Hope I explain this correctly!

I will be installing 3/4" T&G hardwood floor perpendicular to floor joist in a room that is 14' x 21'. I will be ending at the foyer where there is existing tile. The long portion (not ends) of the boards will be up against the tile. I know the wood floors naturally widen & shrink depending on humidity. Just wondering if this will cause a problem when the floor widens and there is no space between hardwood and tile. Will, or could, the wood floor blow out the tile or the tile cause the wood floor to wave or pop up. The area that meets the tile is the 14" part but only about 6' actually hits tile as there are walls to each side.

Actually found a resonse to this question finaly through a search. Recomended sand texture "grout caulk". With the room being 20 feet long, do you think a 1/4" flexible caulk line is big enough for expansion? The 1/4" is max. recomendation from manufacturer of caulk.

BUMP - Sorry, I'm really looking for an answer.

Start off in the room center working both ways and the 1/4" gap should work fine. You may need a foam backer rod under the sanded color matched grout caulk or let it shrink and reapply it. I try to match the grout joints and the expansion gap so everything has an equal appearance.

If you start off in the opposite wall you could use a 3/8" expansion, it will work. It is mostly up to your environment, keep the temp and RH within a proper range year around and the floor will have minimal movement anyway.

http://www.surfacesbyjerry.com/38.html 3rd photo shows an example.

Jerry,

Thanks for the reply. Based on your great response I was thinking of doing it this way:

Center of room screw down a 4" piece of MDF from wall to wall. Blind nail the first row and work towards north wall. After a bunch of rows are done (or that side of room completed), remove the MDF, glue spline in groove side of that first row and the continue working out from there to south wall. This way everything in center of room is blind nailed.

Comments?

That's right, the idea is no face nails in the field. The MDF will work if it is not thicker than the flooring so the stapler will sit flat when you blind nail. Screw the MDF to every joist and then screw between too because the MDF will flex.

I think the best way for a homeowner to do this is to sacrifice some flooring. There are good reasons for this and will keep you from learning something the hard way like I have.

Pick out some good long straight boards for a center of room starting row. Use some shorts or cosmetic culls for the sacrificial back up boards. Insert the tongues of the sacrificial boards into the groove of the starting row. Doing this makes sure that the starting row is being installed flat so that the reversal part will be correct and in plane. Space the back up boards every foot or so and make sure that you have a back up board spanning all butt joints. Finish that part, or go 4 or 5 rows before you take up the back up boards.

Dry fit the splines the whole length and use scraps of flooring to make sure everything will fit good and tight. Then you are ready to reverse. I glue and blind nail my splines. Use scrap pieces of flooring when you blind nail to make sure the spline does not angle down when it is fastened. Keep a scrap piece of flooring seated in both sides of the nailer as you go along. Finish that row and then go ahead and install the next row before you quit for the day.

Good luck!

Jerry,

You are the BEST !!! Thanks for your answer that gave me more then I asked but definately things I needed to know do it right. I am now fired-up to get going on this project. Now to bring in the bundles (acclimate) and wait, wait, wait ....

Thanks again, Frank

Trust me, I am far from the best on here. I learn something new every time I visit.