Floorboards

[Windy Miller]

I bought some T&G floorboards yesterday to replace some dodgy ones in the front bedroom. On the 'top' surface, they were plain as you would expect. Underneath however, there were three grooves about 3mm wide and 3mm deep running the length of the boards.

What's all that about then? Why the grooves? Something to stop cupping? An indicator for where to rip them down to smaller standard widths? Or some other clever plan?

 

[Paul99]

You got it - their relief grooves that should help prevent the board from cupping as the boards dry out.

 

[Windy Miller]

You got it - their relief grooves that should help prevent the board from cupping as the boards dry out.

Cheers Paul! Good guess then!

 

[ford34/2]

floor boards

A Lot of the Decking timber is the same with the "shrinkage" grooves in the back,

In the 60s we used to put Nominal 5" X 1" ( 41/2" cover upsatirs, and Nominal 6" X 1", 51/2" cover downstairs and both were nearer 7/8" thick finished size. Even the T&G was offset for support when the load was on the floorboard,

Nowadays 1" nominal is down to 16-17 mm finished. or its concrete on insulation or water resistant chipboard. Turn the clock back further and you`ll find smooth one side and rough sawn on the other, and they`ll be 25mm thick, skirtings will be the same an possibly even the backmoulds roughsawn on one side and dressed on other.

You can see it in 50Years, on one of the property shows, -- if we lift the carpets and stain and polish the floorboards.-----OOOOPs-- no floorboards


Stan