If the boards have ‘crowned’ (centres of boards higher than the edges) that suggests the underside has dried out, ie. the opposite of cupping, where boards absorb moisture from the underside, making them swell so the edges curl up. Separation of boards also indicates shrinkage caused by drying. We wondered how much warming effect the ducted heating has in the subfloor space. With ducted systems there is some heat loss through duct walls and fittings, although less with new ducting, but perhaps there is enough heat loss to cause drying of the underside of the flooring. If parts of the floor have ‘almost returned to normal’ presumably this happened during the recent summer months when the heating was not in use and the flooring adjusted. Edge bonding is a separate problem, caused by the floor finish acting as an adhesive, gluing the edges of the boards together. Whatever the cause, clearly the boards are shrinking and it seems likely that it is related to the underfloor heating, particularly if the heating is run continuously, or for long periods during winter.
I have 108 X 19 KDHW T&G flooring we installed to a ground floor addition in Melbourne 18 months ago. The problem is movement. Boards have crowned and edge bonded and separated. In some cases the boards have almost returned to normal and then moved elsewhere. The whole subfloor area has been insulated with foil insulation. Flooring has been glued and secret nailed direct to joist then top nailed. Heating is under floor gas ducted heating with split systems for cooling. Can you advise what we might expect with this problem and /or any remedial work or action we can take.
I am building a timber TV stand (tv weight of 55kgs) with a support of tv mount, i am using two 90x 90mm square treated pine 2.10 meter in height as the pillars and sufficient supporting beams across, is there any calculator to measure weight ratio
The design of your TV stand is a little outside the scope of our advisory service. We weren’t sure why there are only two posts – it would seem to need four, one at each corner. Also the posts are quite high so you will need to be careful that the stand is sufficiently braced against racking, to stop it swaying sideways. We don’t know of a simple calculator that takes these factors into account. It would be quite a quick job for a small consulting engineering practice to run their eye over it, so we suggest you find someone in your area who is suitably qualified.
I am an owner builder with reasonable experience with carpentry and cabinetry. I am currently working on a large addition to my house which includes making most of the cabinets and furniture.
My current project is the ensuite cabinets and builtin vanity which will all be solid timber - dressed Tasmanian blackwood. The vanity bench with inset sink has a 50mm slab as the bench top. I am looking for advice on the best finish for the timber , particularly the vanity top with water plashes form the sink. I've ensure the bathroom is well ventilated with a run on exhaust fan the goes for at least 10-15 minutes after the light is turned off.
I am assuming a 2 pack polyurethane of some description although the more I read online the more conflicting information I find.
We agree with your choice of 2-pack polyurethane (or a single pack flooring grade polyurethane) for the benchtop. Make sure you seal all round – top and bottom, and the edges of the hand basin cut-out, before you install the blackwood slab. It’s also important to allow the benchtop to ‘move’ slightly with changes in humidity. Dale Glass Industries (DGI) have an informative guide to the installation of timber benchtops, available on the net here: https://www.dgi.com.au/installation-guide.
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