Square edged floorboards or T & G

[george765]

I am laying a the floor in a small loft conversion soon and planned to use square edge boards just like those in the rest of the house. I dislike T&G as they are a pain if you want lift them to do Plumbing /electrical alterations. I realise the extra strength you get from T&G but SE has been ok in the past so am I missing something as everyone seems to fit T&G ?

 

[^woody^]

The idea is to do all the plumbing and electrical work that might need to be done, and do it right, so that the boards don't need to be lifted.

Or the cleverer people, create service channels for the services, and form easily removed duct covers in the floor.

You may find that modern timber will shrink and cup all over the place when used as SE boards, and is nowhere near as suitable as what used to be used.

 

[John D v2.0]

You can use 25mm thick plywood and the edges don't need to be supported over 400mm joists. Same applies to solid wood floor boards i assume. Older boards are generally better grade than modern wood, hence the need for together.