The difference between floorboards and chipboard
What is the difference between floorboards and chipboard? Confusing these two materials is an easy and common mistake to make. Generally, people simply use the incorrect terms rather than misunderstanding the visual appearance of their floors.
If you want to solve noisy flooring, it is very helpful to understand this distinction. Floorboards and chipboard are two very different materials. Consequently, they often require a unique approach to resolve noise permanently.
Identifying solid timber floorboards
Floorboards are made from whole trees. The timber is cut specifically to produce one solid, long length of wood. Typically, these boards are between 150mm to 200mm wide and roughly 20mm thick.
To visualise floorboards, you can imagine a ship’s deck or a series of long stripes. These narrow boards run parallel to each other across the room. If you pull back a corner of your carpet, you will see this distinct decking appearance immediately. However, if you have a hard floor covering like laminate, you may need to look behind a skirting board to identify the material beneath.
Identifying modern chipboard
Chipboard is manufactured from waste wood particles, such as sawdust, which are mixed with adhesive and compressed into large sheets. These smooth sheets are much larger than individual floorboards. Therefore, the difference between floorboards and chipboard is most obvious in the lack of stripes or seams.
To an untrained eye, chipboard can sometimes look like concrete, especially if it is covered in building dust. Some modern boards even have a green tint to indicate moisture resistance. The surface will always be smooth, and the seams where two sheets meet are often very hard to see.
How the sound differs
Another way to tell the difference between floorboards and chipboard is by the sound they produce. Chipboard often has a very drum-like sound when you stamp your foot. Furthermore, when it fails, it can sound like you are walking on broken glass. Solid floorboards, conversely, tend to produce a more traditional mechanical creak.
If you lift your floor covering and see a bland, smooth, light brown surface with no lines, you have chipboard. Understanding this is vital for a successful repair. Moreover, once you know your floor type, we can provide a much more accurate plan to silence it.
To request your free online estimate to permanently remove the noise, simply contact us via the button below. Whether you have floorboards or chipboard, we have the expertise to bring silence back to your home.