I have been shopping online for a flooring nailer and it seems that some prefer a ratcheting type flooring nailer, others don’t. The same nailer, the non-ratcheting Bostich MFN200 got both rave and rant reviews. In the same vein, I get conflicting views on finishing the Black Cherry flooring; some say polyurethane, others say urethane. All agree, however, on avoiding water-based finishes. Experts?
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Cherry is too soft for flooring.
Mr T
Happiness is a cold wet nose
Life is is never to busy to stop and pet the Doggies!!
Is it softer than Douglas fir or heart pine?
Douglas fir and heart pine are also too soft.
but there is tradition
DF and HP are also available in longer lengths and thicker thinknesses, which made them appropriate for structural flooring.
Aged and worn DF and HP will achieve a rustic appearance.
Cherry will just end up looking like $hit.
Cherry is a furniture, cabinet and trim wood.
there are plenty of harder flooring woods out there that will be both beautiful and durable.
Save the cherry for the trim!
Mr T
Happiness is a cold wet nose
Life is is never to busy to stop and pet the Doggies!!
I'm more interested in the type of nailer to purchase (I will have a lot more flooring to install in the future) than in the comments on cherry as flooring, which I would respectively disagree with. Yes, it is inferior to oak and others, but it is a beautiful wood and I have thousands of board feet of it (I am a logger who has a kiln and shop and am able to scrounge and get some quality cherry at sweat cost only). And in this area (western PA/NY border), you see cherry flooring on occasion and it works.
As for the comment on urethane, thanks; it's just that I've seen some labled as urethane, some polyurethane and I assumed that there was some difference. I was more interested in finding out if there is someone out there who has finished cherry flooring and had recommendations. Again, thanks all.
Where you at??
I'm in Elmira, NY.
Always looking for inexpensive Lumber!!
Mr T
Happiness is a cold wet nose
Life is is never to busy to stop and pet the Doggies!!
" some say polyurethane, others say urethane"
They are one and the same.
I thought (spar) urethane was commonly used to refer to an exterior grade polyurethane. The exterior grade included UV inhibitors.
Polyurethane defined: http://www.psrc.usm.edu/macrog/urethane.htm
http://www.woodzone.com/articles/wood_finishes.htm#Varnish
No, in fact that 2nd link never mentions urethanes, but polyurethane.
But there are enough variations in the type and amount of oil, and I think that amount of link of the urethane and other additivies to still have a number of different characteristics of polyurethane varnish.
Do a google on urethane varnish and you will get a number of hits on both interior and spar varnishes.
And a google on polyurethane spar varnish will get a number of products.
Ridge,
Bostitch nailers /staples are all we use, I think they hold better over time (my opinion). Last year we installed more than 30k sq. ft. with staples only.
Set the pressure to around 60 psi and adjust from there.
No species is too soft for flooring (my opinion). Walnut has come back in a big way, specifically distressed and hand scraped in wide plank common grades.
IMHO, American Black Cherry makes a wonderful floor. It will dent...so what....it will build character quickly. Soft? Yes. Beautiful? Yes. Stable? Yes. Finish acceptance is superb.
Also consider Jatoba. Very dense...about double the hardness of oak. Jatoba (Brazillian Cherry) will patina and look very much like Am. Blck. Cherry over time. It is also far less expensive. Be careful with suppliers of B.C. Quality and grading are all over the map. I can hook you up with a supplier....about $3.75 per sq.ft. plus shipping.
Good luck,
Ditch
I Bow to the superior Knowledge and experience of Sir Ditchburn!!!
Mr T
Happiness is a cold wet nose
Life is is never to busy to stop and pet the Doggies!!
Mr T is right, cherry is too soft for flooring it damages easily, but w a cleaner, more finished grain than pine or fir, it really looks damaged, not just character marked... installed and finished a lot of american cherry, advised customers against it hey, no one listens to me, all seemed to be disappointed afterward when the damage starts setting in also photosensitive, burns in a lot like oil base better on floors, but waterborne does look good on cherry use three coats either way, but if particular waterborne requires a seal coat, use three coats of water poly on top of it
cherry worth a lot on market, seems like you could move the stock at a profit, pick up a t&g flooring that would work better get a pneumatic gun if doing future flooring, will save a lot of labor bostitch is most popular, reliable, parts are avail
If you are willing to put a little more $$ into the finish, you may want to consider a polymer finish.
Different from polyurethane, polymers will actually put a hard-as-rock finish on the floor that is much harder than the wood. Think basketball court finish.
A little more difficult to apply, a lot more expensive... but I have used it twice and was extremely impressed with the results. We used a commercial Valspar product (contact a commercial finish rep, not a domestic use one), but there are many to choose from.
With the drawbacks of cherry as a flooring (but I will admit it looks very good), this type of product may be the better solution.
When we were choosing the finish on one of the projects, the rep came out and coated a piece of oak with this stuff. Took overnight to completely dry. The next day, he came out and put the piece of oak to the test. Placed it under the treads of a small dozer that was on site... with almost no damage to the finish. I was sold... and the money-conscious owner was sold.