tombuhl Posted November 25, 2013 Report Share Posted November 25, 2013 I have a client asking about oak flooring. Flat sawn is 25% less than quarter- and rift-sawn. I gave him my basic woodworkers take on stability as well as ray fleck aesthetics. But I do not have any experience with flooring. We live with 65 year old oak floors which look like combo of rift, flat and quarter sawn. Other than the termites liking it, it seems stable and well-wearing. With flooring secured in place perhaps propensity to cup, bow, twist is well restrained. But for long-term I am not sure adhesives and fasteners should have to fight nature. Any thoughts and/or experiences? Thanks much tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted November 25, 2013 Report Share Posted November 25, 2013 Is the oak floor going over a wood framed floor? Are you looking at 2 1/4" wide T&G strip flooring? If so there should be no problem if you leave expansion space at the ends and follow the mfg instructions you should be fine. Quarter sawn is more stable and looks nicer but the plain sawn mixed bundles do just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dustyshop Posted November 25, 2013 Report Share Posted November 25, 2013 hey tom no expert here on wood floors but I"ve put my share of it down usually people are preferring the prefinished wood for its no fuss no fumes no cant be home for a few days thing there some really great product out there if there set on some non finished stuff and want to go through the hassle of having it sanded and stained if they prefer stain then the application of the clear coat I just use the basic floor nail technique and then sand and finish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dustyshop Posted November 25, 2013 Report Share Posted November 25, 2013 yea what wdwerker said in any floor system being installed always repeat always leave expansion gap at all and everything the wood will encounter that includes not touching under doorjams walls cabinets etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted November 25, 2013 Report Share Posted November 25, 2013 Can't add much except to say I recently had some 'solid oak' pre-finished flooring installed from the local home center, and it turned out to be 2-ply. Apparently the mfg attempted to address the possibility of wider boards cupping by make a simple lamination. Or maybe they were just too cheap to use even 'tavern grade' lumber at full thickness! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRBaker Posted November 25, 2013 Report Share Posted November 25, 2013 +1 on expansion room on the ends of the boards. I also like to leave room for expansion throughout the runs of the flooring by putting a row of pennies about every fifteen or twenty runs. Once you get the tongue and groove fitted together, stand a penny on edge in the crack, about every two feet down the row. Once your floor is completely nailed down, go back and pull the pennies before sanding. Otherwise, you're in for a bumpy ride. This will eliminate any worry about expansion unless the floor is flooded with water. You do not need adhesive. Yes, it will take a lot of pennies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted November 25, 2013 Report Share Posted November 25, 2013 Over the years, I've used all sorts of Oak flooring, including several houses with 5" wide White Oak. The wider it is, the more it will move from season to season. 5" will leave a little crack during heating season between the boards, but will close back up the rest of the year.If it's over a heated basement, or lower floor, it will stay flat just fine even as seasons change. I wouldn't put anything wider than2-1/4 flat-sawn over a crawlspace, but would use 3-1/4 quartersawn.My favorite is 3-1/4 quatersawn.The trouble with prefinished is that each piece has a shape to each edge leaving a groove at each joint. I like sanded, and finished in place so it's all nice and flat. With modern sanders, dust is not a problem. You wouldn't want to live in the house for a few days with some of the solvent based finishes like Moisture Cure Urethane though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tombuhl Posted November 25, 2013 Author Report Share Posted November 25, 2013 Over the years, I've used all sorts of Oak flooring, including several houses with 5" wide White Oak. The wider it is, the more it will move from season to season. 5" will leave a little crack during heating season between the boards, but will close back up the rest of the year. If it's over a heated basement, or lower floor, it will stay flat just fine even as seasons change. I wouldn't put anything wider than 2-1/4 flat-sawn over a crawlspace, but would use 3-1/4 quartersawn. My favorite is 3-1/4 quatersawn. The trouble with prefinished is that each piece has a shape to each edge leaving a groove at each joint. I like sanded, and finished in place so it's all nice and flat. With modern sanders, dust is not a problem. You wouldn't want to live in the house for a few days with some of the solvent based finishes like Moisture Cure Urethane though. thanks, Tom Severe temp swings are not a big problem here in Santa Barbara. Some folks run a furnace in season, but just enough to take the edge off, not blasting out hot, dry air for months on end. But wood is wood. We love it, but best to have good info before breaking out the checkbook. I appreciate your input. Happy Thanksgiving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G S Haydon Posted November 25, 2013 Report Share Posted November 25, 2013 Hi Tom, Client's expectations, as always, are key. If I have clients who are nervous about movement I push them in the direction of the engineered type board which has a 6mm wear layer of oak on a ply base. For me it's something I like but for aplications over undefloor heating and similar it does really great stuff. It responds well to secret nailing and if you have concrete sceed this Elastion product works well in combination with engineered board. http://www.elastilon.com/uk/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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