Chipboard flooring

[mark]

I am about to fit a chipboard floor.

The existing concrete floor has been covered with a dpm and fixed with 25mm by 50mm battens to receive the chipboard with jablite in between.

Should I screw/nail the chipboard to the battens or just glue the chipboard to itself along the t&g joints.

If glue, which glue?

mark

[Stuart Noble]

Do you need to fix it at all? As long as the perimeter boards can't move, it's not going anywhere

[mark]

Good point. But the 'trapped boards' wouldn't have an expansion gap. Does chipboard need an expansion gap?

[NT]

no. You can pretty much fix it how you like, or not fix at all. Gluing the edges together only makes life harder later.

NT

[Phil Jessop]

If you don't fix it down *occasionally* it'll squeak, creak, wobble etc on the less than perfectly flat and aligned battens and be thoroughly annoying - forever!

[Stuart Noble]

Not unless you're expecting it to get wet

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Wouldn't it be likely to squeak and groan if not secured?

[Stuart Noble]

Not IME, but I suppose it depends how level the battens are

[Lobster]

I don't like glue particularly as it means you've got no chance of ever lifting in cleanly in the future should the need arise.

I recently had to take up a chipboard floor in order to do some work beneath it, and took the trouble to try and sort out the dreadful creaking noise it made whenever walked on. Advice obtained from this group was to put polythene across all the chipboard joints; anyway, I went a bit overboard on that front and chopped up several h/d polythene rubble bags into long strips a few inched wide, which I laid along the floor joists as well as round the perimeter of each board (ie, at the chipboard interfaces/joints).

It's the sort of thing only a d-i-y'er would ever take the time to do; while I was doing it I could just picture in my mind a 'pro' watching me, eyes rolling heaven-ward and thinking "what a prat!" - but the upshot is that the floor of that room is competely and utterly rigid and noise-free, unlike IIRC any other room in the house.

David

[mark]

Conclusion: Just lay it unfixed. If it squeaks, rattles or rolls then sink some screws into the affected area. Remember to mark batten positions on wall.

Thanks

mark

[Cod Roe]

I've just been laying a chipboard floor, if you don't secure it I found it to creak as the tongue and grooves flex slightly and bounce a lot when you walk on it. In the end I glued up all the tongue and grooves, and glued it down to the joists. Very solid and silent job resulted, much better than when I just had the boards resting under gravity.

The manufacturer gives details of how to install here:

"We have already described how Kronofloor will react to changes in moisture. To eliminate any problems after installation the following instructions must be implemented. These guidelines apply to both joisted and floating floors. Allow a clear movement gap of 2mm per metre run of floor at each wall and an absolute minimum gap of 12mm at each wall. Gaps should be left around rigid up stands including pipes. For floors where the movement gap cannot be dealt with at the perimeter alone or which are in excess of 6 metres long e.g. corridors, intermediate expansion gaps (minimum 12mm), should be incorporated. Expansion gaps can be hidden at door thresholds. Do not allow the movement gap to be obstructed with debris and maintain perimeter gaps using packers or wedges. Remove immediately after adhesive has set."

As for glue, in the tongue and grooves I used:

(excellent stuff all round)

and to the joists I used:

provide a bit tolerance to the unevenness of Victorian joists.

I also fastened it down every 400mm with 1 1/2" wood screws, clearance drilled through the chipboard so as to pull it down hard to the joist. Any potential for movement or flexing results in creaks. Next job is to lay Amtico after the plaster has been...