Questions about the tongue and groove joints at the ends of hardwood floorboards occasionally come back to our team. Many believe that they play an important role in retaining the boards on the floor.
It’s true that the tongue and groove on the sides of the boards play a crucial role in retaining the boards in relation to the subfloor. However, the ones at the ends of the boards contribute nothing to this phenomenon. Their function is essentially to guide the installer in order to simplify the installation process. Technically speaking, their absence in no way affects the overall structure or stability of the floor.
At PG Flooring, our mission is to promote environmentally friendly business practices. That’s why, a few years ago, we took the initiative of reducing the length of the tongue at the ends of our planks. This modification enables us to minimize waste and optimize the use of our raw material, without any impact on the quality or durability of our products. This innovative idea saves more than 1500 square feet of wood over an annual period… that’s around 15 mature trees!
It's also important to acknowledge our many years of experience in manufacturing hardwood floors with shorter tongues at the ends of the planks, and to specify that this has never caused any problems. Our end tongue and groove joints create a solid bond between the boards, while allowing some movement that makes it possible for the floor to expand and contract with variations in humidity and temperature.
If you have any questions about our products or need advice on choosing the right type of flooring, we invite you to contact one of our retailers near you.