then nothing unusual should be expected, given the specified room dimensions.
Trying to create a joint between rooms afterward makes no sense at all!
Because the visual result you would get is something you certainly don’t want, even with skilled workmanship.
In short, it’s not going to work!
You do have a warranty period during which the contractor is legally obliged to fix any damage caused by improper installation. This does not mean I am calling the installation method “improper”!
Regarding your question: "Oh yes, he glued some kind of fleece over the expansion joint. What is the purpose of that?"
Well, he should have closed and filled the false joints rigidly with a reactive resin. If NOT, then the fleece won’t help at all—meaning it is useless (pun intended). The installation would then be pointless.
Final word:
Enjoy your seamless parquet floor. There is absolutely no reason to be worried, but still keep the parquet installation contract and/or invoice readily available in your records for the next 5 years…
Best regards, KlaRa
First of all, I want to defend the parquet installer—whom I do not know personally—against unfounded comments like "... was too lazy ...".
It is certainly true that in residential construction, all so-called false joints in a screed are closed, meaning the edges are firmly and rigidly connected.
If, for example, tiles are laid without a change of covering or direction, the (closed) false joint is revised.
With wood and wood-based materials, however, we need to think differently. For instance, whether it is a heated screed (underfloor heating).
In such cases, it is strongly recommended to carry the joint between rooms—not a "false" joint but an expansion joint—up into the floor covering.
If no heated screed is present and the false joints have been rigidly (properly) closed, it again depends on the wood species (beech, oak, or others), whether the construction is isolated, meaning it has several layers, whether it is a thicker solid parquet rather than strip parquet or mosaic parquet, possibly with upright lamella.
This all sounds complicated.
And it is, if you want to assess it properly. I haven’t even mentioned one of the most important components yet—the adhesive.
Let me put it simply:
If the parquet was installed on a non-heated screed using a parquet adhesive that forms a hard adhesive joint, then nothing unusual should be expected, given the specified room dimensions.
Trying to create a joint between rooms afterward makes no sense at all!
Because the visual result you would get is something you certainly don’t want, even with skilled workmanship.
In short, it’s not going to work!
You do have a warranty period during which the contractor is legally obliged to fix any damage caused by improper installation. This does not mean I am calling the installation method “improper”!
Regarding your question: "Oh yes, he glued some kind of fleece over the expansion joint. What is the purpose of that?"
Well, he should have closed and filled the false joints rigidly with a reactive resin. If NOT, then the fleece won’t help at all—meaning it is useless (pun intended). The installation would then be pointless.
Final word:
Enjoy your seamless parquet floor. There is absolutely no reason to be worried, but still keep the parquet installation contract and/or invoice readily available in your records for the next 5 years…
Best regards, KlaRa
W
Wintersonne1 Dec 2020 18:14Thank you very much for the detailed answer, KlaRa!
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