FHB Logo Facebook LinkedIn Email Pinterest Twitter Instagram Plus Icon Close Icon Navigation Search Icon Navigation Search Icon Arrow Down Icon Video Guide Icon Article Guide Icon Modal Close Icon Guide Search Icon Skip to content
Subscribe

In every issue you'll find...

  • Expert insights on techniques and principles
  • Unbiased tool reviews
  • Step-by-step details to master the job
  • Field-tested advice and know-how
Subscribe Now!
Subscribe
  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Videos
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House
  • Podcast
  • Join
  • Log In
Subscribe
How-To

Finishing Rough-Sawn Flooring

If you’re installing the new flooring parallel to the existing nail-down floor, use a plywood underlayment first to avoid large gaps.

By Charles Peterson Issue 269 - Aug/Sept 2017
Abrasive buff: To get a rough-sawn floor smooth enough for bare feet while retaining its rustic character, use a floor buffer with a maroon pad and 220-grit abrasive strips.

My older house was built with the hardwood flooring laid directly on the joists. I’m going to use this current floor as a subfloor for
new, rough-sawn, tongue-and-groove white-pine flooring. How should I finish this new floor? Should I give it a light sanding and then oil it? I want to keep the rough-sawn look, but I‘m worried about splinters.

— Sebastien Caron, via email

Charles Peterson: Before we get to finishing, let’s talk about prep work. If you’re installing the new flooring parallel to the existing nail-down floor, you need to add a minimum of 3/8-in. plywood underlayment first—otherwise, large gaps can occur from the combined seasonal dimensional changes of the two wood floors. If you’re installing the new flooring at a 45° to 90° angle to the existing, additional underlayment may not be required.

The romance of rough-sawn wood flooring generally wears off if the floors are not lightly sanded before finishing. Typically, I first work any areas that might catch a foot with a hand-held orbital or belt sander. Then I use a floor-ing buffer with a fine-grit maroon abrasive pad and 220-grit sandpaper strips to sand the entire floor until it’s smooth enough that bare feet won’t pick up splinters.

Waterlox (a tung-oil finish) is a common option for eastern-white-pine floors. Try some on a sample board. If you want more color, try adding a tint to the Waterlox (for example, a 25% to 50% mixture with DuraSeal Golden Brown stain) on the first and second coats. A pine floor will require at least four coats, and you’ll know you’ve put enough on when the sheen is even across the entire floor and no areas look bare. I have had 200-year-old floors take seven coats of finish. To apply it, I like using a roller. You can brush it on, but that’s time consuming. A traditional lamb’s wool applicator can also work, but it might leave fibers on rough areas as you draw the applicator across the floor.

Sign up for eletters today and get the latest how-to from Fine Homebuilding, plus special offers.

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters
×

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

New Feature

Fine Homebuilding Forums

Ask questions, offer advice, and share your work

View Comments

  1. User avater
    user-6231182 | Oct 22, 2017 08:02pm | #1

    What widths are we talking about here and is the flooring blind nailed ? regular T&G pine flooring 3/4 or an 1"

Log in or create an account to post a comment.

Sign up Log in

Become a member and get full access to FineHomebuilding.com

Up Next

Video Shorts

Featured Story

Tools for Managing Home-Building Financials

Production manager Ian Schwandt explains how financial tools such as QuickBooks or Buildertrend can help companies track project costs for a healthy outcome.

Featured Video

Micro-Adjust Deck-Baluster Spacing for an Eye-Deceiving Layout

No math, no measuring—just a simple jig made from an elastic band is all you need to lay out a good-looking deck railing.

Related Stories

  • DeWalt Recalls 12-in. Sliding Compound Miter Saws
  • Cordless Mud Mixer and Drill in One
  • Durable Wide-Plank Floors Made From Hickory
  • Podcast 473: Heat Rising, Removing Chimneys, and Undersized Nailer Nails

Discussion Forum

Recent Posts and Replies

  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
  • |
View More Create Post

Highlights

Fine Homebuilding All Access
Fine Homebuilding Podcast
Tool Tech
Plus, get an extra 20% off with code GIFT20

"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

Video

View All
  • Podcast 473: Heat Rising, Removing Chimneys, and Undersized Nailer Nails
  • The Hole Truth: How to Properly Place, Cut and Drill Holes in TJI’s
  • The Concrete-Free Floating-Plywood Slab Assembly
  • Podcast Short: Why Is My Wood Floor Cupping?
View All

Power Tools

View All Power Tools Articles
  • 6-in. Random-Orbit Sanders
    6-in. Random-Orbit Sanders
  • Compact Cordless Recip Saws
    Compact Cordless Recip Saws
  • An image of a person cutting wood with a cordless saw
    Why You Should Use a Cordless Saw
  • cordless miter saws
    Compact Cordless Miter Saws
View All Power Tools Articles

BOOKS, DVDs, & MERCH

Shop the Store
  • 2021 Fine Homebuilding Archive
    Buy Now
  • Pretty Good House
    Buy Now
  • Code Check Building 4th Edition
    Buy Now
  • Outdoor Projects
    Buy Now
  • Shop the Store

Fine Homebuilding Magazine

  • Issue 309 - Aug/Sept
    • 10 Steps to Install Crown Molding on Cabinets
    • How to Get Sturdy Walls Without OSB
    • Choosing the Right Construction Tape for the Job
  • Issue 308 - July 2022
    • Pretty Good House Book Excerpt: Copper Farmhouse
    • 10 Dos and Don'ts for Electric In-Floor Heat
    • A Sturdy Rail for Outdoor Stairs
  • Issue 307 - June 2022
    • How to Raise a Post-Frame Home
    • Trimming Deck Stairs
    • Evolving an Energy-Efficient Envelope
  • Issue 306 - April/May 2022
    • Framing Stairs to an Out-of-Level Landing
    • Building a Zero-Energy Home for Less
    • Good-Looking and Long-Lasting Traditional Gutters
  • Issue 305 - Feb/March 2022
    • The Steady Surge in Residential Solar
    • The Fine Homebuilding Interview: William B. Rose
    • How Good Is Your Air Barrier?

Fine Homebuilding

Follow

  • twitter
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • pinterest

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

Membership & Magazine

  • Online Archive
  • Start Free Trial
  • Magazine Subscription
  • Magazine Renewal
  • Gift a Subscription
  • Customer Support
  • Privacy Preferences

Taunton Network

  • Green Building Advisor
  • Fine Woodworking
  • Fine Gardening
  • Threads
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Copyright
  • Terms of Use
  • Site Map
  • Do not sell my information
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility
  • California Privacy Rights

© 2022 The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved.

X
X
This is a dialog window which overlays the main content of the page. The modal window is a 'site map' of the most critical areas of the site. Pressing the Escape (ESC) button will close the modal and bring you back to where you were on the page.

Main Menu

  • How-To
  • Design
  • Tools & Materials
  • Video
  • Blogs
  • Forum
  • Reader Projects
  • Magazine
  • Members
  • FHB House

Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk

Webinars

  • Upcoming and On-Demand

Account

  • Log In
  • Join

Podcasts

  • FHB Podcast
  • ProTalk

Webinars

  • Upcoming and On-Demand

Popular Topics

  • Kitchens
  • Business
  • Bedrooms
  • Roofs
  • Architecture and Design
  • Green Building
  • Decks
  • Framing
  • Safety
  • Remodeling
  • Bathrooms
  • Windows
  • Tilework
  • Ceilings
  • HVAC

Magazine

  • Current Issue
  • Past Issues
  • Magazine Index
  • Subscribe
  • Online Archive
  • Author Guidelines

All Access

  • Member Home
  • Start Free Trial
  • Gift Membership

Shop the Store

  • Books
  • DVDs
  • Taunton Workshops

More

  • FHB Ambassadors
  • Reader Projects
  • Podcast
  • Customer Support

Account

  • Log In
  • Join

Newsletter

Get home building tips, offers, and expert advice in your inbox

Signing you up...

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
See all newsletters
See all newsletters

Follow

  • twitter
  • facebook
  • instagram
  • pinterest

Join All Access

Become a member and get instant access to thousands of videos, how-tos, tool reviews, and design features.

Start Your Free Trial

Subscribe

FHB Magazine

Start your subscription today and save up to 70%

Subscribe

We hope you’ve enjoyed your free articles. To keep reading, become a member today.

Get complete site access to expert advice, how-to videos, Code Check, and more, plus the print magazine.

Start your FREE trial

Already a member? Log in