What expansion gap between floorboards ?

[KillingTime]

Hi,

I'm in the process of replacing 30 year old 8x2 Ft T&G floorboards - which creak.

Some of the floorboards are rotten because of repeated bathroom leaks...

I've had to pull up most of the flooring in the house in order to get at central heating pipes and electrical wires. Given the fact that the original boards were T&G and nailed down, I've had to cut most of them up with a circular saw. Pulling the nails out proved a false economy because the board just crumbled around the pressure of the hammer claw.

In putting new board down (8x2 Ft P5) my main objectives are:

A) Stop the creaking.
B) Be able to pull individual boards up without wrecking the board (so it can go back down again) - so I can get at the pipes if they need attention.

I don't want to have to break out the saw every time I need under floor access. Quite why anyone would want to put a floor into a modern house that does not allow access for under-floor repair is beyond me. Car manufacturers don’t make engines that need to be removed just to change the spark plugs....anyway

I intend to saw the tong & groove of the boards I've bought and lay them so they start & finish on a joist (staggered). Then screw then down.

I realise house builders don't do this because of the wastage & cost.

What sort of expansion gap should I leave?

Can anyone see a problem with this arrangement?

Thanks.

 

[noseall]

why don't you do a proper job and use 115mm t&g timber floor boards. they do make access easier, and are less likely to creak.

access to the sub-floor isn't a pre- requisite when laying the flooring material. the clever tradesmen install their 'first fix' pipe work and wiring prior to fixing down the boards.

i suppose you could have access panels in the ceiling. or how about hinged floor boards, complete with 'easy lift' carpets and removable floor tiles ffs

 

[KillingTime]

Hi noseall,

I'm renovating a house that I intend to live in. The 'clever tradesman' is me.

Hinged floorboards are one solution, but I don't intend to have them up that often

There are plenty of reasons why you might want to gain access to the under floor.

1) add a new electrical socket (means you wouldn't have to chase the wall out - no need for plasterer).
2) see where a leak is coming from (bad compression fit on an isolation valve).
3) move a radiator.
4) replace light wiring that has been eaten by mice (happened to me).

the list goes on.

Admittedly, you don’t do these things every day, but why restrict yourself?

You say access is not a prerequisite. It may not be for the builder, because once he's sold you the house, it's your problem.

I've quizzed builders about the way they build modern houses and more often than not the reply comes back "well if that happens, then it's an insurance job".

That answer's just plain poor.

From the tradesman I've spoken to, it appears that very few have experience with anything other than t&g. They don't seem to know why they use it other than "that's the way everyone does it" and they don't know why standard boards are not used.

I'm just trying to find out whether someone has used non T&G woodchip floorboards (i.e. standard boarding), and whether they had any problems.

Many Thanks

 

[noseall]

we always fix timber floor boards and they can be fitted in areas of high maintenance with the tongue planed off.

but there is a reason floor boards interlock. sound insulation thermal insulation and fire resistance. a floor needs to be strong and draft free.