I recently visited a museum and noticed that the floor consisted of 2×4 blocks with the end grain facing up. It looked nice and was probably made from scrap 2×4 cut offs left over from construction.
I laid a small section of flooring using blocks I made from scraps and ran into some problems right away. First I noticed that I would have to allow for expansion in two directions. Then I discoverded that the variation in width and length of each 2×4 meant that I had to thickness and rip each scrap for conformity. Next I learned that applying the blocks with water based glue caused the blocks to warp and cup. Finally I noticed a lot of uneven spoty sections when I applied a finish that I guess was due to moisture still in the wood even though I let the blocks dry for a week before I installed them.
Has anyone had some success with a floor like this or any pointers?
Replies
"End Block" floors have been around for centuries. They are almost never made of soft woods, and are not 2X4 cutoffs. Lots of these floors can be found in Europe where they are still serviceable after hundreds of years. You'll also see these floors in the N.E. in old taverns and industrial facilities.
Letting the 2X4s acclimate for a week would have accomplished nothing given that the lumber probably still contained over 20% moisture content.
Installing and finishing this type of floor would be considered 'advanced' floor installation. Not because of the difficulty of the actual installation (it's not that difficult), but in understanding the hygroscopic properties of wood and it's relationship to its environment. Did you consider how much moisture would be absorbed by applying a water based product to the end grain of a piece of timber? Did you read the moisture content of the blocks????the subfloor??? RH in the room?
"End Block" floors today are usually cut from oak 2X2 or 3X3 (dimensional) timbers 1" in thickness. Glued down with a trowellable moisture cure adhesive. After the first or second low grit passes they are then trowel filled and finish sanded. 3 to 4 coats of penetrating oil finish, like Watco or Waterlox, is applied and buffed to the desired sheen level.
Ditch
Ditch
The first time I saw this was on a Bob Vila show, the guy laid them down like tile, with a runing bond, then they grouted with a mix of varnish and sawdust. Wondered if the grout would hold up?
Have you ever seen it done that way, I always wondered because it was on BV,and didnt know wheather or not it would work.
The wood they were using was recycled from some old mill in Chicago and I believe it was oak.
Just curious cause I have some old oak beams and thought about doing it.
Thanks
Doug
This subject has come up many times & been thoroughly discussed.
Advanced search for "end grain floor" found these, and I'm sure there are more. Many were lost in the move to Pisspoor-o.
http://forums.taunton.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=tp-breaktime&msg=17685.1&search=y
http://forums.taunton.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=tp-breaktime&msg=2383.1&maxT=7
http://forums.taunton.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=tp-breaktime&msg=12969.1&maxT=6
One started by Tina G, another gone missing...
http://forums.taunton.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=tp-breaktime&msg=13251.1&maxT=7
http://forums.taunton.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=tp-breaktime&msg=6185.1&maxT=5
There's more.
Joe H
Anybody have an idea how to convert Joe H's links to the current forum software's indexing, 17 years later?
In the search block at the top try entering “end grain flooring”
Or
Try this link and explore......
https://www.finehomebuilding.com/?s=End+grain+floor