OK This is going to be my first DIY flooring job and I’m scared…..


The room is a 9m x 3.6m, Sorry I live in Australia and I would not know how big a foot is so I will use the metric system sorry.

The room is concrete floor and will be an alfresco area with 9m of bi-fold doors that open up to the garden on one side. Aluminium frame on the Bi-Fold doors and face brick on all other 3 walls.

I have sealed the concrete floor with the proper sealer recommended by the supplier of the wood. The concrete is about 10 moth’s old and very level as far as I can tell with a 1m level.

Now the questions are starting with two or three answers to the same question from my wood supplier which is not helping. He first said you need to secret nail every few board (what’s a few boards) now he is saying juts use the floor glue and some buckets of sand on the boards till they set and there is no need for nailing. Or you could nail through the top of the board and just fill the hole. Mmmmm why can’t he just give me one way of doing it I don’t know any better to be able to make a decision like this.

Question with nailing, He was saying pre drill 3mm holes for their special nails, you will need a few dozen drill bits depending on how hard the concrete is.

Would it be easer to hire a nail gun and would this do a better job/make my life easer?

Do I need to glue and Nail or just one and which one?



Looking at the photos on this site now I was thinking of doing a boarder around the walls and diagonal boards through the middle. The room is out of square 355 x 897 x 359 x 899cm am I being a elephant and over estimating my abilities as a first timer DIY guy? Or should I just stick to up and down and no border?

Question on the diagonal, what’s the best way of remaking the T&G as the 45 deg cut would remove the T&G. Or is it not necessary as it’s only a 90mm plank and I am just over working my brain.

The wood has this finish on it http://img390.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img17372na.jpg

Cutting the 45 deg angel on the ends would remove the trimmed edge but this would only be up against the boarder which will probably wont have this trimming.

So any suggestions and any links to good DIY flooring pages with lots of tips and know how with all the questions answered?

WildOne