Glue on tongue and groove?

Cruixer

I'm about to lay an engineered wood floor. Its going to be a floating floor, and the boards will be tongue and groove.



I plan to use cork around the perimeter expansion gap, as I was told a while back that this allows the floor to expand (as the cork will compress), but resists movement - i.e. the whole floor moving to one end of the room.


I know that the norm is to use glue to fix the tongue and groove, but I just wondered if anyone out there had fitted a floating floor without glueing the tongue?


My thinking is that the cork at the perimeter might hold things together, while still allowing for expansion, but if I am wrong I will probably get gaps opening up.



My only reason for even considering this is that it would make the floor a lot easier to lift again to access the plumbing underneath if it wasn't glued

neilmcl

Is it really T&G or perhaps a click fit type T&G profile?

king132

You can use a glue or a nail gun to secure the planks. Nails go into the groove so when the next piece fits on you dont see it.

Cruixer

neilmcl wrote: »

Is it really T&G or perhaps a click fit type T&G profile?

It doesn't arrive until Monday, but its listed on the website as Tongue & Groove installation, while they have a separate Click Lok category, so I am expecting the T&G type that are typically glued.



I fitted a laminate T&G system years ago and I am pretty sure I didn't glue it and lived in that flat for years after without any issues, but from perusing the Internet I know gluing is the norm for pro-installers.

Cruixer

king132 wrote: »

You can use a glue or a nail gun to secure the planks. Nails go into the groove so when the next piece fits on you dont see it.

Unless I am misunderstanding what you mean by this, that wouldn't be a floating floor. The flooring will be sitting on top of 30mm XPS insulation so there is nothing to nail it on to, it has to be floating.

neilmcl

Cruixer wrote: »

It doesn't arrive until Monday, but its listed on the website as Tongue & Groove installation, while they have a separate Click Lok category, so I am expecting the T&G type that are typically glued.



I fitted a laminate T&G system years ago and I am pretty sure I didn't glue it and lived in that flat for years after without any issues, but from perusing the Internet I know gluing is the norm for pro-installers.

Link would help?

Norman_Castle

My only reason for even considering this is that it would make the floor a lot easier to lift again to access the plumbing underneath if it wasn't glued

Buying a floor which doesn't need to be glued is probably a better option.

Cruixer

neilmcl wrote: »

Link would help?

Happy to provide a link, but it is T&G: https://flooring365.co.uk/fyfield-engineered-natural-oak-brushed-and-oiled-150mm-x-18-5mm-wood-flooring.html

Norman_Castle wrote: »

Buying a floor which doesn't need to be glued is probably a better option.

As I said, the floor is already purchased, chosen by my better half. Its obviously easier to install, but from what I have seen the T&G boards tend to be thicker with a better wear layer.




I genuinely don't mean this to sound ungrateful or rude, but all I was really asking here was whether anyone had fitted T&G without glueing? I know what I have purchased, and I am confident about how to fit it, but I am toying with taking the risk and installing without glueing, and if others had done this successfully in the past then I'd be more inclined to go this route, and vice versa if others had tried it and had problems.

ANDY597

I've just fitted caber deck 22mm flooring, it's a sub floor that you carpet or wood on top.

It's glued with this amazing glue that's supposed to stop the squeek. It sort of expands like expandable foam and fills the gaps. It's placed in the tongue and groove and a line on the joists.

Then nailed or screwed if so desired.

Screwing works better as nails will squeek over time.

Not sure if this helps.

Kiran

Cruixer wrote: »

I genuinely don't mean this to sound ungrateful or rude, but all I was really asking here was whether anyone had fitted T&G without glueing? I know what I have purchased, and I am confident about how to fit it, but I am toying with taking the risk and installing without glueing, and if others had done this successfully in the past then I'd be more inclined to go this route, and vice versa if others had tried it and had problems.

I've done engineered T&G wood floors without any glue, in reality the tolerances were so tight I wouldn't have got any meaningful quantity of glue in the joint anyway. Mine was installed with clamps and tapping blocks.

DigForVictory

When dad & I installed a T&G floor, it was onto joists. We didn't use glue, we used clamps. It was a building that had variations in temperature & humidity anyway so we clamped it tight & hoped, & over a decade later, it's still sound.

I don't envy you worrying about plumbing access though...