# Forum Home Renovation Flooring  Laying 150mm Baltic Pine Floor - Advice needed Please

## Make it work

I am about to lay a new 150mm Baltic Pine floor in a new bedroom, about 3.6mtr square. 
We chose baltic because it matches the existing floor in the front part of the house but there is a small gap of up to 2mm in the old boards which we like the look of. 
Question 1, is the gap in the old boards due to shrinkage or would it have been laid that way? 
Maybe, I should lay the new boards with a 1 or 1.5mm gap and not worry that I won't be here in 50 years to see huge gaps if they should shrink. 
Question 2, Should I use any sort if adhesive between the board and the joist? I asked the guy at the hardware and he said to use Liquid Nails Floors & Decks at $14.85 and that 5 tubes should do it, WOW, that is EXPENSIVE stuff...  
If adhesive is required to stop squeaks and creaks, would polyurethane do the job? 
Any advice or suggestion is appreciated. 
Thanks

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## glock40sw

The gap is caused by shrinkage. 
If you like the gapped look, (I don't) You can lay the new floor with 2mm gaps. just use 2mm whipper snipper line laid on top of the tongues of the boards befor cramping and nailing. Then pull the cord out and use for the next set of boards. 
Use a flooring adhesive.(Bostik Ultraset, Sika T55j, Selley's direct stick)
Not a construction adhesive.

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## UteMad

I secoond not liking the gap... If the boards shrink further your gaps will be unsightly and collect unwanted dirt 
I second the bostik ultraset 
cheers utemad

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## Dusty

To gap or not to gap? That is the question.  
Some men adore small breasted women. Some go off on large breasted chicks, so, I guess it's all about personal choice. Same goes with the floor boards gaps, some like 'em, but most hate them. 
I'd be more concerned about mixing new Baltic with the old Baltic. Do the two floors butt up to each other? Or, at the very least, are they visible to each other? New Baltic looks nothing like old Baltic, as it takes years for the new timber to darken up the way old Baltic looks. And, seeing as you love the look of the existing Baltic (gaps and all) I'm guessing you would be pretty damn disappointed with the look of new Baltic, as it is almost white in colour, with the exception of a few yellowy bits where the knots are. 
Your best bet might be to go with second hand Baltic in around about the same colour tonings that you have already. 
Here are some pics of both old and new.

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## Make it work

Thanks for the replies, I won't make the gaps too big just in case they shrink over time, say 1 to 1.5mm. 
The old and new do not butt up, infact they are seperated by a large rumpus/family room which will be done in a vinyl over yellow tongue, infact the new boards will run perpendicular to the old, to see both at once you need to stand in a particular spot against a wall and look in two directions at once, through two door ways. 
As for the new looking very white, I had to replace the surround of both my fireplaces when I re-did the hearth tiles, so I got a small can of old baltic stain and made it match fairly well. I already have the new boards but I don't know if staining 100 lineal metres @ 150 wide is a good idea. 
Any thoughts?

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## Make it work

I found my old thread and thought I would post an update. 
The job is all done the room is all finished and we (SWMBO & I) are very pleased with the result. 
The floor went down with a lot of attention to detail and very little problem, I used a metal gapper that is 1.5mm thick and glued each board to the joists with polyurethane sealant because it sticks like s**t to a blanket and stays flexible for ever. I punched the nails down about 4mm and did not fill them with putty. 
Months later, after the plaster was all done, we had a floor sander come in and take a very light cut using 80g paper, this was followed by a quick go with the Polyvac and a 120g screenback. I did not let him do the edges, his edger was far too aggresive for such soft timber so I did it myself with a 5" orbital sander, it took about 1 hour but was perfect for the job, not too aggresive and blended with the finish of the machines. 
We decided that the newly sanded floor was far to light and set out to find a way to apply a stain without the risk of leaving it patchy. Using off cuts of the floor we went about a series of trials that proved to be very worthwhile. 
As mentioned previously, I had stained the hearth surrounds in the lounge and dining room with a good result so we knew the colour of the stain, the question was how to apply it evenly over such a large area . 
I ended up mixing 1 part Wattyl "New Baltic Pine" with 2 parts boiled linseed oil and applied it with a roller. I left it for an hour and wiped off the excess with a couple of old nappies. The colour was perfect and there was no inconsistancy in colour. The oil carried the stain into the timber but did not allow it to dry till the excess was wiped off. 
Now it was much more like the old floor in the rest of the house. 
We let it dry for 10 days before it got 2 coats of Timbercare Ultrathane, which is a turps based polyurethane. Now the colour and grain looked perfect but it felt too rough under foot, so we gave it a light sand with 150g paper in the direction of the grain and another coat of Ultrathane for a perfect result. 
I hope this procedure may be helpful for anyone else who may have the same issue. 
I have pics of the finished job if anyone wants them.

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## davo

Thanks for this interesting thread Alan.  
How has the Ultrathane performed as a coating - in terms of wear performance and change in colour? 
I just tried to visit the Timbercare website but the browser says "can't find the server at www.timbercare.com.au". 
I hadn't heard of Timbercare before, until I saw a can in Bunnings yesterday and then found this thread. 
They're a bit cheaper than the Orica brands of coatings which seem to increase in price every time I buy a new can. One Feast Watson product has doubled in price since 2005 and is now $48 for a one litre can! 
Dave

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