Is there such thing as 2x T&G?

[Erin]

We're planning on doing a modified P&B house with the spacing at 3'4" o.c. 
I'd really like to do an exposed floor/ceiling (that is, the upper floor is the lower floor's ceiling)
In one of the boat load of books I've read, 2x6 T&G was suggested as a good flooring option if one is forgoing the full subfloor/finished ceiling route as it'll span a 4' distance. 

yet when I try to find 2x anything in a T&G I get blank looks.   

So what gives?  Is there really such a thing?

[John_C]

It should be pretty common.  Where are you looking?  If you are going to a big box store try going to the contractor or commercial sales desk.  It will be a special order item but they should be able to get it with a few days lead time.

[Erin]

I tried Menards (150 miles away), and both of the local lumber yards.

Nobody had such a thing in stock. Menards didn't really seem to care, but of course both of the local guys were going to check to see if they could get such a thing.
No one had ever heard of it.   

in fact, in all three places, they tried to convince me that no, what I wanted was 1x, so i had to explain each time that no it wasn't.
I needed thicker for the span. 

[John_C]

I can't believe I'm saying this but is there a Lowe's or Home Depot within reasonable distance.  They both can get it here in GA.  I could send you their sku # if that would help??

is right!

[MountainDon]

Any place that sells construction lumber should be able to order it on a special order basis. There is usually a minimum order quantity, at least around here. And sometimes a 'knife' or machinbe set up fee. Make you you order enough, that is allow for waste as you don't want to be short a stick or two and have to go through the expense of paying the min order charge.

[Erin]

hmmmm...
that might be why one of the local lumber yards (generally around 30% higher than Menards!) wanted to know how much i'd need. 

[MaineRhino]

Like this?



I used 2x6 T&G V-match for our floor/ceiling combo.  My local sawmill stocks it.

Be sure to stain it BEFORE it goes up!

[Redoverfarm]

Erin

The 2" T&G is actually 1-1/2" milled demensions.  The coverage is approximately 5" after you take the tounge and groove side down in the milling process.  It is quite common.  I put up a boat load of it.  What you are describing to do is exactly what I did.  

There is a good side so to speak being that it has a 45 deg champher on each side.  The other side is just planned flat for the floor in the second story.  I paid about 76 cents a foot.  

Here is the page that describes the T&G and also there are a couple of piotures of both the ceiling and the floor.  This page basickly describes the installation.

http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=3613.msg49416#msg49416

[Ernest T. Bass]

We have a local guy with a huge t&g planer that could probably do 2x, but for our house we just bought regular 2x8's and did a spline-in-groove. The grooves don't take long to make if you have a dado blade for your tablesaw, and the splines are just ripped out of scrap. It's a bit more work, but you get a little extra yield out of your boards that way...

[Erin]

That's exactly the stuff I'm after, Rhino.  And we don't have a "local sawmill."  lol 
Not enough trees.   

The 2" T&G is actually 1-1/2" milled demensions.  The coverage is approximately 5" after you take the tounge and groove side down in the milling process.  It is quite common.

Oh, I'm well aware that 2x6 is nominal dimension.  Just like any other lumber....
And nope, it's not common at all in my area.    

Of the four lumber yards I ended up calling, including Menards, not a soul carries it.  And not a single person I spoke to even knew it was available!
However, one of them (so far) was willing to special order it for me after he did some research. 
He can get it in 12, 14 and 16' lengths for $.77 per running foot.

[Erin]

but for our house we just bought regular 2x8's and did a spline-in-groove. The grooves don't take long to make if you have a dado blade for your tablesaw, and the splines are just ripped out of scrap.

We don't have a table saw (yet! lol)
But considering T&G will run around $3100, and standard 2x8s would be more like $1600, I'm not sure we won't go with a similar approach.

Question:  Why wouldn't we want to just butt them together?
(Like a run-of-the-mill outdoor deck?)
Harder to seal the joints? 

[MountainDon]

Question:  Why wouldn't we want to just butt them together?
(Like a run-of-the-mill outdoor deck?)
Harder to seal the joints? 

The joints will open and close as the humidity and moisture content of the wood changes. That would be difficult to seal, IMO. They also, more than likely, will squeak; maybe not all the time, but certainly at times. Also once it's installed just side by side, no T&G, when/if you apply a finish it will most likely run through to the ceiling side. Unsightly at best.

[Ernest T. Bass]

Dust falls through and lands in your food. Also no very private, if it's installed over a bathroom or whatever.

I have a friend who did just that, though. He tacked up batten strips to cover the gaps from underneath. It didn't look too bad, but fitting them between all the beams would be time-consuming, I'd imagine.

[rwanders]

2X6 t&g decking is quite common here----really surprised it's not available in your area. It is also pretty easy to find 4x t&g used for roof decking on flat roofs. Strange!

[John_C]

It is also pretty easy to find 4x t&g used for roof decking on flat roofs. Strange!

4x T&G     What kind of fasteners do they use? I'm thinking I'm going to need a bigger hammer 

[rwanders]

When I've put it down we used large spikes and sledge hammers----mostly 8 or 12 pound hammers. Once you get the rythmm

[Redoverfarm]

Erin I wasn't trying to belittle your construction knowledge.  I thought maybe you were asking for a true 2"X6" T&G that is why they hadn't heard of it.  Oh Well that what I get for trying to figure someone elses delima.

As for the price it sounds really good.  You can figure out what length will work the best for you then.

[Erin]

Oh, I didn't take it personally.
My point was simply that it's not common.
Utterly baffling, actually.   

[considerations]

Hope you are successful in rounding some up.  It makes a nice floor.

[glenn kangiser]

2x6 t and g  (1 5/8 x 5) is pretty common around here - maybe not used a lot, but I have seen it and it seems it was stocked at our local mountain lumber yard.

[John_M]

However, one of them (so far) was willing to special order it for me after he did some research. 
He can get it in 12, 14 and 16' lengths for $.77 per running foot.

That is a really good price!!

Also, you mentioned just using nominal lumber side by side....the tongue and groove lock in together to make a more rigid floor system.  A 2x8 stretched over your 40" would be very, very, very bouncy (I am not even sure it would be safe).  But the T & G locks in the boards and has them "work together" to create a much more rigid surface!

I got my flooring from an Amish mill.  It was $1.25 a linear foot (and that was 2.5 years ago) but was more than 1.75 inches thick.  Really nice stuff.  It was also 2x8 instead of 2x6

[glenn kangiser]

I have 2x material on my bridge - not t&g.  It will span fine but shrunk leaving gaps to deal with.  T&G is way better.

That is a good price as there is one board foot per running foot used to make it.

[Ernest T. Bass]

The spline-in-groove also helps to stiffen the floor if the splines are thick enough, though, not as good as the t&g. Our floor isn't bouncy at all, and we have 48'' centers.

[builderboy]

I bought 32 pieces of 12 ft 2x6 t&g @ 35 cents a foot here in Nova Scotia. Local mill. It's the only thing that I went under budget on!! Looks like the pic from Maine. Finished the loft floor with polyeurathane - it will run thru the cracks so cover below with plastic. (haven't peeked down into the bathroom though)

[Erin]

Just got off the phone with Home Depot (Pro-desk as Lumber tried to tell me there was no such thing.  lol)
"Boy...  I guess give me your name and number and I'll do some checking around to see if I can get such a thing..."   


ETA:  85c a running foot!  The local guy is better.  Good to know.