Floorboards vs Chipboard

[Deleted member 174758]

Chipboard gets a bad press but people don't help themselves. I regularly see people using 18mm standard P4 boards, not glueing the joints and then using the wrong screws - and even using nails which is ridiculous.

My advice is always use 22mm P5 moisture resistant board - and even better we have recently started using Weatherdeck which is a lot denser than ordinary and has higher moisture resistance still. The boards should be glued together at joints and glued to the joists. The nails should be at least 2.5 times the thickness of the board. If the joists are the correct size you should not get problems with this spec.

Hear! Hear! On cost grounds there's a lot to be said for T&G chipboard, which is 2400 x 600mm and so can be installed by one man working alone. My own feeling is that it it is probably as good as a lot of the low cost T&G softwood we see these days, but it costs less, is far quicker to install and is probably stronger because it has less defects. Yes, access can be an issue with poorly-planned installs, but one that can be dealt with using a tool such as the Routabout or the solid board access cover. Plywood has exactly the same "disadvantages", yet nobody ever mentions it in connection with ply - nor the fact that plywood comes in 8 x 4ft sheets (making installs a 2 man job) and needs to have grooves routed in the edges and loose tongues glued in place for a bulletproof installation.

I'm not saying I wouldn'yt install T&G softwood, just that it's a lot more expensive. At home my bathroom has 25mm H/W plywood flooring whilst the attic was refloored with 22mm T&G chipboard about 20 years ago Both floors were properly glued and screwed on 150mm centres. Neither squeaks, both were installed with appropriate access panels from the off

 

[Nikkicooke]

I'm watching this thread with interest. Having had an extension built 2 years ago I can firmly say I'm so disappointed with the "finish" of the chipboard floor that I am going to get the carpet rolled back and replace the whole lot with proper wooden floorboards. The bad news is I have internal walls built over the chipboard with cable and pipes going through, so I'll have my work cut-out (no pun intended) to rip it all out.

Nozzle

Nozzle... im keen to hear how you got around the internal walls and pipes as we are about to take up rotten chipboard in our upstairs bedroom and bathroom but have the exact issue ahead of us..any advice would be very much appreciated !

 

[Nozzle]

The internal walls are stud walls and were built after the floor was laid - and did not align with any joist. Subsequently, they were just screwed into the flooring that I intended (and did) remove. A multitool is REALLY handy, indispensible in fact. Use a metal bit to cut screws and nail, and wooden where required to cut board into manageable sized pieces. Pay particular attention to where cables and pipes go through the chipboard, cut slowly and methodically and take extra precautions to prevent any cables and pipes being snagged. It's easier/imperitive to replace the wide chipboards with narrower planks of pine boarding of the same thickness. (Be advised of "ex" sizes quoted at builders merchatns to make sure you get the right equivalent thickness). When you relay the boards it's quite easy, I used way more screws than I would have needed to and also knocked in some more "noggins" between the joists; that is a harder job. Do go careful not to fall through to the first floor as I did! Particularly alarming as my chest was pushed against the joist a few inches away from a large nail sticking through it..

I took plenty of photos, let me know what you need to see.

Nozzle

 

[mouk]

Further to my 2015 post. I did have floorboards put down In the end and don't regret it - they were glued and screwed - doesn't stop some of them creaking though!