T&G wood flooring is one of the two most common types of flooring on the market these days, the other is click system. Both of these types of flooring have their pros and cons, and in this article we’ll look them in detail so you can decide which might work best for you.
But before we start, it’s probably worth explaining briefly what is meant by T&G. T&G stands for Tongue and Groove. Tongue and Groove wood flooring, as the name suggests is wood flooring that fits together using a method that involves one protruding piece of wood that fits neatly into another, cut out piece. This is the way of butting up floorboards that has been used for a very, very long time. However, it has a couple of drawbacks that make some people shy away from it as their preferred solution.
The first drawback with T&G flooring is that it takes an experienced fitter to be able to fit it well. Click system flooring on the other hand is much simpler to fit, because, as its name suggests, each board is designed to simply ‘click’ into place with the next one. T&G flooring on the other hand has to either be nailed or stapled down or fitted using the floating installation system.
The other downside with T&G wood flooring is that it can make repairs difficult. The way T&G wood flooring fits together means that to make a repair you usually need to either cut the tongue to lift a floorboard or lift the whole floor up to the point where you need to make the repair. Clearly this isn’t ideal. And it’s for this reason that if there is any known potential risk under your floor when you lay it, you should create an easy access point if at all possible.
All of that said, at Wood and Beyond, we are big fans of T&G wood flooring and there are plenty of good reasons why.
First and foremost, in most cases, T&G wood flooring is cheaper than click system flooring. The click system option tends to be marginally more expensive for manufacturers to produce and of course they pass their additional cost on to the consumer. While you may think that a small additional cost isn’t all that significant, it can become so when you’re re-flooring either a large room or a whole house.
The other two advantages of T&G wood flooring are that when it is glued down, it is much more water-tight than click system flooring because of the glue that acts as a barrier and the way each board interlocks. And also, when you choose to fit it using a floating installation method it’s much less likely to work its way loose and squeak, like click system flooring often does.
So there you have it, a very fair comparison of T&G wood flooring against click system wood flooring.
All in all, there isn’t much between them, but at Wood and Beyond, we do have to confess to favouring T&G because it has so much going for it overall.
If you’re planning a wood flooring project and are facing dilemmas like this, there really is no need to battle on alone to find the right answer. We have a team of wood-floor-mad people who will gladly help you make the right decision for your unique situation. When we give clients advice, we make a point of taking everything into account, so even though we’ve just said that we prefer T&G to click system, if you’re kicking keen to try your first ever wood floor installation, we’ll more than likely recommend click because it’ll suit your needs better. So why not give us a try? Get in touch via our website, give us a call or pop into our Golders Green showroom to pick our brains – after all, it costs nothing to chat.
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FAQ
Question: What does T&G stand for in flooring?
Answer: T&G stands for Tongue and Groove, which is a method of fitting wood flooring together using a protruding piece of wood that fits neatly into a cut-out piece.
Question: What are the drawbacks of T&G wood flooring?
Answer: One drawback of T&G flooring is that it requires an experienced fitter for proper installation, as the boards must either be nailed or stapled down or fitted using a floating installation system. Another drawback is that repairs can be difficult with T&G flooring due to the interlocking nature of the boards.
Question: How does click system flooring differ from T&G flooring?
Answer: Click system flooring is designed to simply ‘click’ into place with each adjacent board, making it simpler to fit compared to T&G flooring.
Question: What are some advantages of T&G wood flooring?
Answer: T&G wood flooring is typically cheaper than click system flooring. Additionally, when glued down, it is more water-tight due to the glue acting as a barrier and the way each board interlocks. Furthermore, T&G flooring is less likely to work its way loose and squeak when installed using a floating installation method.
Question: Can I get help with choosing between T&G and click system flooring for my project?
Answer: Yes, the team at Wood and Beyond is available to provide advice based on your unique situation, even though they generally prefer T&G flooring, they might recommend the click system if it suits your needs better.