laying 22mm chip floor

If they are the T&G with 4 machined edges, then AFAIUI you start with the first board centered then fill in each side. Next board is staggered to break the bond. The joins dont have to be directly over the joists - the T&G on the short edges takes care of that.

Cheers Dave, I dont need to end the boards at a joist? so in effect its OK for two boards to meet halfway between joists !! 400mm centres on joists and yes T&G all round boards are 8' X 2' ( ish in metric) I take it they have a "this way up" then?

Ta,

Steve

And glue them with white glue to stop them squeaking.

sonae

staggered to

joists - the

That was the advice I received and acted on when I layed my kitchen floor 15 years ago. HOWEVER I would never do it again. With four strapping large children ragging around, after about 5 years it went distictly wobbly at the joins. Luckily I have access (albeit difficult) under there, and now three times I have had to struggle under and reinforce with battens spanning joists.

In future I would never lay a chipboard floor in a heavy traffic area, and when we re-do our kitchen in a year or two it is all coming up and either conventional planks or 3/4" plywood is going back.

AWEM

Failing to have the joints sit on joists greatly increases the stress on the boards, and is not something I'd ever want. This is true of any kind of flooring.

NT

Failing to have the joints sit on joists greatly increases the stress on the boards, and is not something I'd ever want. This is true of any kind of flooring.

NT

I think I'd prefer to get the circular saw to them and make sure that the ends meet halfway on a joist, I'm just thinking of a point of pressure should something like a bed leg sit directly on a joint that is just butted together even if its glued T&G. Im wondering if it's OK to run them all together ( from same joist to same joist) or stagger them, Strength wise it shouldn't matter I would have thought and they arent going to go anywhere as I'm going to screw them down not nail

Start with your first full board in the corner and against the wall the short edges MUST meet on a joist even if it means cutting the boar back to the nearest joist. People will tell you the short edge ca "float" but you will get problems if you do it that way, I've seen be legs go through a floor at the piont where the boards join. Anyways work your way across the floor and the offcut from the last board ca start your next row if its long enough, if not cut a board down an start again. Its much the same as laying a laminate floor. Dont forge to glue all the jionts and try to get the boards up nice and tight When you fix the first row its important to try and get them in a nic straight line or it will throw the whole floor out. You can use mallet to knock the board in but use an offcut as a "knocking" block o you ca easily damag the edges, Oh and check all the edges fo damage/debris before knocking in the next board, it doesn't take muc to stop them going together. Good luck

-- Nick H

The message from Nick H contains these words:

I suppose if you were desperate you could fit noggins wherever the boards /do/ meet, but it'd seem a lot of faffing about compared to doing the obvious and siting the joins where they'll be naturally supported.

I can't see a problem with 22mm. Most of the stuff I've used has been 18mm.

Cheers, thats the way I'll do it, makes it easier really, I'd prefer to cut boards than make and skew nail noggins !!

The specs for the extension said 18mm, but I thought I'd over sepc the floor as i've heard 18mm can be "bouncy"

Sounds like the problem was more to do with damp than traffic. Was it grade

22mm T&G chip is suitable for 600mm centres, so on 400mm centres it is well over spec.

If the joints are staggered & glued you effectively have one continuous piece of chipboard anyway, especially since the joints are supported by the T&G on the short edge & the T&G of the staggered join. If screwed rather than nailed you have an incredibly strong floor.

Oh well,. Mine is all laid that way, and seems fine to me after 4 years.

However, don't let experience get in the way of a good chance to show off.

Must have been totally crap board then. Properly glued the joint is as strong as the rest of the biared, which is easly able to cope with tah sort of load. .

Its the joists that stop the bounce, not the boards.

Indeed. At last a post of sanity that actually corresponds to reality.

Ive got 4x2 18mm board over 400 centre joists, and its as strong as anything, and its random laid and GLUED.

Just make sure the LONG edges are ACROSS the joists, and the board is of good quality.

confused as a baby raccoon!! if I am to just but tthem together and glue is there a right way up? as the t&g is not a centred groove, the boards are the best quality they had, everything has come from the builders merchants so no "shed" stuff!

they should be fine, 195 X 75mm 4m span herringbone straps down the middle