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We’ve got 2000 bf of wide (6″-10″) ash that we want to turn into plank flooring in our home. Looks like it will surface down to 15/16″ or 7/8″. Will be laid on 3/4″ T&G CDX w/ 12″ o.c. joists. Could anyone with some experience answer a few questions:
1. Would a square or tapered tongue work better when we mill the tongue and groove?
2. Will I have any trouble adapting a flooring nailer to this non-standard thickness?
3. We plan to blind nail @ 12″ o.c. on tongue and also face screw and peg. What kind of screwing schedule should we follow (That one’s wide open for all the wiseguys!)
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I'm a big fan of plank flooring. I don't like the "gym" look that typical flooring gives. Yeh, it's fast to slam into place if properly milled but so what!
I don't like the look of plugged boards, to me they can look like they're full of measels. And edge nailing is a waste of time with wide planking.
What I like to see is if you have access to the bottom of the subflooring(like from the basement or crawl space) is the flooring screwed down from underneath. To make it easy you predrill holes from above and then have someone hold the boards in place while you go underneath and screw up into the boards from the bottom. Depending on the type of wood you can space the screws at 4 or 6 inch centers (which should make it easy to avoid the joists).
If you have a wood that moves a lot and swells in high humidity you need to leave a little gap so the wide planks don't cup. In addition when you're drilling the holes for the screws you need to drill the holes slightly larger so the screws can move sideways and not split the wood. (that doesn't mean you leave the boards loose, just that the screws can slightly bend in the holes before the wood splits).
I like a random width look too since all 12 inch boards wood also look too formal to me. What I like to see is start with say a 12 inch row and the next row could be 4 inch etc. I do like to picture frame each room though since that defines the room and lends a more finished apperance.
Rather than tongue and grove the boards. I'd rather use a router to mill a 1/4 inch groove into the side and end of each board. that way I can tie the wood together with a spline without loosing an inch on each boards and creating a lot of sawdust.
Now this method is heavy on using inexpensive equipment rather than special gang saws shapers etc. The trade off is it will take you more time. If you gotta get it done this weekend forget it, way too slow, but if you want something really special that shows some unique apptoach to flooring this will be worth the effort.
*Frenchy,I like that post so much, I'm already thinking about where I can use some wide planks.jim l
*If you mill the flooring yourself or have it done, the two bits used for the toungue and groove should match. Therefore I can see no problems using either one, square or tapered. However most matched bits I have used myself are tapered, but alot of the flooring I have purchased is square matched.My old "armstrong" flooring gun has different plates that can be used for different thickness of flooring. It is not so much the total floor thickness, but the thickness from the top of the tougue to the surfaceof the board. You can easily match that with you nailer.I like laying the flooring first with my gun then lay out my screw pattern. I did a 12" wide pine floor last winter over 16"center joists where I used two screws/plugs @ 32" centers, staggered each course of board. Eliminated the "measle look", Frenchy was speaking of. For your application, with random widths I would suggest 36" spacing with a two course alternation. Especially with edge nailing as well 36" spans on your face nail will be adequate. Be sure to end match or dry- biscuit your ends over joists as well. I usually run my screws long enough to grab into the joists. Pine was no problem running a screw without pre-drilling, but ash I have always predrilled after running a 1/2" forstner for my plugs.Splining works well using the router, but that is a lot of extra work for edges over T&G. I would have the edges down at a qualified shop/mill and save the router/spline or dry-biscuit the ends myself on site.By al means make sure your subfloor is dry as well as your flooring before you start.Sounds like you have the beginnings of a great floor. Good luckwalk gooddavid
*Couldn't you glue down the floor instead of face screwing? Between edge nailing and glue I can't imagine the floor lifting. Or will it?Paul
*Paul, Forget glueing planks of this size. The movement of planks will break just about any glue. Movement caused by expansion and contraction caused by the swelling of the wood as the planks go thru the cycle of dry during the winter and humid during the summer. If you glue wood planks once the bond is broken you'll hear the annoying sound of that glue as you walk over them. The problem is worsened by the cross wood situation you have when you orient planks across the grain. Use glue to put down Pergo and other manufactured flooring. (which should indicate what I think of that kind of flooring).
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We've got 2000 bf of wide (6"-10") ash that we want to turn into plank flooring in our home. Looks like it will surface down to 15/16" or 7/8". Will be laid on 3/4" T&G CDX w/ 12" o.c. joists. Could anyone with some experience answer a few questions:
1. Would a square or tapered tongue work better when we mill the tongue and groove?
2. Will I have any trouble adapting a flooring nailer to this non-standard thickness?
3. We plan to blind nail @ 12" o.c. on tongue and also face screw and peg. What kind of screwing schedule should we follow (That one's wide open for all the wiseguys!)