Wow, this is a great resource and am very happy I found it before attempting my first ever wood floor installation.

After many hours of pouring over websites and install instructions, I have some questions and would be so grateful if the pros could lend a quick hand.

Unfortunately earlier in the week my flat in London was flooded. It was a freak flash flood that filled up the balcony and leaked in to destroy the carpet.

The water was sitting there for a day before I ripped up the carpet and found the sub-floor to be concrete. It's been a week now since this has happened and the floor *seems* to be dry. I have been meaning to put wood flooring in for about a year, this is perfect kick up the backside!

I have decided on the Kährs Jarrah Stockholm. An engineered floater seems to be the the easiest to install as a DIY project. Has anyone had experience with this particular brand and type of wood?

A few questions if I may:

1. Is the "duct tape a piece of clear plastic to the floor" method sufficient to measure/check the moisture content of the concrete? Should I hire/borrow/steal one of those meters that measures accurately?

2. The sub floor has a crack running across in the middle between two walls. Provided the sub floor is flat to within manufacturers specifications, can I leave it like that (I am on the 5th floor of an apartment block so there's no danger of water below)?.

3. The flat I live in is a loft style with a mezzanine level. There are pine struts holding up this floor up. With the expansion gap, does that include a gap surrounding pillars similar to this? They are 92mm^2 each. Should I cut into the bottom of the pillar and slide the board in (similar to a door jamb) or will it be ok to cut the boards exactly to surround the pillar? I am not sure if cutting into the pillars is a good idea as they are load bearing.

4. The same pillars have a steel plate on the bottom that acts as a foot (imagine an upside down T), they are approx 4mm high and has a screw on either side that is a further 1mm higher. With the underlay, can I cut this to surround this and lay the board on top? I guess the question is, does the underlay have to have "sealed" the boards from the concrete floor. If the steel plates do rise higher than the underlay can I chisel out the bottom of the boards to fit over these steel plates?

I have many many more questions but don't want to overstay my welcome. If it's ok I will take some pictures to further illustrate my questions tonight.

Many thanks in advance!

That Kahrs floor is perfect for your situation. I'll answer the best I can.
1) you can start with that. If the concrete turns dark or you see moisture forming on the plastic, further testing may be needed.
2) that crack doesn't matter. probably been there a long time. It just needs to be FLAT.
3) DO NOT cut the pine posts. You will need to leave an expansion space at those posts and trim them out with wood trim of your choosing. Quarter-round/shoe molding is a popular choice.
http://www.hardwoodinstaller.com/hardwo ... ckholm.htm
4) Yes, you can cut the underlayment short of those plates. And yes, you can relieve(back cut/undercut) the backside of the panels that go over the plate.

Jarrah Stockholm is an excellent looking floor.(I am partial to Wenge, but nevermind that )

I assume you know that you can buy trim that will match that floor exactly. Were I in your position. I would adhere to the prescribed expansion space and simply wrap those columns with Kahrs' smooth base. It sort of looks like base and shoe in one piece, but smooth. hoho

You can use a pull scrape or a table saw to undercut/back cut the pices that will straddle those support legs. You really can't go wrong with Kahrs.

I would recommend using Kahrs Quiet Stride underneath. No one will know it was floated. It walks just like a glue down floor.

Thank you very much for the replies!

I didn't think cutting into the posts was a good idea. LOL

It's going to be very difficult to make it look neat by leaving an expansion gap around the post. It's hard to explain without photos but this rudimentary drawing may help:



The wall juts out and the post is quite close to the corner in the wall. There is not enough space to get both skirting around the post and along the wall.

The post is also not level with the wall, so putting a piece across the wall and post won't do either. Bit of a pickle.

I will also have a very difficult installation around some stairs as well and have no clue how to make it look neat. I need to take photos as it will be impossible to describe in words.

Chuck, do you have a link to that smooth base stuff? I did a google for kahrs smooth base but nothing came up. Is there a product name or code for it? I couldn't find anything on the Kahrs site about Jarrah skirting either.

Thanks again fellas!

I took some photos of the flat to help explain. I'm hoping this install isn't a bit over my head as my budget is pretty tight and I would like to do it myself.

This is the bit that I am not sure how to make as neat as possible. It's going to look shabby if I put the molding straight along the wall and the post leaving a gap. There isn't enough room to put molding around the post and the wall so I'm stumped. Any thoughts on how to proceed?



This will also be a little tricky I suspect, this is my heater that is sitting on the floor. Leave the expansion gap around this? Perhaps fill it with a colour coded material? Maybe I can raise the heater to sit on top of the wooden floor. Perhaps that is the best solution as the heater is attached to the wall and won't be moved. I could put felt under the legs in case I ever replace it .



And finally, the stair case. I would really appreciate some help on this one, as I am at a loss to how to make it look professional. As you can see the metal is quite thin and theres a big bolt holding the stairs to the floor. I am not quite sure how the moldings are going to look. With the expansion gap I suppose there will be enough space to put the trim around the metal.




As you can see the metal is quite thin and theres a big bolt holding the stairs to the floor. I am not quite sure how the moldings are going to look.

Any help is MUCH appreciated.

Adv(Thanks)ance.

Strange, one of my domains had a wobbly and the pics stopped appearing so I transferred the pics to my other host and edited the post above.

big bump for a n00b!

I am attempting the installation next week, please help!

Many thanks

A little bump for some help. pwweeeeeeze!

Sorry Hars,

Your job is somewhat unusual with the metal staircase. Trying to fit the flooring around that will be difficult. I'd look into unbolting it, laying the floor then reinstalling the stairs. As to the post, forget trying to trim or floor behind it. Just pretend it butts up to the walls and trim it that way, on the side facing out toward the room. Yes, you'll have a small gap behind it, so what? Also, you will need baseboards as you have none now. Good luck.

It would probably be best to just box out those columns and then use a reducer. Anything else will wind up looking kike an accident. As for the other stuff, it should be removed and reinstalled. It is the only attractive option.