Floor Slip Tongue: Important Facts
If you’re laying a hardwood floor anywhere within your home, then you’ll likely need some hardwood slip tongue. Flooring slip tongue is the slither of wood that connects two pieces of hardwood floor, where they join and change direction. For example, where two hardwood floors meet in a doorway and the wood changes direction, you use slip tongue to connect the wood and hold it in place securely.
As you prepare to get started, make sure you have a box of slip tongue on hand. Some things to keep in mind…
Determine How Much Slip Tongue You Will Need… obviously you don’t want to run out in the middle of a job and have to wait a day or two to get a new order in. Slip tongue, as minor as it seems, it a critical piece to complete your job. Make sure you carefully figure out exactly how much you need and then order 1.5 times that amount. Hardwood slip tongue is relatively cheap and you must have extra for mistakes you might make.
Flooring slip tongue is very inexpensive, but such an important piece, that you should always have an extra supply on hand. It would be very frustrating to have to stop a job just because you needed a strip or two of slip tongue.
How To Buy Slip Tongue… hardwood slip tongue is often available available at those big box stores, but if you plan ahead (even a day ahead) you can buy it online at a big discount from a wholesaler. Some wholesalers will even ship it to you for free - right to your job site!
Again, there’s nothing worse than being halfway though laying the floor then realizing you have to stop because the slip tongue is too thin or thick. So as well as getting the appropriate length of hardwood slip tongue, be sure to get the correct thickness. If you don’t want to buy the slip tongue of the specific thickness, you can always cut a piece of hardwood yourself to the appropriate length and thickness.
Bottom line? If you want your new hardwood floor to look great and flow seamlessly between rooms, you will need hardwood slip tongue made from poplar because poplar takes nails much better than oak.
In conclusion, if you want your hardwood floor to flow seamlessly from one room to another, even when the wood panels change direction, then you’ll need some hardwood slip tongue. Oak is often used as hardwood slip tongue for hardwood flooring, but you can also use plywood as a cheaper option. Take your time, and be sure to use the slip tongue accurately with a tight fit, and no-one will be any the wiser that there is a transition in the wood.
Learn more about flooring slip tongue. Stop by Dan’s site where you can find out all about prices, shipping, and installer tips.