Replies

1. 
   Guest_ | Sep 28, 2000 07:08am | #1

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   I assume you are talking about putting down #1 T&G SYP boards over subflooring.

   Old growth SYP is an excellent flooring material. It is dense, hard, stable, true and generally free of loose knots. Reclamed SYP (or hard pine) flooring is available from specialty mills like Goodwin Lumber http://www.heartpine.com and Southern Wood Floors http://www.southernwoodfloors.com (both advertise in Fine Homebuilding and there are a couple of others there as well). The stuff really looks good. Certainly appropriate for a high end home.

   I would not use #1 T&G SYP boards. They are not milled for this application which means you will have to deal with gaps and bevels at the seams. Second and third growth SYP is not as dense or hard as first growth. I would be concerned about movement and wear. Boards are rarely straight or flat. Finally, even #1 has some loose knots that will have to be culled and even then may not show up until the floor has been in use for a while. With some work, I think you could make it look good on closing day but I would not want to stake my reputation on it.

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   Guest_ | Oct 05, 2000 04:46pm | #2

   *In my home, I have 1000sq. ft. or so of 2x6 T&G Doug Fir glued and screwed 16" o.c. This is local stuff, ungraded but is unofficially 2&BTR. I had the mill "stick" it upside-down. This means, the V-groove side is down and the square-shouldered side is what I walk around on. It is installed over a well-vented crawl. Grade is sealed with a 6 mil. barrier. Three years down the road, the floor is quiet, firm and really, just a darn good floor. I culled for snipe, planer chatter, etc., etc. and for appearance. For myself, I've no reservations, but if I were to build this floor for spec. I'd be sure the overall project embraced slightly rusticated, "hand-wrought" detail. Mind you, I'm not using these terms as euphemisms for "close to, but not quite good." What I'm saying is- be sure you're not hoping to sell to Mr. and Mrs. A. Retentive... If you get my meaning.In a nutshell, this approach allowed me to buy 1 floor instead of 2, and the result is honest, attractive and durable, in that additional minor imperfections make almost no difference at all. Hell, some people pay good money for this kind of slight, restrained distressing...

1. 
   Guest_ | Oct 06, 2000 01:37am | #3

   *I agree with Steve and Freelance. SYP is a good floor wood. It is not as tough (hard) as oak or maple, but not far off, either, especially the old-growth, reclaimed stuff Steve mentioned. One approach I've had some success with is to design pine floors to look rustic or even stressed. This may not be feasible for you, but in the right situation face nailed, old-style cut nails look pretty cool.One floor I've refinished was SYP laid down as a subfloor in the '30's or '40's. It really is beautiful, and has stood up to punishment (from a hot tub sitting on it and dogs scratching) fairly well.Good luck,MD

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   Guest_ | Oct 06, 2000 06:12am | #4

   *b WBA At Your Servicerjames (you're not secretly the Superfreak are you ?) A friend of mine had a builder do a nice small custom home for himself which he trimmed, painted and basically finished himself. Against my objections, he chose a SYP floor primarily for cost reasons. I helped install it and it was a mighty big pain in the ass. By the time we were done straightening every other board, resquaring every end (No T & G on the ends) and sorting through all of the snipes and chips (yes it was #1) I would have paid the difference for the red oak, bought the beer and cooked lunch ! Then after one heating season- you can stick more than playing cards in between every joint. And the sanding of the summer grain, oy vey, up down all around. Are you building rustic cabin specs ?No thanks...

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   rjames_ | Oct 06, 2000 06:16am | #5

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   Has anyone ever finished a T&G subfloor as finished floor. I'm considering trying it on some high end spec homes.