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Help: Making own Flooring

MrSQL | Posted in Construction Techniques on January 20, 2005 04:57am

Hello from North Carolina.

Need help.  Here’s where I am with this project:

I’ve cut about 4000 bd ft of Red Oak 1×6 (8′ and 12′ lengths).  It’s been cut for some months and is stacked and stickered and under cover air drying.  It’s going in my house (about 2000 sq ft to have hardwood floors). 

I’m about to take it to be kiln dried (about $150/1000 bd ft) and surfaced (about $40/1000 bd ft).  What moisture content should it be dried to?  I’m thinking about 7-10%.

As for milling it to flooring.  If I can’t find someone to do it for me I’m going to

  1. rip one side of each board straight (have jig for this); may have to cut some boards in half that have too much crook
  2. rip all boards to same width
  3. mill toung and groove with a shaper (with power feeder for safety and to make it go easier) no milling planned for ends of the flooring (any better/easier method?) 
  4. back cut the boards on the bad side to help reduce warping

As for laying the floor:)

  1. let the framing of the new house dry (what’s the best way to assist this drying out?)
  2. let the wood acclimate to the room for a week
  3. nail it down over felt paper using pnematic hammer type flooring nailer (brand recommendations?)
  4. plate join board ends

Sanding/finishing:

  1. allow wood to acclimate about a week before sanding
  2. sand
  3. finish with a good oil based polyeurethane

I’m a first timer on this and am wondering if I’m making a big mistake.  My biggest fear is that I’ll put all this effort into it and have a bunch of warped boards and expensive firewood.  BTW:  I’m a computer programmer by trade (used to be a carpenter and have done quite a bit of furniture making (and saw milling)).

Any thoughts, answers or recommendations from the more experienced would be helpful.

Thanks,

Roger <><

 

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Replies

  1. wivell | Jan 20, 2005 05:09am | #1

    Roger,

    Lot's of work there but go for it.  7% should be a good target for MC.  Don't worry about plate joining the ends - a slight bevel cut should be good to ensure tight fit on the ends.  I would allow the wood to acclimate for longer than 1 week before installing if possible.

     

    Scott

    1. jimblodgett | Jan 20, 2005 05:46am | #2

      So after drying, and t&g shapering, you're boards are going to be around 5+1/2"?  I'd say that's chancy to rely on t&g and blindnailing for boards that wide. They're gonna move with seasonal humidity changes.  

      Maybe I'm just a worrier, but I'd face nail, or screw and plug boards that wide. There's a reason most strip t&g flooring is 2+1/4".

      (Look into having your boards "straight lined", well worth the investment)

       

      Edited 1/19/2005 9:47 pm ET by jim blodgett

      1. Piffin | Jan 20, 2005 06:30am | #3

        Time he is done milling and straightening, and remilling, I doubt he will have much more than 4.5" face on these, and one reason that most strip flooring is that narrow is that good wide stock is hard to find in oak.Of course, we don't know how good his stock is. if typical, it will definitely yank itself aropund, but if really good, it might try to co-operate.If he wants the wider stock and not face nailed, he could combine blind nailing with Bostik flkooring glue.As far aas acclimatation. I would dry to 7-8% and then sticker in house for min two weeks or until it is close to same as subfloor, but not over 11%. Backpriming with a sealer or shellac first will help stabilize it too. I would not worry about letting it re-stqbilize for a week before sanding and finishing.I agree that he has his work cut out for him. It will have to be a labour of love. 

         

        Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

        1. User avater
          MrSQL | Jan 20, 2005 07:13am | #5

          Hello,

          I liked the idea of back priming the boards and stickering them in the house for 2 weeks.

          When using the Bostic flooring glue, do you not use felt paper between flooring and sub-floor?  I thought the felt was to prevent moisture from getting to the flooring and to help reduce squeaks.

          The quality of the stock I'm starting with varies.  It won't be all of one grade.  There is some clear, some quartered, some #1, some #2 (very little of this because I would probably cut shorter lengths to get the higher quality).  I was thinking I could use the nicer wood inthe entry way and dining room, the #1 in the informal areas, and the #2 in the closets.  It's all been very carefuly stacked and stickered, but I'm expecting about 25% waste (i.e. boards I'd rather not use), that's why I cut 4000 board feet for 2000 square feet to cover.

          Shoot, I could tell you about a lobor of love.  First I had to build a pole barn to run the saw mill in and stack the wood.  Then, I cut each of the trees myself and dragged them out of the woods.  The trees (about 6 or 7 of them) were from 34" diameter down to 20" diameter; got about two good logs from each.  It's been a lot of work so far, and I'm not out of the woods yet :)

          Roger <><

            

          1. Piffin | Jan 20, 2005 07:17am | #6

            Main purpose of paper under flooring is to reduce squeaks. The adhesive will do the same. It is potent stuff, but has some elasticity to allow some minimal expansion without breaking the bond. 

             

            Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!

      2. User avater
        MrSQL | Jan 20, 2005 06:55am | #4

        Jim,

        Thanks for the advice.  I was thinking that I'd wind up with 5" width, but mabey less (hopefully not).  In my reading on the subject, this width seems to be about the max that I could go without face naling or screwing/plugging.  I was thinking I would start out with 8" boards and blind nail/plug it, but I didn't really like the plugged look.  So anyway, I also thought the backout cuts on the back side of the plank would help prevent any cupping.  One book recommends face screwing this width only midway on long planks (> 6 feet).  I'l have to look into how to get the boards "straight-lined". 

  2. User avater
    hammer1 | Jan 20, 2005 10:32am | #7

    With your saw mill experience, I guess you understand how important stickering is. Hopefully your ends have been sealed as a log and your stickers are within two feet of each other and in a straight line, one on top of the other. Make sure the boards are correctly stickered when going in the kiln and the kiln operator has experience with furniture grade hardwoods. There is a heck of a lot of work milling that much material with small machines. Also challenging to get it consistent. Have you thought about having it milled by someone with a foursider? A good millwork company will also have a gang ripsaw. The foursider will mill the T&G as well as a back relief, there won't be any variation in width. Laying floors with slight variations in width ain't good.

    Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

    1. artman | Jan 20, 2005 02:34pm | #8

      Laying flooring 5" wide is an art in itself.But I'm not sure I would tackle it if I was milling the boards straight myself. Unless your cutting boards 4-6 feet in lenght its mighty difficult to get a consistant straight edge with a consistant width. You would be monet ahead to just have your wood milled into flooring by a company with a four headed milling machine."The purpose of life is rapture. Here and now"

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