I am laying a 20mm, t&g solid wood floor. The sub floor is chip board and not even. I am laying down a 5mm fibreboard and floating the wood foor on top no gluing. Is this ok, any advise appreciated?.

You need to have a good look at the sub Chip board floor, any idea how old it is and if its on the ground floor is there any insulation under it? Chip flooring has a life span of around 20 years then it starts to break down and warp? no amount of fixing will stop the process as the solvents in the board weaken and they just pull though the board. By laying a solid wood floor over it with a membrain under can cause problems as well as it can trap moisture and cause it to warp as well. Im assuming the fiber board your using is moisture resistant, but thats not the problem its your sub floor you have to get right. My advise would be to renew the chipboard with waterproof ply well screwed down then use something like tecnics 5 underlay with moisture and thurmal berriers, then lay your TG floor over that glueing the joints as you go, with a little secret. nailing to stop the floor moving around, mind you thats assuming your using hard wood? soft wood you will have to fix more securly Sounds a lot to do but better than a year or so down the line and your floors bowing and bouncing because the sub floor has gone. Good luck on your project.

How you fix the wood has no affect on expansion , expansion is due to moisture and the floor would expand no matterhaw you fix it. Only float the floor if the maker states that it is ok to do so. If you are floating you will have to glue the boards together unless they have a locking system as some solid wood dose. If your floor is uneven this can cause a problem with glue joinst as exsessive movement will end up glue joints cracking.

Hi You must securely fix solid wood to avoid excessive expansion - it is possible to use tongue tite screws to fix to chipboard as traditional secret nail cleats will be unstable. In addition certain timber adhesives can be used to fix solid wood directly to chipboard. However you will first need to level the existing chipboard subfloor. If I can be of any further assistance please contact me. Kind Regards Steve

Hi gareths_12, It is never advisable to float a solid wooden floor, as this makes it easier for the boards to move. There should always be some sort of fixing, either secret nailed or glued down. Hope this helps. Kind regards, Andy

hello listen to max Bernard he's absolutely correct kind regards Alyn

Firstly I'd take Aura carpentry's advice and get a pro in, it'll be worth it in the long run. If you still really want to do it, i'd listen to pimco's advice.

Hi, It really surprises me that DIY centres sell this to anybody, It is obvious that the average DIY competent person is uncapable of fitting this without asking questions. This flooring is not cheap, please hire a professional to fit it or you will be renewing it in 2 years time. Best of luck with your project. Kindest regards Andy Aura Carpentry