Browse Forums Flooring & Floor Covering 1 Oct 02, 2014 5:15 pm Hi Anyone have any experience with expansion joints in floating floors? Specifically anyone used a cork expansion joint when laying a floating timber or bamboo flooring? Thanks! Re: Expansion joints and timber/bamboo flooring 2Oct 02, 2014 9:06 pm We've got a cork expansion joint in our rental and it looks very nice. However, there doesn't seem to be too many installers who like using it. Re: Expansion joints and timber/bamboo flooring 4Oct 03, 2014 9:18 am We are getting an expansion joint in our bamboo flooring in the new build. It's to prevent cupping over long runs. Our run from front to back is 15-16m. Re: Expansion joints and timber/bamboo flooring 6Oct 03, 2014 10:11 pm Ours is 16 meters at the longest point. Never wider than 6 meters. Our installer is instisting or the warranty is void...Mrs Brown Bear what kind of expansion joint are you using? Re: Expansion joints and timber/bamboo flooring 7Oct 04, 2014 3:52 am Actually the length of the area is irrelevant only the width is as timber boards expands sideways and not length ways (assuming you lay the boards long ways) Cupping will only occur if the product is poor or not acclimatised to your house prior to installation. Believe me, you're going to have a hard time claiming warranty on cupping as they are going to blame humidity or that you mopped it with water. Of course leave a 10mm gap between the walls, its covered by skirting or quads. If a floating floor 6m wide with a 10mm gap is cupping, you have a poor product. A fixed timber floor is going go have more issues with cupping as it can't move as much, and even then you don't need an expansion joint. Speak to another installer. Re: Expansion joints and timber/bamboo flooring 8Oct 04, 2014 2:26 pm Hi, Timber expands 10 times more sideways than it does lengthways. That is why most people ignore the length. 10 times less is not zero, but in most cases it is not significant at all or enough to take into consideration. The only time we take it into consideration is on very large commercial areas, like Airports where it may be 60 Metres long. If your span is under 6 metres wide, it is sufficient to just have the gap underneath the skirting. A cork expansion joint is an outdated, and almost ineffective method. A small washer joint is far more effective and looks natural. Cork can chip away or not match the colour of the floor very well, and if it is badly placed can look ugly. So if you have a 10 mm gap on either side of the span that is less than 6 metres, they cannot void your warranty. Cupping is not from expansion. Cupping is from moisture. Tenting, which is an extreme build up of pressure and the floor buckles is a very different thing and far less common. Expansion joints have zero effect oin cupping due to too much water on the floor. The individual boards can still cup. Then they can shrink and cup. You then have a 1mm gap between each board. It still doesn't prevent cupping. It is two separate issues. Regards Mark Floor Sanding Brisbane with The Perfect Process. Only at Quicksand & Polish. Mark. Like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/quicksandandpolish Re: Expansion joints and timber/bamboo flooring 9Oct 14, 2014 8:40 am Interesting. We were asked just to put in an ugly trim, but it's in the middle of our hallway. Installer says he will do it without but won't take responsibility Re: Expansion joints and timber/bamboo flooring 11Nov 04, 2014 9:20 am me too! can you post what a small washer joint looks like? @super nes found this on a h1 thread: ^ this is what I am trying to avoid :S Re: Expansion joints and timber/bamboo flooring 12Nov 04, 2014 9:25 am Have had bamboo down for over 2 years. No expansion joint, no problems at all. Longest run is similar to what you will have with one area a width of about 10 metres. As said above, it's moisture that causes cupping. Buy from a reputable supplier, acclimatise the boards, and get a competent layer, and you should have no problems. Settlement 1/2/12 New Shed 23/3/12 Slab poured 27/3/12 Frame complete 4/5/12 Roof complete 1/6/12 LOCKUP 29/6/12 Our new build blog http://kareenhillsownerbuild.blogspot.com/ Re: Expansion joints and timber/bamboo flooring 13Apr 03, 2015 10:14 pm Can't understand having a join in middle of hall, only needed if changing direction of boards, unless installer knows something about your flooring and is covering himself,maybe he knows product isn,t best quality. Re: Expansion joints and timber/bamboo flooring 14Jun 21, 2015 1:44 pm Just coming back in to add that we ended up laying our bamboo flooring (15 / 16 m run at longest) with no expansion joint. I think it would have looked ugly if we did one in the middle of the hallway. Fingers crossed we won't have any problems. Re: Expansion joints and timber/bamboo flooring 15Jun 22, 2015 7:42 am We are doing our floors now. We are making sure we are under cutting the plaster board to make sure there is enough expansion space.... I hope it'll be OK! Engineering timber is certainly a less fuss option, times cheaper to supply and install and better withstands humidity. 1 15908 Hi All, First time poster. I was hoping to get some advice on villaboard installation within a bathroom. I have installed villaboard before, in a laundry. I think I did… 0 7465 Newbie question for flooring options. We are thinking of changing the flooring for bedrooms and passage area. Last time we looked at flooring options was almost 8years… 0 3519 |