When is 22mm not 22mm - continued

I'll tell you when, when you're measuring floorboards.

I've been trying to replace some softwood floorboards. I hold a tape measure against them and they're 22mm deep by 125mm wide. Wander off to B&Q to find that they only do 18mm by 119mm. Here's where the problem starts. I go to my local wood merchants, taking with me a sample floorboard. He measures it and confirms my measurements and picks out the flooring that I need. When I get it home and try to fit it, it's out. I then take the time to measure it myself: 18mm by 119mm. When I complain he says that it is 22mm as the nominal size is what they mark it as. The finished size is 18mm. Apparently I want 25mm by 130mm to get the correct finished size, but no-one does that any more. Irrelevant seeing as how he measured the piece of wood himself and therefore knew that it wouldn't fit.

Can anyone out there help and tell me if it's possible to get floorboards 22mm deep and 125mm across the face.

Thanks.

Reply to
Anthony Spalding
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I was watching one of them dodgy makeover programs earlier, their solution to this same problem was to just leave big gaps in between each board. Looked, erm, lovely, once it was painted yellow with big black lines down the middle! ..

SJW A.C.S. Ltd.

Reply to
Lurch

The timber merchants should have saws and a thicknesser to cut them for you. They sound like a bunch of incompetents.

Christian.

Reply to
Christian McArdle

I think he just asked for "22mm" boards which would be interpreted as nominal size (like 2x4 's which are rarely that). If he had asked for boards

22mm x 125mm PFS (Planed Finished Size), he would have got what he wanted (but the machining cost would have been more than the cost of the wood, probably!).
Reply to
Bob Mannix

Sounds like an Imperial 1" x 5" plank which planes down to 7/8" x 4-7/8" or

22.22 mm x 123.83 mm - don't you just LOVE metrication. Our local wood place still stocks imperial sizes thank goodness.

Andrew Mawson

Reply to
Andrew Mawson

If you're replacing a few floorboards, I imagine paying double wouldn't be a problem. Certainly not compared to the problems associated with having the wrong sized boards, with a step in height, wide gaps or a change in width.

The incompetence comes in because they measured the things and supplied the wrong sizes!

Christian.

Reply to
Christian McArdle
22mm finished size t&g should be a stock item in any timber merchant or at least here in Scotland it is.

If this is still a problem then I have seen used a subfloor of thin ply (4mm WBP) used over joists then your ex stock 18mm boards.

Generally you have to use 22mm over joists at 600mm OC and 18mm is only suitable for joists at 400mm OC or less otherwise to much bounce.

Reply to
John Ormiston

Try a reclaimation yard or something similar

Reply to
G&M

Yes 22mm is the standard size here in Scotland, however differant batches, even from the same manufacturer rarely match up!!!

Reply to
Stuart

hope you got your money back - you're entitled to it

2 suggestions:

  1. I bought a batch of finished 22mm T&G 'off the shelf' in Leicestershire in 2000 - several timber merchants had it in stock or readily available to order. Finished width may be pot luck, as may the precise position of the tongue/groove.

IIRC the 22mm T&G was only available ex 'redwood', whatever that meant.

I also bought a batch off Travis perkins elsewhere about 10 years ago.

Can't believe 'no-one stocks it any more'

so suggest you look in timber merchants in the yellow pages & if the firm you call doesn't stock it remember to ask if they know who does. The good ones know exactly what their competitors stock.

  1. It is quite easy to run down ordinary PSE timber into T&G with a router. Depends on how much you want - but should think 100m might be feasible if you have an afternoon to spare + the router bits of course. & you get the precise size you want.

BTW 18mm floorboarding, even on 400mm centre joists, is very bouncy & noisy. I should keep off it. Stick to 22mm. That applies to chipboard flooring too.

good luck

Reply to
drifter

Thanks for all your help. All I really wanted was a public whinge. I finally tracked down a branch of Dewsons that did 22mm. The problem was that they were stored outside and so wet through and only 112mm wide. I bit the bullet though and managed to patch it in so it doesn't look to bad. I'm sure it will look like it's always been there when I stain it in to match the rest of the floor.

The problem was that there was quite a bit to do: I removed the stone hearth from a fireplace that's no longer there, and knocked through from the kitchen to the back room, so had to make up the floor that wasn't there before.

BTW, in Jewsons there was a sign that said that the finished size of boards can be up to 9mm different than the nominal (stated) size. Is it any wonder that people have problems?

Regards,

In message , Anthony Spalding writes

Reply to
Anthony Spalding

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