any input out there on using biscuits with wood flooring?
i’ll be installing some 3 1/4″ wide fir strip flooring (interior). the stuff is not milled with t&g for the butt joint….i will place a biscuit at each joint. question is whether to glue these butt joints or let them float? local surveys get me about 30% glue, 70% don’t glue.
finish will be with a water based polyurethane….should i be concerned about raised grain? using a sanding sealer? i’ve not used water based finishes yet with fir, but have seen what they can do to pine.
jk
Replies
Don't use sanding sealer under poly.
Water based will raise the grain and you'll just sand it fine between coats anyway.
Oil based is much nicer amber colour complimentary to the natural grain.
biscuit or no is fine. It's a lot more work but might eliminate one or two squeeks down the road.
Excellence is its own reward!
I would recommend not gluing the end joint biscuit.
An alternative, which I find quicker and easier to do; use a 1/4" slotting bit in your router with the appropriate bushing to achieve a 1/4--5/16" depth. Mass rip 1/4x 1/2 splines (you can use plywood) and cut to 2-7/8" . You can cut all your end slots ahead of time and concentrate on install. Before running the next course of flooring, slide in a spline, dry.
I am a proponent of end matching. However with 3-1/4" flooring you could probably have a good, stable floor without.
I have 500 sq. ft. of fir flooring acclimating in my livig room, that I plane to install in two weeks. This is some old flooring that my brother and I pulled out of a motel we where remodeling. I figure its about 50 years old. I like the look of old wood floors and am not concerned with some nail holes, so I was going to face nail my butt ends.
I have some experience installing new hard wood, but have never done the finish on them. What are you going to use and can one person do it alone?
Also were did you get yours ( the fir ), is it new or old, and do you know how much this stuff would cost?
Any help would be great, thanks.
93 cents / lin ft up here.
If you face nail ends, plan to spend a lot more finishing..
Excellence is its own reward!
bought this stuff for 22 cents a foot from a builder supply that sells mostly overstock, closeout, and damaged stuff. apparently it was salvaged from a truck rollover somewhere in alaska or canada. this is pretty mixed grade stuff though...knots and rocks from the road....some extra cost in labor dressing it up. i wouldn't call this a typical price, particularly up here. $4 to $6 a square foot is more likely for ready to install product.
where is "up here" piffin?
a finish question as well.....anyone have any experience with a product called OS hardwax oil? it's apparently a blend of vegie oils and waxes and it claims to be as durable as polyurethane. i'm not a big fan of poly film finishes in general, but it often seems to be the best option for a floor. this OS stuff sounds good, but its pretty spendy.
jk
Hi,
I just applied a bunch of the OS Hardwax oil to some new flooring I laid (ash, birch, maple, white pine, and a little red oak). It's pretty forgiving to apply and looks great--satin sheen, more toward flat than gloss. I like the way it maintains the appearance of the grain. They say 2 coats is all you need.
After letting it cure for three weeks with a "socks-only" treatment, I have to say that the surface does seem to scratch easily. Shows up on the darker wood, not so much on the light. We have a toddler, granted, but it still seems not to be all that bulletproof. Maybe poly would do the same thing--but I was a little disappointed.
But they say the hardwax oil is easy to spot repair, and you never have to resand the entire floor.
I guess I'd recommend it if you're prepared to deal with surface scratches, but perhaps a really tough poly would hold up better.
Ed
thanks ed,
sounds like it looks great....just the kind of finish i like. the durability end of it has me concerned. do they mention anything on the label about ability to top coat it with polyurethane down the road?
jk