Fitting of the Floors: Tongue and Groove vs Click Lock
Engineered flooring suppliers like Ua Floors provide consumers with a wide variety of options that can cater to different needs and preferences. Whether it’s in the wood species, the flooring’s composition or style, or its installation, you have choices to meet specific requirements. Fitting mechanisms, such as tongue and groove and click lock, can influence your flooring purchase, so it’s important to know what these two are all about.
What is the fitting of floors?
The fitting of floors can refer to how the boards are fit together. And this may affect how easy it will go with your installation. Basically, there are two primary options when we talk about fitting mechanisms in flooring products. The two common options in flooring installation include:
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Tongue and Groove
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Click Lock
What is Tongue and Groove?
Tongue and groove (T&G) offers flooring products with a fitting mechanism that utilizes a protruding edge (which is referred to as the “tongue”) that goes into a gap (also known as the “groove”) that is manufactured to fit the measurements of the aforementioned edge. This enables two planks to slot into each other as the flooring is installed.
In each wooden plank with a tongue and groove fitting mechanism, both sides feature a tongue and a groove, wherein one side is longer and the other side is shorter. This installation method is comparable to fitting the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. To secure the fit, the wooden planks can also be glued, nailed, or screwed, which makes it a versatile installation option.
Tongue and groove are considered the traditional method when it comes to flooring installation and fitting mechanisms.
The Pros and Cons of Tongue and Groove
Here are the advantages that come with the tongue and groove fitting mechanism:
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It is commonly used in most flooring products, which means that there are various styles, designs, and flooring options to choose from.
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It can be installed on top of nearly any type of subfloor.
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It offers less noise and squeaking due to the tongue and grooves loosening up after a while.
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It offers additional resistance to moisture and spillage, wherein the application of glue can help serve as a barrier against spills or water damage.
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It offers a quick and easy installation method when compared to solid wood blocks.
That being said, tongue and groove flooring products also have a few disadvantages, such as:
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It can be difficult to repair individual planks, as it will require the removal of multiple planks that have already been glued or nailed down.
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It can easily come apart after a considerable amount of time when installation is done poorly.
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Its installation can take more time, especially when compared to click and lock flooring, which can also affect the installation costs if you’re hiring a professional to do the job.
What is Click Lock?
Click lock is the modern fitting mechanism for flooring products, as its simplicity offers consumers an easier way to do a DIY installation. This fitting mechanism involves a clicking system that allows two planks to securely and quickly lock together in place.
If the click lock fitting mechanism sounds similar to tongue and groove, then it’s because it takes the concept of T&G fitting and modernizes the process. Instead of the simple slotting method in T&G, click lock utilizes two hooked shapes that secure each plank together and locks them in place. Other flooring manufacturers use the same methodology, but with a different clicking system.
As the modern fitting mechanism, the click lock is growing in popularity and is often fitted via floating installation on top of an underlay.
The Pros and Cons of Click Lock
Here are the advantages of a click-lock system for wood flooring:
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It is easy to fit, especially for DIY installations, which then helps reduce overall costs.
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It does away with the need for glue and nails.
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It makes flooring repairs and replacements easier to deal with when compared to T&G fitting, as the boards can be “clicked” out of place.
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It offers a variety of flooring styles thanks to its growing demand, so you’ll have many options to choose from.
The click lock fitting mechanism, while extremely beneficial, also comes with a few disadvantages, which can include:
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It cannot be fitted over certain subfloors like joists, as the click lock flooring product needs to have a solid subfloor for enough support.
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It needs a better underlayment to effectively reduce any possible noise or uncomfortable installation.
Installation Methods
Given the distinctions we’ve identified in T&G and Click Lock fitting mechanisms, it goes without saying that they also offer unique installation methods. And depending on your flooring requirements, either T&G or Click Lock systems can make your life easier.
Tongue and groove flooring can be installed via nail-down, glue-down, or floating wood flooring installation methods. On the one hand, click lock wood flooring products only require the floating installation method.
For more information on installation methods, feel free to visit our blog on the different ways to install wood flooring.
Ua Floors: Your Hardwood Flooring Experts
Both T&G and Click Lock flooring products offer plenty of pros, which can definitely help you make the right decision in choosing your wood flooring.
The tongue and groove fitting mechanism offers a range of design options, flexibility, and affordability. Meanwhile, the click-lock system of fitting flooring offers a range of design options as well, alongside a quicker and easier way to install or replace floorboards. While click lock flooring can be more expensive, it can reduce overall installation costs, because it makes DIY installation a real possibility.
Ua Floors, your global supplier for all things wood flooring, is here to help you find the perfect hardwood floors for your residential, commercial, or office-use spaces. Just let us know what you need and we’ve got you covered.
For orders or inquiries, feel free to contact us today.