We are laying an engineered wood floor in conjunction with a shadow gap trim. The shadow gap trim screws directly onto the plasterboard, lips back in and then down to form the detail.

 

I understand that a expansion gap is needed around the entire perimeter of the engineered wood floor at approx 10mm. How would this typically work with a shadow gap detail like this?

 

We have no skirting board to cover the expansion gap and the shadow gap trim is only a few mm thick. Certainly not 10mm, so if leave a 10mm expansion gap, we'd see a gap and raw edge of the engineered wood panel? 

 

Any advice or guidance on how to go about making this work?

 

Shadow Gap Trim:

 

Double sheet the plasterboard

1st layer hides the expansion gap

 

 

8 hours ago, TonyT said:

Double sheet the plasterboard

1st layer hides the expansion gap

 

 

Ah got you. It's a bit too late for that now unfortunately. Are there any other solutions?

Are the boards on battens (e.g service void)

 

If so boards can go back further than the recess of the trim and the trim goes down onto the top of the floor board not behind it.

Glue (+nail if you can) the board down, wont need an expansion gap then.

21 minutes ago, crooksey said:

wont need an expansion gap then.

Maybe.

I have a parquet (in tiles) floor which was fine for a few weeks then pinged up as a whole, to about 100mm.  This despite a 10mm cork surround.

Then I relaid it with 20mm surround and it shrunk.

It is non-engineered, and glued down.

 

Engineered flooring has behaved better, being plywood effectively,  but I'd still be wary of the forces that might rip at nails.

I think it depends on room dimensions, more than the manufacturers say.

Still worth following the instructions I think.