Nothing was ever said about "not expecting movement", that's a recipe for disaster. There needs to be adequate space for movement in opposite areas, as stated. Also stated....depending on areas, layout, the entire situation. Sometimes you have to think out of the box. The manufacturers generic instructions don't. After installing thousands upon thousands of feet of floaters...you know what will work with all variables considered, past the generic instructions. Just as any pro in any profession, in their specialty. I'm not knocking manufacturers instructions, but they don't cover everything.

I have to agree with Mickey. Having been out on hundreds of inspections and seen locked in situations many times, it can lift the floor and make it bouncy. Plus being right at the top stair....not this guy. At this point your going to be liable for any other situation that rears its ugly head because of one thing you did wrong.

All that aside, if you make a mistake fo some kind while fastening it is easier to replace a plank than on a floater IMHO. Floaters just move all over the place, not just toward the tongue.

Been on hundreds of inspections as well. How is the floor going to be "locked in" without 2 opposite tight points?

In addition... How much expansion are you going to get in the width of a hallway? Easily and safely accomodated by leaving a little extra expansion on the opposite wall.

As far as "manufacturer requirements"...Dude! I know myself, you avoid t-mouldings where you feel comfortable.... and rightly so, nuff said

Hey, it's your world, I'm just a passin through.

Avoiding T-mouldings and butt cuttin are two different animals. I'd butt cut on a fasten down or gluedown with engineered but not a floater.

Ain't my world buddy Well I guess that's open to definition.
Come on...you didn't answer my one pertinent thread related question.....

How is the floor going to be "locked in", without two opposite tight points?
Especially considering the rate of expansion in the width of a hallway.
Now we're talking a hallway here guys, not a 12x20 room,( that I wouldn't advise).

I'll cut you slack on the T-mouldings...for now . But that is also movement/expansion related.

I've seen 20 x 20 sf rooms upstairs. Whats the hall attached to?

It would have to have a 5' doorway to that room, in order to avoid required t-moulding. Of coarse if no required t-mould was installed......different game. Or a t-moulding can be installed...even at 5'.

How is the floor going to be "locked in" without two opposite tight points? Installing the required expansion in other areas. It's not.

My concern was more with the area were the fasten floor met the floating floor due to movement from the pad.

Shouldn't have that kind of movement, unless the subfloor isn't flat.

Well, if you have a lot of floor behind it and it expands a bit, wants to move all that weight behind the floor, heavy furniture etc, the floor is going to lift. Thats just my theory. Floaters move all over the place not just towards the tongue.

That said, I have done entire ranch style houses without a T in any doorways. And wrapped around a kitchen back into the hall. But I left extra expansion EVERYWHERE! hee hee

I can see we're going in circles We're not talkin "a lot of floor behind it"...we're talkin the width of a hallway.

Yes, floaters...specifically MDF floaters move in all directions, engineered floaters...very little if any in the length.

Heavy furniture, even floor safes, pool tables, etc., will not hinder a floater from moving, even in a hallway, but not many pool tables in the hall,( pool halls don't apply ).

Your counterdicting yourself with the t-moulding theory...not me on that one. Not only do t-mouldings allow for required expansion...but they also seperate rooms subject to different environmental conditions, therefore different movement, which needs to be seperated with a floater, room to room.

But no one stated what was behind the hallway? Could be a pool hall, who knows. These days there are engineered with MDF cores out there, or is it HDF? Could be both. No one said, so blanket statements do not apply.

I don't think I am contridicting myself as I leave plenty of expansion without T-molds.

Right, no one stated what was behind the hallway. BUT, if you install a t-mould, ( as per manuf.), it doesnt matter. Whatever's off the hall would be segregated, from the hall. Comprenda ??

Here's the deal with the no t-mold theory/contradiction . Not installing a t-molding and leaving plenty of expansion may be o.k., but can still be a game of poker, depending on environment conditions. Of coarse your warranties are void if you don't install the t-mold.
But thats only one point to the requirement of a t-moulding. The other issue, of not installing a t-molding, that's high potential problem, is the variation of movement from room to room with a floater. Each room encounters a different rate of movement due to footage and environmental differences from room to room. Ultimately that difference in movement pressure will tweek and buckle the floor in that doorway, and hinder natural movement in the other areas.

Are we on page three yet? Or is it page 4?