Cut the tongue/groove off flooring the starting??

[curium]

Hi

Quick question. Laying some P5 chipboard in my hall to replace damaged floorboards.

The chipboard has tongue/groove all around.

Should I trim off the tongue/groove for the starting board to give a butt joint against the masonry or just leave it?

Cheers

 

[Swwils]

You should leave an expansion gap. If you have air ingress issues you can use a special foam tape now that is amazing.

"where boards abut a rigid upstand, a minimum 10mm expansion gap should be provided; for large areas of boarded floor, a wider expansion gap may be required at upstands and intermediate expansion gaps of 2mm per linear metre of floor should be provided."

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Look for "Compraband" and leave 10 to 15mm gap at the walls. Yes, cut the starting tongue off as well