Cypress timber floors are suitable for use in a wide range of both commercial.jpg)
and domestic applications. The properties of timber, and in particular Cypress, offer qualities unlike any other material - flexible in its application, durable yet not harsh underfoot which provides a very decorative and attractive feature to a home or commercial application. Timber floors have proven performance from the ballroom through to the warehouse.
Tongue and groove Cypress flooring utilises lengths of solid timber boards. The boards are generally 20mm thick and range in width from 60 to 135mm. T&G boards are generally laid over a timber sub-floor (joists), but can also be laid over concrete slabs (usually on timber battens, or on plywood) or over timber sheet or other strip flooring.
Each board has a protruding "tongue" along one edge and a machined groove along the other so that each board fits into the adjoining board. The ends of boards can also be machined with a tongue and groove profile termed "end matched". End matched boards allow the end joint to occur randomly rather than over joists or battens thus improving installation efficiency, saving most docking of boards and the resultant wastage of material on site as required with butt joints.
Cypress T&G board profiles include face-nail and secret-nail designs.
Face (or top) nailing describes driving nails through the top face of the board into the substructure. Where the floor is to be sanded and polished, the nails are punched below the board surface and the resulting hole is filled with a suitably coloured filler.
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Secret nailing describes fastening though the tongue of the board into the substrate. Each subsequent board then effectively conceals the nailed tongue of the proceeding board. The face of the board is left unblemished. Secret nailed board width is limited to 85mm as only one nail is used to secure the board at each joist. For wider boards a combination of nailing and adhesive may be acceptable.
In October 2009, Cypress NSW published the latest guide to the installation of Cypress T&G Flooring, titled "Selection, Installation and Finishing of Cypress Tongue and Groove Natural Timber Flooring" it fully covers the most up to date information regarding nail fixing, including the use of adhesives and provides recommendations on the use of floor finishes.
PDF
copy available here.
For tips on installtion of Cypress T&G Flooring please download the attched PDF File Guide to installing timber strip flooring
Moisture Content
Cypress flooring is a natural product, and responds to its surrounding environment. It is a hygroscopic material - that is, it changes its own moisture content to be in equilibrium with the atmosphere (EMC - Equilibrium Moisture Content). As this moisture is taken up or expelled, the physical dimensions of the material also changes. Cypress flooring products are kiln .jpg)
dried to a level of moisture content within a range of 10-15 % as specified in the Industry Standard for Cypress.
Timber will either take up or shed moisture to be in equilibrium with the prevailing conditions. Moisture content (MC) refers to the percentage weight of water present in the timber compared to the weight of the timber with all the water removed (dry weight). Where timber is installed in conditions where the prevailing conditions are moist, either through the local climatic conditions or specific site conditions, the timber absorbs moisture and increases the dimensions of the board. Conversely, where prevailing conditions are drier than that of the timber in its delivered state, the timber will shrink.
In flooring, the movement is generally most apparent across the width of the board rather than the length. Over a floor area, the combined affects of board shrinkage or growth can be substantial if the change in MC is high. The wider the board the greater will be the potential for movement. Additionally, for some species their physical changes will be greater and potentially more rapid than for other species, in the same conditions. Softwoods, such as Cypress, generally absorb and expel moisture far more rapidly than hardwoods, although most Softwoods have a much smaller range of shrinkage or growth than Hardwoods and with Cypress providing a much harder wearing surface than other commercially available Softwoods it is therefore an ideal choice as a flooring timber.
For all the information you need to consider, including moisture content, when you go to install your new Cypress floooring, please download and use our PDF brochure Before and After you choose your tongue and groove natural cypress flooring.
