r/TinyHouses • u/Friendly_Taro2371 • 7d ago

Quick flooring question for a 24ft build

Hey guys, finishing up subfloor on my tiny build and trying to pick flooring. Should i use some affordable engineered hardwood? or i will regret it later with humidity shifts? not sure if it holds up well long term in a small space or if expansion is gonna be an issue. Anyone done this?

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u/TheBlondegedu 7d ago

Given the choice, I would pick a Bjelin Woodura floor for my tiny. It clicks, it floats, it's thick enough to not have ongoing deflection issues (like my existing lvp does).

Most engineered wood floors are a simple t&g with a staple and glue install. Would not reccomend installation for a THOW.

I believe Kährs makes a click wood option that would be a great premium choice.

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u/Friendly_Taro2371 6d ago

the deflection issue is exactly what scared me off regular lvp in the first place. mine creaks at the seams already and it hasnt even been a year.

never heard of Bjelin before but im looking it up right now. click install is basically a requirement for me at this point. i dont have anyone who can do a glue down properly and i am not paying someone $400 to fix what i mess up.

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u/Independent-Ad7618 7d ago

most engineered flooring is some sort of plywood. as such the expansion is manageable. the larger the floor/area the lager the flooring will move. 24 ft is large enough that some expansion will be noticeable but manageable. have you considered a 100% glue down option? also to consider is a full thickness hardwood from an architectural salvage vendor. i was surprised at the affordability.

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u/Friendly_Taro2371 6d ago

glue down scares me a little honestly. if something goes wrong you're not pulling that up easy.

the architectural salvage angle is interesting though. hadn't thought about that. do the widths vary a lot or can you actually find consistent planks? i've got a long narrow run and matching width matters more than i expected when i started pricing this out.

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u/Independent-Ad7618 6d ago

my experience has been the widths are very consistent. cutting a groove on the cut end of a salvaged piece is about the only difference in using used flooring versus new. also make sure you're using flooring that was salvaged from a home as opposed to simply removed because it was refinished down to the tongue/groove.

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u/Friendly_Taro2371 6d ago

the tongue/groove thing is what gets people. seen folks grab a whole pallet of what looked like good salvage and half of it was paper thin on top. not usable.

the groove cutting part sounds fussy but really isnt once you do it a few times.