Tongue and Groove Timber

Consider the Versatility of Tongue and Groove Cladding

Are you contemplating a timber finish for some internal decoration, planning to repair wooden fences, or perhaps want to build a garden shed? Inside or outside, tongue and groove timber cladding could be the material for the job. Available on eBay in a variety of styles and produced from hardwoods or softwoods, T&G timber boards can be applied vertically, horizontally, or diagonally.

Tongue and groove boards vary in thickness, width, and length. This, along with the timber the planks are produced from, will have a bearing on the price of your boards. For example, if the project is to give your bathroom a Swedish style sauna look, or to add a more rustic charm to your kitchen by adding pine tongue and groove panels to walls and ceilings, using thinner, narrower planks would probably suffice. However, if you are replacing rotten timber flooring, thicker, flat, tongue and groove boards will be required. Always check manufacturers or suppliers specifications for the different timber cladding sizes, as well as the timber your boards are made from.

Besides being produced from a range of timbers such as pine, larch, cedar, and redwood, T&G boards are also available with different profiles such as:

• Loglap tongue and groove cladding: A T&G board with one flat side, and one curved side, giving the appearance of having been cut from a tree trunk, (which it has). This style of boarding is very popular when building kids’ log cabins, summer houses, or man caves.
• Flush finish tongue and groove cladding: Both sides of the board are flat, with a rebate on one side and tongue on the other. Clipped together they provide a flat finish. Popular for new flooring but can be used anywhere a flat finish is desired.
• Chamfered tongue and groove cladding: Chamfered to 45 degrees on both edges of one side, the boards form a vee when clipped together. One of the more popular styles of T&G timber boards for cladding internal walls and ceilings.

If your cladding is offered as Tanalised, it has been impregnated under pressure with a Tanalith wood preservative. Nonetheless, unless there is a reason you just want a bare wood finish, once the project is completed, it should be treated with a good quality varnish. Or, especially if outside, one of the many coloured wood preservers/water repellents available should be applied.