A well made tongue and groove floor is a beautiful thing. It is easy to keep clean and holds up under heavy foot traffic. Not all tongue and groove floors are created equal, however.
A tongue and groove floor is a variation on “tab a goes in slot b.” The planks for the floor are cut so that one side has a tongue, or projection out of the plank. The other side has a groove, or slot, to receive the tongue of the plank next to it. You simply fit the tongue of one plank into the groove of the adjacent plank.
Of course, while the concept is simple, the execution can be more difficult. If the tongues and grooves do not match exactly, you cannot fit the boards together properly. A poorly laid floor looks bad and can be very hard to walk on. Dirt and debris become trapped in the grooves between the planks and resist cleaning.
The other variable is the species of wood chosen. If you live in a very wet climate with lots of people tracking in water and mud, or snow, you need a rot resistant wood. Deadhead sinker cypress is both rot resistant and beautiful.
The solution to this problem is to make sure that the tongue and groove planks are prepared with rigorous attention to detail. Every board must have the same size tongue and the same size groove. Good Millwork can help with that. We can mill your flooring to exacting specs so that it all fits together properly. Give us a call today and place your order!
