Has anybody used white pine for flooring (kitchen-dining area),if so, how did it work out? How was it finished? Do you think it is too soft?
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I have been in houses with wide white pine floors. They are very pretty but they scar and dent very easy. It kinda depends on what you are looking for. They will give a old antique look once they are beat up. High heel shoes will put little round dents every where. I hope someone else will tell you the best finish.
] Vince
My house is 200 years old. I put a white pine floor in a few years ago and it looked as old as the house pretty quickly. Lots of dents, scratches, etc. with a clear polyurethane finish. Another floor was painted and looks better, since the dents and scratches don't show as much. I'd never use it in a 20th century house, as it is far too soft.
Far too soft......unless an old looking new floor is what you desire.
J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
old looking new floor Great description!!
I assume you really mean "white pine" instead of "heart pine" (which is an excellent floor) but just in case, this is a recent discussion on heart pine floors http://forums.taunton.com/n/find/findRedir.asp?webtag=tp-breaktime&mg=D8FAB39B-D2A1-4C8E-A6C9-2661D23C3BFB
no need to assume. He said it right straight out that he wants white pine
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Glad to see you survived, and still are a pain in patoopie<G> Hey, pocket doors can't come off the track if they're nailed open
you are right, but I don't know the poster, and know that when I was first posting here I didn't know the difference - better to be overly helpful?
sorry - that reply came out sounding ugly, didn't it?
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no, not really - I know that would never be your intent.
Happy Holidays (whichever they may be)!
I'm planning on second floor bedrooms to be white pine. Face nailed and clearcoated. I sure wouldn't use it in a high-traffic/hard use area like a kitchen or dining room, as it is very soft.
My first house had yellow pine on the 2nd and 3rd floors. Still soft as others have said. Would survive if you wore boat shoes or barefoot. High heels were a killer.
House built in 1929. Common practice around here - 1st floor and stair were white oak t&g ( company saw these); 2nd floor was 1/4 sawn, clear, yellow pine, t&g, same width as 1st floor (adult bedrooms); third floor was 1x6, whole sawn, clear, yellow pine ( kid's bedrooms). Smelled like Christmas when the floor sander was running.
Jim
Never underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.
Finished my entire house (circa:1680 cept' the new additions circa:2005) in Eastern White Pine except the areas that had the original floors which were few unfortunatally. I kept f-ing with the little imperfections till I finally gave up. Its been about a year or more and guess what? I can't wait for the floors to get even more F'd up. Looks way better that way. Not scratches necessarilly but all the dings and this and thats really do look good after its aged. I know the people that sold me the stuff (Timberknee and Carlisle) said it "would" look better that way but I thought...yeh right...good way to sell it and cover yer azzes but they were in fact very right! Even the scratches look Ok. I'll go over something like a scratch cause for some reasons scratches bother me...I go over them with a wipe of butchers wax and they basically then just blend in fine.
I soooooo love it! Kitchen bedrooms bathrooms living rooms...the whole house other than one tiled floor in a bathroom.
edit: the tongue oil fumes were getting to me in the powder room...LOL
Be well floored
andy
The secret of Zen in two words is, "Not always so"!
When we meet, we say, Namaste'..it means..I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides, I honor the place in you of love, of light, of truth, of peace. I honor the place within you where if you are in that place in you and I am in that place in me, there is only one of us.
Edited 12/24/2005 11:07 pm ET by andybuildz
FWIW:
I built a 3000 sq ft log home in north Georgia roughly five years ago, and have pine flooring throughout. It's 3/4 thick, nominally 6 inch wide planks, topcoated with three layers of commercially applied poly.
It does dent and scar a bit more that "hardwood", but that's the character I was looking for.
Biggest hassle I've had with it is that it tends to gap more than narrower hardwood, and I've not figured out a good solution for that. I've been told that log homes don't retain internal moisture, so I figure that the gaps are the results of a "dry house". I'm trying a humidifier this winter, to see if I can close up the gaps a bit.
solution is to have it dry first when laid
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That would have been the obvious solution, Piffin. Five years ago, I spent the holidays wearing DCU's in a foreign country, planning a war, and the bride was trying to finish a house. The gaps in the flooring simply remind me of what's important in life, and I can live with them.
comment was meant more for others reasding going forward - not criticism of you. It's character work.
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No offense taken, Piffin - your advise is right on.
Unfortunately, ours was installed in a rush, due to strange circumstances, and held up well for the first three years. I finally got home from far away places, got a vapor barrier in the crawl space, which dried up the house considerably, and that's when the gaps showed themselves.
I was pretty miffed at that point, but a bit of reflection resulted in a more mellow attitude, forgiveness for the bride who took over GC duties while I was away, and now I just contemplate good fortune as I vacuum the gaps.
When the metal roof snaps and pops as it heats, or cools, we just pretend that it's the Indian spirits looking out for us. We made peace with the land, and the spirits have always protected the family while I was away.
mellow is a good colour
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Thanks to all who have replied to my question. My plan (so far) is to use 3/4 x 3 1/4 square edge white pine screwed & plugged to existing subfloor & underlay. I am keeping the boards narrow to minimize cracks caused by seasonal changes in humidity. Any further suggestions & comments are welcome.
OG: (square edge)
Why not t&g? Then any cracks would be more shallow. You could use a flooring nailer to draw boards more tightly together. Your board edges would stay the same height as each other. Any planing mill will t&g your stock for ~.20 lft. Or look online - lumber liquidators has t&g pine - very inexpensive.
Speaking of, does anyone have yellow pine floors? I am likely installing one in a few weeks... durability? sandability? looks? width before cupping and gaps become an issue? best finish?Treat every person you meet like you will know them the rest of your life - you just might!
I agree that T&G or splines are absolutely necessary to keep the material laying flat with WPWe use yellow quite a lot here too. It likes to move at least as much as WP. I remember some 1x3 that felt pitchy damp when delivered. We stickered and stacked for a month first until the owner complained to my boss that he had to see it laid. It still shrank at least 1/8".It issli9ghtly more durable than WP but in the summer growth wood, still easy to mark dent and scuff. Sometyimes you can get it verticle grain or quarter sawn, but generally special order that. It does finish up prettier in my opinion than WP does. The finishers will use more sandpaper tho because it is pitchy so the sp will gum up fast.
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I put 1x6 t&g pine flooring throught my entire house (2750 sq.ft.).That was 3 years ago and they are doing fine. we used regular lumber yard stock, very inexpensive-yet very beautiful!
You can't drag really heavy stuff across it or it will dent and or scratch. I put 3 coats of. satin poly in most areas and 4 coats in the kitchen and bathrooms (4) The few scratches we have gotten we just label as patina and don't worry about it. Interestingly, the planks come up to 16 feet long, and we installed them with staggered joints of course-but we kept them in lo-o-ng lengths so they have a bit of a structual aspect as well. I scoff when I see hardwood laid in such short pieces.
I scoff when I see hardwood laid in such short pieces.
Why?
It's a matter of tastesome like it long and soft
others like it shorter and harder
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Earlywood or latewood ?