They have 3/4" tongue and groove(T&G) spruce plywood and 3/4" not T&G
select grade plywood at the local borg for more or less the same
price.
The select grade has a better finish on it.
Does the T&G feature make that much difference when laying a shop
floor down?
And perhaps a dumb question, but how come there's no T&G at the 4'
sheet ends?
Floor space I'm putting down is 12 X 20. 16" C to C on 2X4s laid flat
Thanks in advance for any and all replies.
working on concrete for hours is hard on the legs and hips, especially
for those of us that are... a little older. :-)
if you are laying a floor over a concrete floor there is no need for
T&G, just lay down another 2x4 where there would be "sag". Did mine
using 1x material and 3/4" styrofoam insulation. No sag anywhere. I did
use 3/4 ply though. not for the sag or spring but because you might
have a machine leg sitting in the middle of a span for a long time and
you will want the support.
BRuce
CA wrote:
> On Wed, 30 Jul 2003 17:52:53 GMT, "Bob S." <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
>
> Why would you want to make a plywood deck to work off of rather than
> going with the existing concrete floor?
>
>
>
>
>>Yes...you want T&G. The tongue and groove provides support for the floor
>>sections where the sheets span the joists. The 4' end of the sheet should
>>be centered (and nailed) on the joists - no need for T&G.
>>
>>Be sure the flooring is 3/4" and not 5/8" (to much spring). Since you're
>>laying the 2x4's flat, I assume you're laying this floor over concrete ? If
>>so be sure to use a vapor barrier and you may even want to add foam
>>insulation between the joists.
>>
>>Bob S.
>>
>
>
On Wed, 30 Jul 2003 17:52:53 GMT, "Bob S." <[email protected]>
wrote:
Why would you want to make a plywood deck to work off of rather than
going with the existing concrete floor?
>Yes...you want T&G. The tongue and groove provides support for the floor
>sections where the sheets span the joists. The 4' end of the sheet should
>be centered (and nailed) on the joists - no need for T&G.
>
>Be sure the flooring is 3/4" and not 5/8" (to much spring). Since you're
>laying the 2x4's flat, I assume you're laying this floor over concrete ? If
>so be sure to use a vapor barrier and you may even want to add foam
>insulation between the joists.
>
>Bob S.
>
you shouldn't lay out the floor this way. Most plywoods, and all of hte
composite flooring materials that I'm familiar with have a "prefered
direction" for layin out - the 8' long side is supposed to be perpendicular
to the joists. for a 12' long run, use and 8' sheet, and cut another one in
half to fill in the last 4 feet.
Also, use a good floor and deck glue - run a bead along each joist before
you drop the plywood. It makes the floor alot more rigid. You'll still need
to nail... The glue also helps prevent squeeks....
If you haven't bought your floor yet, I'd suggest a product called advantec.
Its a composite, but is extremely easy to work with. Very strong, not too
heavy, nails, cuts and glues well. Heres the good part: its waterproof. It
won't warp if it gets wet. If you spill water on it (or leave it out in the
rain), the water just beads up on the surface, and can be brushed off. Its
what I use on all of the houses I build now. A bit more expensive than ply
(not much here in NH, but proces may vary). Its also whats on the floor of
my shop. Eventually, Id like to cover it with solid planking, but thats just
because I like the look and feel of a thick deck.....
Good luck
-_JD
"Bri" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> OK, I see the way you guys are assuming the sheets are all placed
> horizontally across the stringers. (3 rows to cover the 12' width) I
> plan on covering the 12 ft garage width by placing 1 sheet
> horizontally above 2 sheets placed vertically. All 4 sides will be on
> top of the 3.5" wide stringers due to placing blocking between the
> stringers where the short sides land.
> This is why I was wondering if I needed the T&G.
> Hope I explained it better.
> Thanks
>
>
>
>
> Bannerstone <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> > T&G for floors, absolutely, it makes a tremendous difference. I
understand
> > laying a floor with standard plywood is still a flogging offence in some
states.
> > :) The short side (non T&G) will be entirely supported on a (2x4)
stringer or
> > a floor joist so will be quite stable if fastened adequately.
> >
> > David
> >
> > In article <[email protected]>,
> > [email protected] says...
> > >
> > >They have 3/4" tongue and groove(T&G) spruce plywood and 3/4" not T&G
> > >select grade plywood at the local borg for more or less the same
> > >price.
> > >The select grade has a better finish on it.
> > >Does the T&G feature make that much difference when laying a shop
> > >floor down?
> > >And perhaps a dumb question, but how come there's no T&G at the 4'
> > >sheet ends?
> > >Floor space I'm putting down is 12 X 20. 16" C to C on 2X4s laid flat
> > >Thanks in advance for any and all replies.
Yes...you want T&G. The tongue and groove provides support for the floor
sections where the sheets span the joists. The 4' end of the sheet should
be centered (and nailed) on the joists - no need for T&G.
Be sure the flooring is 3/4" and not 5/8" (to much spring). Since you're
laying the 2x4's flat, I assume you're laying this floor over concrete ? If
so be sure to use a vapor barrier and you may even want to add foam
insulation between the joists.
Bob S.
The way you are planning is not really the best way.
The short side should be parallel to the floor joists.
This way the short side which has no tongue is fully supported and the long
side is supported by locking with the next piece.
Typically plywood is stiffest in the long direction (read the label or just
count the plies in each direction to confirm this) so for floors and roofs
you want to set the long dimension of the plywood perpendicular to whatever
is supporting it.
-Jack
"Bri" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> OK, I see the way you guys are assuming the sheets are all placed
> horizontally across the stringers. (3 rows to cover the 12' width) I
> plan on covering the 12 ft garage width by placing 1 sheet
> horizontally above 2 sheets placed vertically. All 4 sides will be on
> top of the 3.5" wide stringers due to placing blocking between the
> stringers where the short sides land.
> This is why I was wondering if I needed the T&G.
> Hope I explained it better.
> Thanks
>
>
>
>
> Bannerstone <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> > T&G for floors, absolutely, it makes a tremendous difference. I
understand
> > laying a floor with standard plywood is still a flogging offence in some
states.
> > :) The short side (non T&G) will be entirely supported on a (2x4)
stringer or
> > a floor joist so will be quite stable if fastened adequately.
> >
> > David
> >
> > In article <[email protected]>,
> > [email protected] says...
> > >
> > >They have 3/4" tongue and groove(T&G) spruce plywood and 3/4" not T&G
> > >select grade plywood at the local borg for more or less the same
> > >price.
> > >The select grade has a better finish on it.
> > >Does the T&G feature make that much difference when laying a shop
> > >floor down?
> > >And perhaps a dumb question, but how come there's no T&G at the 4'
> > >sheet ends?
> > >Floor space I'm putting down is 12 X 20. 16" C to C on 2X4s laid flat
> > >Thanks in advance for any and all replies.
OK, I see the way you guys are assuming the sheets are all placed
horizontally across the stringers. (3 rows to cover the 12' width) I
plan on covering the 12 ft garage width by placing 1 sheet
horizontally above 2 sheets placed vertically. All 4 sides will be on
top of the 3.5" wide stringers due to placing blocking between the
stringers where the short sides land.
This is why I was wondering if I needed the T&G.
Hope I explained it better.
Thanks
Bannerstone <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> T&G for floors, absolutely, it makes a tremendous difference. I understand
> laying a floor with standard plywood is still a flogging offence in some states.
> :) The short side (non T&G) will be entirely supported on a (2x4) stringer or
> a floor joist so will be quite stable if fastened adequately.
>
> David
>
> In article <[email protected]>,
> [email protected] says...
> >
> >They have 3/4" tongue and groove(T&G) spruce plywood and 3/4" not T&G
> >select grade plywood at the local borg for more or less the same
> >price.
> >The select grade has a better finish on it.
> >Does the T&G feature make that much difference when laying a shop
> >floor down?
> >And perhaps a dumb question, but how come there's no T&G at the 4'
> >sheet ends?
> >Floor space I'm putting down is 12 X 20. 16" C to C on 2X4s laid flat
> >Thanks in advance for any and all replies.