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Chapter 6 Interior Finish of Floors, Stairs, Doors and Trim
Installation over Concrete

Builder 3&2 Volume 02 - Construction manual for building structures
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and may vary from 2 to more than 16 feet. The top is slightly wider than the bottom so that tight joints result when flooring is laid. The tongue fits tightly into the groove to prevent movement and floor squeaks. Thin strip flooring (fig. 6-1. view B) is made of 3/8- by 2-inch strips. This flooring is commonly used for remodeling  work  or  when  the  subfloor  is  edge-blocked or  thick  enough  to  provide  very  little  deflection  under loads. Square-edged  strip  flooring  (fig.  6-1,  view  C)  is also  occasionally  used.  The  strips  are  usually  3/8  inch by  2  inches  and  laid  over  a  substantial  subfloor. Face-nailing is required for this type of flooring. Plank floors are usually laid in random widths. The pieces are bored and plugged to simulate wooden pegs originally used to fasten them in place. Today, this type of  floor  has  tongue-and-groove  edges.  It  is  laid  similar to  regular  strip  flooring.  Solid  planks  are  usually 3/4  inch  thick.  Widths  range  from  3  to  9  inches  in multiples of 1 inch. Figure  6-2.—Application  of  strip  flooring. Installation Flooring should be laid after drywall, plastering, or other  interior  wall  and  ceiling  finish  is  completed  and dried out. Windows and exterior doors should be in place, and most of the interior trim, except base, casing, and jambs, should be installed to prevent damage by wetting  or  construction  activity. Board  subfloors  should  be  clean  and  level  and covered with felt or heavy building paper. The felt or paper stops a certain amount of dust, somewhat deadens sound, and, where a crawl space is used, increases the warmth of the floor by preventing air infiltration. As a guide  to  provide  nailing  into  the  joists,  wherever possible, mark with a chalk line the location of the joists on the paper. Plywood subflooring does not normally require building paper. Strip flooring should normally be laid crosswise to the  floor  joists  (fig.  6-2,  view  A).  In  conventional structures, the floor joists span the width of the building over a center-supporting beam or wall. Thus, the finish flooring  of  the  entire  floor  areas  of  a  rectangular structure will be laid in the same direction. Flooring with “L”- or “I’’-shaped plans will usually have a direction change,  depending  on  joist  direction.  As  joists  usually span the short way in a room, the flooring will be laid lengthwise to the room. This layout has a pleasing appearance and also reduces shrinkage and swelling of the  flooring  during  seasonal  changes. Storing When  the  flooring  is  delivered,  store  it  in  the warmest and driest place available in the building. Moisture absorbed after delivery to the building site is the most common cause of open joints between flooring strips that appear after several months of the heating season. Floor Squeaks Floor  squeaks  are  usually  caused  by  the  movement of one board against another. Such movement can occur for a number of reasons: floor joists too light, causing excessive deflection; sleepers over concrete slabs not held down tightly; loose fitting tongues; or poor nailing. Adequate nailing is an important means of minimizing squeaks. Another is to apply the finish floors only after the joists have dried to 12-percent moisture content or less. A much better job results when it is possible to nail through the finish floor, through the subfloor, and into the joists than if the finish floor is nailed only to the subfloor. Nailing Various types of nails are used in nailing different thicknesses  of  flooring.  Before  using  any  type  of  nail, you   should   check   with   the   floor   manufacturer’s 6-2







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