I am planning to reuse some 50+ yr old oak flooring. I have already pulled the flooring up because the 1×8 ship lap flooring was squeaking like crazy. We had the house lifted off the foundation to put a new basement underneath and this did a lot to loosen the flooring and the 1×8’s.
I screwed down each 1×8 and then glued and screwed 3/4″ OSB down to give a solid, even floor. I want to lay down 30# felt (to eliminate squeaks) and reuse the Oak flooring. It is #1 clear 2-1/2 strip flooring. My concern is this stuff is HARD. I am concerned that when I re-nail the flooring, the tongue will break off. Some of the holes from the original finish nails used to fasten the flooring already had some cracks in the tongue.
Any suggestions or experience in nailing this stuff back down?
Thanks
Tim
Replies
Toolman;
I just did the same on a decent sized patch, using oak flooring about 50 years old. I used some flooring nails (steel cuts) as that's what held the floor down originally. The cuts today seem heavier than the old ones. There was some splitting. On about half of the piece I did, I wound up using hardened spiral nails, and predrilling with an undersized bit. PITA? Yeah, but with the old dried out wood, I didn't feel there was a lot of choice. For what it's worth, I was not using a machine to nail. The guys that do it daily may tell you that makes the difference.
Don K.
EJG Homes Renovations - New Construction - Rentals
DonK,
How big was the patch and how long did it take to drill and nail (by hand I would assume and then finish with a nail set) PITA is right!!
I have 150-200 sq ft to lay.
TimYou buy a cheap tool twice and then you're still stuck with a cheap tool!
Tim -
Mine was about 60 square feet, probably took a day or so. Actually a little longer. The reason was not really because of the drilling. That takes 5 seconds for each hole. I was working over an old sub-floor that was very bumpy and out of level, and I was trying to shim and level as I went along, plus I put a small rectangular area in the middle where I reversed the pattern (turned it perpendicular) and set up a 1 inch mahagony border between the two, and I had to cut and piece in to an existing floor on two sides.
There's another thread around here on the zen of carpentry. Enjoy the zen and don't get hung up in how long it takes. It will look nice when it's finished.
Don K.
EJG Homes Renovations - New Construction - Rentals
I'm still interested if the porta nailer style nails would work since they are thinner ( but wider). Or will they just split the tonge even worse?
Anybody with experiance in this?
TimYou buy a cheap tool twice and then you're still stuck with a cheap tool!
Tim - I don't know what you mean by porta nailer style nails. Easy solution? Try it. if you lay two or three boards and the tongue splits off, or separates badly, try plan B (whatever that is).
Don K.
EJG Homes Renovations - New Construction - Rentals
bump. I thing that porta Nailer has the wider, flat style nail. Is this less likely to split the old Oak flooring.
Looking for any experiance.
Thanks
Tim
I though of 1 more question. The original flooring was prefinished and has a chamfer on both sides. I want to sand it down after installation. Just curious if it would be a good idea to run the strips through the thickness planer first to get the finish off. I am a little concerned about blade durability as I'm sure there is embedded dirt which will be tough on HSS blades.
Tim
You would be better off installing the floor and then sanding it in the conventional manner. Using a planer on boards with varnish will fry the planer blades in a hurry.********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
I have a couple of rec's for you. First, I would use the Porta-Nails type nailer as it is a cleat style. DO NOT USE A STAPLER! They are going to break that type of tongue off. The PN also has a nice ratchet feature for those of you who don't 'swing alot'. It allows you to keep hitting it if you don't sink it the first time.
I would disagree with sending it thru a planer. There are bound to be 'humps' of wood on the bottom after removal that would really mess up the surface.
NOFMA says to nail every 10-12", I would say every 8" by going one ON the joist and one BETWEEN. Also putting down felt paper does nothing for squeeks, it only mitigates moisture from below. If you have a dry basement with concrete, no reason to.
I would tell you to try use a can opener along the edges of the floor to get rid of any old finish so that it can installed tight. Keep your floor within 4% moisture content of the house and ideally around 8% year-round. (humidity less than 35%)
You could also talk to your sander for more tips.