Hi

I've recently bought a book detailing how to install hardwood floors as
I'll be installing an oak floor. However, the book is american and states
that you should use three-ply kraft paper when boarding over exisiting
floorboards. This acts as a moisture barrier, reduces noise and provides
a clean working surface. Can anyone tell me what the UK equivalent would
be and can I get it from somewhere like B&Q? The book also says that you
should not use a polythene moisture barrier if that helps.

Many thanks

Mat.

"nemofish" wrote in message
news
Hi

I've recently bought a book detailing how to install hardwood floors as
I'll be installing an oak floor. However, the book is american and states
that you should use three-ply kraft paper when boarding over exisiting
floorboards. This acts as a moisture barrier, reduces noise and provides
a clean working surface. Can anyone tell me what the UK equivalent would
be

Kraft paper is a thick brown paper, shiny on one side, which you would
probably recognise if you saw it wrapped around a parcel. I would use paper
underlay, from a carpet shop, instead - the stuff that replaced interesting
old newspapers under lino.

Colin Bignell

The Americans use kraft paper, ie, made from virgin fibre, ie trees, as opposed
to most of UK 'kraft' wrapping paper which is pretty near 100% recycled. They
do it because they can, since trees are cheap in the US - I hasten to add that
they plant and grow the trees that they use for paper-making. Having said
that, they are building recycling mills for packaging papers, but because most
of the stuff they recycle is made from 100% virgin, their 'recycled' paper is
superb compared to ours.

I would have thought that any old thick paper would do for this kind of
underlay. If you know anyone who works for a corrugated box company, they may
get you a stub end of paper on the reel.

Incidentally, paper cannot be recycled indefinitely. Each time it is subjected
to the paper-making process, the fibres get shorter and the paper gets weaker,
and eventually you would have mush. The whole cycle depends upon the
introduction of virgin fibre - usually from trees, but it could be any
cellulose fibre - to maintain paper strength.

There will be a test at the end of the month, class.