Alternatives to T&G Chipboard flooring?

[Sard]

Hi all,

I would greatly appreciate some advice on this. I've got terribly creaky floorboards on our 1st floor, having lifted the carpets and underlay, I've realised that previous plumbing installations have meant the fitters cut out chunks of the flooring to get access and then screwed them back in place and haven't done a great job to be honest.

Now I'd like to cut back as much as I need to get larger sections of complete floorboards, but unlikely that I'll get to a natural seam, hence the need to cut out sections. I understand that T&G floorboards are recommended as they lock well together but in my case, I wont have the opposite groove or tongue to fit into when I cut sections out. Therefore I'm wondering if it's possible to find 18mm matching boards that are plane straight edged or should I just get B&Q to cut the T&G's off? I'm sure many people face a similar issue and just wandering what the normal advice would be.

Thanks in advance!

 

[foxhole]

Just use 18mm ply .

 

[JohnD]

and have all cut edges standing on a joist or nog (strut).

18mm doesn't flex a lot, but where two boards meet, the one you are standing on will be lower than the adjacent one, unless they are both screwed down to the same support. You will be able to feel it, especially barefoot or in socks.

Try to have your largest boards in the middle of the room and at entrances or traffic paths. This will minimise traffic on joins. People dont walk round the edges of a room much.

Your old floor will probably have been 18mm chipboard in sheets 1200 x 2400mm or 600 x 2400, so you can cut out an entire sheet and lay ply. This minimises joints. If it is a different thickness, e.g. 22mm or 25mm, buy ply the same. The old and new sheets will be perfectly square and straight, perhaps unlike any cuts you might make yourself.

 

[Sard]

and have all cut edges standing on a joist or nog (strut).

18mm doesn't flex a lot, but where two boards meet, the one you are standing on will be lower than the adjacent one, unless they are both screwed down to the same support. You will be able to feel it, especially barefoot or in socks.

Try to have your largest boards in the middle of the room and at entrances or traffic paths. This will minimise traffic on joins. People dont walk round the edges of a room much.

Thank you for the input.

Everything should be screwed to a joist and I'm planning to get the seams onto joists wherever possible

 

[JohnD]

plumbing

floorboard saw

 

[Sard]

floorboard saw

Lol, I dont think they quite used a chain saw!

 

[JohnD]

plumbers

 

[Sard]

Your old floor will probably have been 18mm chipboard in sheets 1200 x 2400mm or 600 x 2400, so you can cut out an entire sheet and lay ply.

I was hoping that would be the case, but upon inspection, the 2400mm lengths extend into the adjacent rooms underneath the partition walls in most cases. So I might have to fit the largest sections I can get away with.

Also in terms of making cuts to the existing boards, I was planning to use an electric handsaw (subject to the normal precautions around wiring, pipes and joist underneath). Would this be an appropriate method/approach to make the cuts?

 

[paulrockliffe]

Depends where the holes are to some extent, but I've repaired holes in the past by nogging around the hole, leaving a lip to support the new board, then dropped a piece in cut as close to size/shape as you can get. You can screw the noggins to floor joists with 45 degree screws, but you can just use wide pieces and screw through the flooring at the edge of the hole, so the support if off the floorboard (as it was before the hole was cut) rather than the floor joists.

If you are left with gaps, you can fill them with a mix of glue and sawdust if you're worried that overtime walking will create a line in a carpet.

 

[JohnD]

very tiring

a short backsaw will do, or you can get a round-breasted floorboard saw for your initial cut.

I got a multicutter for this very reason. A half-round blade is better than the usual shape as you can hold the saw at different angles and use unblunted sections. You will need a short blade for the end cuts. Quite slow. Have a vac running to suck away the fine dust.

Beware pipes and cables and set depth to 18mm if you can. A jigsaw is unsuitable for this reason unless you can look under the floor and see the space to be clear.

Usually a TCT circular saw is best and fastest, but won't cut against skirting. If you can take the skirting off first it will hide any ragged cuts.

You can use a sharp wide chisel to cut away remaining fragments.

 

[Sard]

very tiring

a short backsaw will do, or you can get a round-breasted floorboard saw for your initial cut.

I got a multicutter for this very reason. A half-round blade is better than the usual shape as you can hold the saw at different angles and use unblunted sections. You will need a short blade for the end cuts. Quite slow. Have a vac running to suck away the fine dust.

Beware pipes and cables and set depth to 18mm if you can. A jigsaw is unsuitable for this reason unless you can look under the floor and see the space to be clear.

Usually a TCT circular saw is best and fastest, but won't cut against skirting. If you can take the skirting off first it will hide any ragged cuts.

You can use a sharp wide chisel to cut away remaining fragments.

Thank you. I was just doing some research and realised a circular would be my best option here. Thinking about this whilst I typed out the posts and replies has helped me figure out my approach and options a little better.

Just one last on the use of plywood... Wouldn't it be better for me to match the boards like for like, particularly for the moisture resistent properties? I'm pretty certain I have these installed right now https://www.diy.com/departments/p5-...-panel-l-2400mm-w-600mm-t-18mm/1696267_BQ.prd

 

[JohnD]

chipboard is an awful material. Ply is better. As time goes by you may end up (like me) replacing all the chip with ply.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Lol, I dont think they quite used a chain saw!

No, but I have long suspected that they're taught to achieve an effect which is a perfect facsimile of the chain saw approach with axwide variety of other tools. Just based on a few decades of crappy flooring repairs by "certain trades"

 

[Deleted member 174758]

chipboard is an awful material. Ply is better.

That's a matter of opinion. The quality of a lot of the Chinese sub flooring ply we are seeing these days is truly dreadful with massive voids, poor butt joints inside the boards (so no strength) and delamination problems. Properly selected and correctly installed P5 chipboard from a reputable manufacturer such as Egger or Caber is actually better than cheap ply

 

[Leofric]

That's a matter of opinion. The quality of a lot of the Chinese sub flooring ply we are seeing these days is truly dreadful with massive voids, poor butt joints inside the boards (so no strength) and delamination problems. Properly selected and correctly installed P5 chipboard from a reputable manufacturer such as Egger or Caber is actually better than cheap ply

I think you are right, just a small example in my case but was reusing some ply board for use as a work table top and was surprised to see the faults you mention in the ply.