# t&g ply sheets



## billybuntus (22 Oct 2010)

Hello

I'm looking for t&g marine ply sheets for a floating workshop floor but I can't seem to find any pricing anywhere.

Any ideas who does it and what sort of price?

Thanks


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## AndyT (22 Oct 2010)

Are you sure it exists? From what I can find, real marine ply is not a utilitarian item such as you'd use for a workshop floor. Robbins (who supply specialist marine timbers) list it in various grades and thicknesses from £85 - 12mm thick, 2500 x1200, up to an eye watering £402 for 25mm thick 2500 x 1200 top-grade sapele!

I think that sort of floor only floats in a millionaire's yacht!

Have you thought of using shuttering ply, as found round the edge of many building sites?[/url]


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## mtr1 (22 Oct 2010)

Only time I have seen true Marine ply is when I was working on ships!
It cost a little less than AndyT said but it was ten years ago. Why do you need marine ply... is your workshop on a house boat?


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## TEO (22 Oct 2010)

The only T&G flooring that I've seen is chipboard, widely available and If you've got the joists at the right spacing then perfectly strong.

HTH,
T


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## billybuntus (22 Oct 2010)

Maybe I'm not sure what this is then?






WBP ply?


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## Carlow52 (22 Oct 2010)

TEO":2joboy2j said:


> The only T&G flooring that I've seen is chipboard, widely available and If you've got the joists at the right spacing then perfectly strong.
> 
> HTH,
> T



There is also an OSB equivalent which is T+G'd on all 4 edges, the chip is just T/G'd on long edges

Both are 2.4 by 0.6


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## superunknown (23 Oct 2010)

My local supplier does a T&G ply as you say, but I don't think its marine ply. It looks good stuff though.


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## mtr1 (23 Oct 2010)

billybuntus":lxf6fnd0 said:


> Maybe I'm not sure what this is then?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Doesn't look like the marine ply I used to use, that was all hardwood, and yours looks like pine. Not to say it isn't of course, just doesn't look like it.
Have you glued it now? It looks like you have two boards with the ends running parallel on a floating floor? Better to lay it so the ends come into the middle of a board, like you have on your last board.

I think WBP board is stamped WBP ie: water and boil proof, and its the glue that is used(so yours could be). The common WBP glues are melamine glue and phenolic glue, with phenolic used in the marine boat building industry.


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## jasonB (23 Oct 2010)

Thats Wisa "Sprucefloor" its a WBP bonded softwood plywood, I use it a lot for bathroom floors as you can tile straight onto it rather than overboarding chipboard or timber T&G

Costs about £20 a sheet. I get mine from Richard Russel but W T Edens also do it and they have several branches around the country

Its quite a soft surface and will dent a lot easier than a far eastern hardwood plywood but at least it won't damage a dropped tool. You could always use a slotting bit to groove out the edge of 8x4 sheets and use a loose tongue. Do make sure if you buy 8x4 WBP that is reasonable quality a lot of the cheap[er imported stuff does not comply with British Standards and can have quite a warp so won't lay well

Jason


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## Benchwayze (23 Oct 2010)

I wouldn't 'sniff' at marine ply for floors. Expensive yes, but then my shop has a concrete floor. Bit late now though as I would take forever to get everything out and then back in again! 

My local wood-yard offers a free sawing service, so I would get them to strip the ply down to wide boards, (6" would look good) and then make the T&G myself with a purpose Router cutter. 

I can see there might be a problem with the veneer wearing through over time, so maybe the next best would be moisture resistant MDF, depending on the nature of floor beneath of course. 
:lol: 
John :wink:


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## chippy1970 (23 Oct 2010)

As Jason says YES T&G plywood does exist we have used it a number of times i'm sure any good timber/builders yard would be able to get it for you, there might be a surcharge if its only a small amount as we normally would have whole pallet loads delivered.


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## billybuntus (23 Oct 2010)

Hi chaps,

Thanks for the replies. (Thats not my floor by the way pictured).

I'm wanting to do exactly as pictured but maybe cheaper to but a floating frame down first then fix standard sheets of wbp ply down the reasons being the shed is only single block with no dpc so I would try not to screw through the tanking if at all possible.

Or alternativley lay wbp ply sheets down then lay another lot the opposite way on top and use short screws to tie the two layers together? I would imagine if I used 18mm sheets (8x4 ripped into 8x2) it would be pretty solid? and not at risk from damp? I do plan to tank the floor first then lay 2 inch kingspan then a 1000 gauge visqueen sheet on top then the layers of ply ontop of that.

thoughts?


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## tisdai (23 Oct 2010)

I have been looking for boards to make a floating floor in my garage to turn it into a workshop, I have been recomended to use OSB3 as it is treated against damp ' Any Comments on the OSB3 would be appreciated as i have never used it before " and might be ok for what you could use billy for your workshop floor depending or not whether anyone here has any doubts about it. I was also recomended Kingspan Thermafloor to be placed directly onto the concrete to act as an insulator for the base under the boards, i have found it here upto now for the best price, 
http://www.insulationexpress.co.uk/Floor-Insulation/Kingspan-Thermafloor-TF70-Floor-Insulation.htm

hope it is of some help to you 

Cheers

Dave


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## jasonB (23 Oct 2010)

Moisture resistant chipboard flooring would would be about half the cost of the T&G plywood and less prone to marking.

I would not attempt floating a frame over the insulation as the small surface area of the frame would crush the insulation. You could loose lay a frame over the tanking and insulate between.

Jason


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## chippy1970 (23 Oct 2010)

I tend to avoid osb the only time I used it on my workshop was for the walls of my workshop on the outside to give stiffness this was then covered in featheredge boarding. I used wbp plywood for floors and roof as it doesnt sag like osb does.


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## billybuntus (23 Oct 2010)

jasonB":1jlffnrq said:


> Moisture resistant chipboard flooring would would be about half the cost of the T&G plywood and less prone to marking.
> 
> I would not attempt floating a frame over the insulation as the small surface area of the frame would crush the insulation. You could loose lay a frame over the tanking and insulate between.
> 
> Jason



Excellent work, chipboard it is


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## jasonB (23 Oct 2010)

Get the 22mm thickness, for the extra couple of quid its a lot sturdier

Jason


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## Carlow52 (23 Oct 2010)

billybuntus":36xab3ye said:


> Hi chaps,
> 
> Thanks for the replies. (Thats not my floor by the way pictured).
> 
> ...



I would run the visqueen underneath the k/span and lap it up the walls above the floor, it can be trimmed off later to suit.

The visqueen should be lapped by 300mm and ideally tape the overlap.

... comment removed as it neglected the best practice to have timber floors ventilated: too much vino tinto ...


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## tisdai (23 Oct 2010)

jasonB":3a061022 said:


> Moisture resistant chipboard flooring would would be about half the cost of the T&G plywood and less prone to marking.
> 
> I would not attempt floating a frame over the insulation as the small surface area of the frame would crush the insulation. You could loose lay a frame over the tanking and insulate between.
> 
> Jason



jasonB you mention not to float a floor on the insulation, the garage floor that i will be placing the main insulation and boards on is concrete and has neither a Liquid based DPM or a sheet DPM and the walls are concrete panels. I was going to lay the kingspan on the floor and then lay the boards on and glue all the staggered T&G joints without a framework / studwork.

I have checked out a few diy forums and they have replied to posts by saying this is the way to go, I don't know if this is the way to go and thats why i have been searching the web to try and find out the best way to go about it. I don't want to spend a lot of money out only to find i have to rip it all up again, any help with this would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry for hijacking this thread, but i thought with some of you guys all ready posting here why start a new thread only to be pointed back to this post lol  

Cheers

Dave


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## billybuntus (23 Oct 2010)

jasonB":1pew6c9g said:


> Moisture resistant chipboard flooring would would be about half the cost of the T&G plywood and less prone to marking.
> 
> I would not attempt floating a frame over the insulation as the small surface area of the frame would crush the insulation. You could loose lay a frame over the tanking and insulate between.
> 
> Jason



Is it known as P5 chipboard?


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## jasonB (23 Oct 2010)

P5 Yes

Dave, I said not to place a framework onto the insulation, no problem with placing boards onto the insulation as the load is spread over the whole of the board not just 2" wide strips of timber. Do add some form of DPM or at a minimum tape the insulation joints with foil tape.

As for Where to place the Polythene, I'd go for above the insulation, without doing the calculations in this position you are far less likely to get interstitual condensation within the insulation

Jason


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## tisdai (23 Oct 2010)

Cheers jason appreciate it, i will use a DPM and palce it where you say between the boards and the insulation. With the walls being concrete i will be using a liquid DPM on them and then leave a space between the concrete walls and the inner wooden studwork and then use a breather paper on the studwork and then insulate in between the studding before boarding it over.

Does that make sence to anyone, looks like it is going to be a shed within a shed lol

Cheers for the advice

Dave


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## jasonB (23 Oct 2010)

I would not use a breather on the inside of the studwork, it will allow warm moist air to pass through and as it cools the moisture will condense out in the insulation, better to use polythene or tape the joints etc in the foil face.


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## tisdai (23 Oct 2010)

I meant i was going to put the breather on the outside of the wall, so it will be facing the concrete panels with a gap arround 2" between the breather and the concrete. 

ie; 
Concrete Outer Wall
Space 2 inch
Breather
Studwork & Insulation
Boarding on inside of workshop space

Does that look ok, or still not use a breather

Cheers

Dave[/img]


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## jasonB (23 Oct 2010)

No you need to stop the moist warm air before it cools down (dew point)so the vapour barrier should be towards the inside of the room.

Jason


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## Carlow52 (23 Oct 2010)

This link provides some approved details
http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/en...nsfppartl/bcassociateddocuments9/bcptlaccdet/

The following site has some useful details/ideas also
http://www.ecologicalbuildingsystems.com/?country=gbr


The essential aspects are that the air barrier should be on the warm side of the construction and any breatheable membres should be on the cold side.

The rational is that first u try keep the vapour laden air from permeating the air barrier and then the rest of the structure is breathable.

ps:
the above comment applies to walls.
For any floors with timber, I would have thought that air circulation of some sort would be better than having timber joists buried in solid insulation, encased by visqueen under the boards


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## tisdai (23 Oct 2010)

Ok think i got it right this time, here's hoping lol

ie; 
Concrete Outer Wall with a liquid DPM applied, I want to stop water entering the garage
Space 2 inch 
Vapour Barrier 
Studwork & Insulation
Air Barrier / DPM or Platic Sheet ?
Boarding on inside of workshop space, 

Does that look ok, cheers for your help on this, i do appreciate it as i want to get it right the 1st time, i do not want to rip it all out once i have everything up and running,,

Cheers

Dave


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## jasonB (24 Oct 2010)

Yes thats OK though I don't feel the breather on teh back of the studs will do that much but it will not do any harm.

Jason


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## tisdai (24 Oct 2010)

CHeers jason appreciate your help, now all i need to do is get the wife to clear her junk, i mean her stuff out of the garage lol

Cheers

Dave


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