Hard wood for a shop floor???????????
loucarabasi
| Posted in General Discussion on
Hey Fellas, I plan on using a tavern grade hardwood floor for my cabinet shop. Does anyone know of a grade to use that will be reasonable in price? And where to purchase ( I am in NJ)
Thanks, Lou
Replies
Lou,
Sounds like a nice shop. Have you checked out
http://www.lumberliquidators.com ?
Chuck S
Got (20) boxes of 3/4" T&G 2-1/4" prefinished oak at LL last week for $2.49 Resold it for $4.09!
Forrest
Tavern grade?
That's a new one on me.
Some of the off brands make stuff available called utility grade that is mostly shorts, culls, and knots that might be OK in a shop.
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you don't spend enuf time in taverns...on the floor...I don't Know what I am doing
But
I am VERY good at it!!
Traditional for a shop would be some sort of edge grain or butcher block scheme.
I believe old tavern floors were yellow pine. You may be able to get 1x6 t&g roofers that would fill the bill. Yellow pine was used quite bit for a finish floor without a subfloor in the 1700's and into the late 1800's.You could leave the floors natural or orange shellac to age them quickly. If the shellac is dewaxed ,you can varnish them afterwards.Though the finishes may be to slick for a shop floor.
mike
I wasn't even thinking yellow pine since he said hardwood.Lot of the SYP flooring around here. I have some acclimating right now on a job.Mostly working class folks get it. The anitique heart pine goes in the bigger houses.
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I kind of want that old textile mill feel on the floor and my feet are aching like all He11!!!! I just want something that I can oil finish and be flat, I dont care about knots or grain pattern.
-Lou
with that in mind pine would be better!is this over concrete or on joist framing?If you are framing it all up, a lot of guys heere use 2x6T&G pine. Solid, shock absorbing, comfortable.
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Piff, any idea on the cost per sq ft?
Thanks, Lou
I'd have to look it up to be sure, but 2.79/sf sounds about right.
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I mentioned yellow pine because he said he wanted the tavern floor look.The old taverns surely used heart pine, almost $11.00 a lineal foot for 1x6 t&g around my way.Not sure what roofers run anymore, used to be about 20% more than 3/4" plywood sheathing.
mike
Lou,
I paid 17 cents a sq. ft. for black walnut flooring. Would you like the rest of the story?
No, you paid $.17 for green walnut rough cut lumber. You had to make it into flooring. Quite a difference.
TomW
Hmm, he's buying low grade cheap wood when he could buy much higher grade inexpensive wood and make it into flooring himself, wouldn't that be a nice shop project? Or am I mistaken, shops should be only used to make jewery boxes and nicknacks?
I apologize for pointing out the obvious..
Yup, you are right frenchy. I don't even know why you can buy flooring already milled. Everyone should just buy green lumber, wait for it to dry, miil it and install it themselves. Obviously.
TomW
Most people would rather write checks than do work. I understand that.. But a shop floor? a hobby shop floor?
Frenchy, Your are wrong about the jewelry boxes. I am relocating my shop. We have to be up and running within 4 weeks. We dont have the time to mill our own stuff. I'm just looking for a flat inexpensive hardwood floor to put down. I dont mind knots or voids, just flat and stable.
Thanks LMC
Hello, Its not a hobby shop
LMC
Well, now that I know that it is a hobby shop...;)
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I know of a few places in NH that I can get white or red pine t&g flooring for around 1.60 a sq ft. I'm pretty sure some of them ship. That price was for 12" widths, narrower woul likely be cheaper. Not familiar with NJ so can't help with anything local to you.
Lou,
Thank you for your clarification, My error in assuming you were speaking about a hobby shop. I apologize..
he is looking for realistic pricing
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Piffan,
If you go to any sawmill that normally sells wood to pallet makers you will find similar prices.. Maybe not for that particular wood but it's clear that the type, grade, or quality aren't terribly important. Cost is..
My perception is that this is a hobby shop.. if so wouldn't making and installing your own hardwood flooring be a good first project?
fenchy, I do go to mills and have bought at bottom dollar prices before.It costs more in labour and equipment to saw lumber out rough than what you are quoting for it. That is if they give the wood away and make no profit on it.
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Piffan,
I understand that most people would rather write checks than do work so that's why people like you have a career. Nothing wrong with that, I'm the wacko that is out of the norm..
However when we are speaking about a shop floor, a hobby shop floor doesn't that come under a differant heading?
I also accept the fact that Minnesota has more trees than your state does and maybe costs here are lower than there..
But my sawmill sells railroad ties for under $20.00 that's 70 bd.ft. for under $20.00 that's less than 28 cents a bd ft.
the railroads are fussy about the wood they get and can afford to get it pretty much wherever it's available.. IF the prices I speak of were that unusual why aren't the railroads lining up the semi's?
In fact I've been telling everybody exactly where the sawmill is for years now, if the price of wood was that low why aren't the readers of this post buying it all up?
Maybe you have noticed that there are several more cuts in 70BF of milled flooring than in 70 BF of RR tie
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Piffan,
And you point is? For the saw mill it's 8 more cuts, and in the case of wide plank flooring, You could take that thru a planer a few times run it over the shaper a few trips and you're on your way. If you're in a rush you'll probably have to pay a kiln nearly $20.00 to dry it for you, or if like me money is more important than time let mother nature do it for free.
I understand your point Piffan it's certainly valid. Because like I said most people would rather write checks than do work. However I hope you aren't annoyed with me bringing up an alternative..
I know there must be others out there who would rather work than write checks.
I think, Frenchy, that Lou builds cabinetry of some kind, from previous posts. So, this would not be a hobby shop. I get the impression he is in the shop long enough to hurt his legs/feet so it is tied to his work vs. hobby.
For my own small "hobby shop" (350 sq/ft) I'm getting ready to just place some 3/4 t&g ply down. New conrete slab with vapor barrier under slab. I figure I'd just paint one side to clean it up and make it brighter and then when it wears enough, just turn it over and use the other side. More comfortable on my feet than the concrete. But this isn't about my shop....The unspoken word is capital. We can invest it or we can squander it. -Mark Twain...
Be kind to your children....they will choose your nursing home.
...aim low boys, they're ridin' shetland ponies !!
oldbeachbum,
Sure plywood is a solution.. I've even seen it on finished flooring.. but it's cost isn't cheap, not compared to what you can buy sawmill wood for.. My cost on any hardwood would be under $7.00 a 4x8 sheet equivilant.
Pallet mills buy wood for around 15 or 20 cents a bd.ft. Look at a pallet some time.. most are made from pretty decent wood (far from furnature grade but not rotten or with filled with holes from knots) the vast majority of it is made with white oak and that's a durable wood for flooring purposes.
I admit that I think outside the box, but if you look at my home you'll have to admit that the wood is great even if it did cost me less than 50 cents per bd.ft. (and if I hadn't splurged on some hard maple and cherry would be closer to 20 cents)
You are right however it's not about us it's the OP place and it's up to him to decide what path to follow. I hope I gave him another option is all.
I'll look for a mill near where I live. It's worth a shot and besides, I'm open to any reasonably priced source if I don't have to machine it too much....The unspoken word is capital. We can invest it or we can squander it. -Mark Twain...
Be kind to your children....they will choose your nursing home.
...aim low boys, they're ridin' shetland ponies !!
I am paying $1.60 s.f. for t&g yellow pine at my local mill.