Tongue And Groove Or Click Systems

When looking to purchase a hardwood floor you are presented with two choices for installation system Tongue and Groove (T&G) and Click. What are the benefits of using either of those and is there a specific case where one or the other will be superior? Here we are going to take a look at the systems and answer those questions.

What Exactly Is Tongue and Groove System?

Tongue and Groove is the traditional way to fit wood flooring. It is a rather simple system where each plank has a tongue that fits into the groove of the adjacent plank next to it. After the tongue has been put into place it has to be knocked firmly into position.

The system may be simple but the installation isn’t that easy to perform. If you are not very careful while fitting, you can displace the planks already joined. In most cases, it is better to call a professional fitter. The floor itself can be secret screwed, nailed or glued to the subfloor or even floated over an underlay. The system can be used with both solid wood and engineered floors and installed over any subfloor as long as the latter has been properly prepared for the task.

What Are the Benefits of Tongue and Groove System?

• T&G will perform better than the Click system in high humidity areas since it is less prone to breaking or splintering when suffering from excessive movement
• Most tongue and groove systems are glued which makes the movement more silent and if you are having a floated floor
• T&G can be installed almost everywhere, even on top of joists while Click systems need flat subfloor to work
• T&G supports wider boards. Click system can only go as far as 120mm width on solid wood

What Exactly Is Click System?

In this relatively new system, the planks are “locked” together in a way that makes it hard to move them apart. This completely eliminates the need to fix the construction in place using glue, staples or nails.  The click system is mostly used in laminate and engineered floors but it’s possible to find it on solid wood, yet it is quite rare. Click fitting is a popular DIY yourself project but again it's something we do not recommend because it might ruin the wood material.

What Are the Benefits of Click System?

• It is much faster and easier to install compared to T&G
• Does not require the use of glue, nails or staples
• Less of a chance for the appearance of gaps than T&G in high humidity areas
• Damaged plank replacement and spot repairs are easier to perform.
• If you are into DIY projects this one is a perfect opportunity

In the End, T&G or Click Is Better?

As you can see, it depends a lot on what kind of floor you want, the type of subfloor and how willing you are to do the installation yourself.

Click systems were made popular by the appearance of laminate flooring. Their biggest advantage is the fact they are cheap and easy to install. There are certain patented Click systems that are arguably better than the rest, like the UniClick from Quick-Step.

On the other hand, Tongue and Groove is a standard in solid wood flooring which leaves you with more options when it comes to board width, as well as floor and subfloor choices.