*
I removed three layers of laminate in my 100-year-old California home kitchen. I found 3 1/2 inch (actual) wood planks at the same elevation as the sub floor material (1×6) in all of the other rooms. The material that I found was t&g and appears to be installed with finish nails, so to me it doesn’t look like the floor was meant to serve as a sub floor material. It has a slight red tint to it that appears to be paint or stain, however I’m not sure. My intent originally was to replace the laminate with H/W flooring as in the adjacent dinning room, however it has a very natural look and has a very natural appearance, although I don’t know how durable it would be. Can anyone tell me if this material is sub floor, if not, is worth refinishing and using as permanent in the kitchen?
Thanks
Replies
*
Redtint...Redwood?
*sounds like you've got a typical 1x4 T&G flooring..in many houses this is the sub-floor and finish floor..especially in mild climates or when building summer homes and beach houses..before there was plywood, the sub-floor would normally be 1x10 #2 t&g and then the finish floor would be 1x4 fir ... or strip oak..but in saving money... many eliminated the sub-floor and just went single layer..your floor is PROBABLY fir, with a varnish finish...
*Based on the age of the house, I'd go with T&G Douglas Fir. This was the subfloor of choice at that time.I cleaned up a set of stair treads made of these. Oiled, and waxed. They looked really sharp when done.
*My guess would be pine. Can you see any grain to the natural wood? If it's the original sub floor (applied to the joist) then you might consider insulating between the joist underneath it. It could make a great finished floor.....warts and all.Ed. Williams
*If you want a for sure answer see below. It is the e-mail reply to my inquiry. This is a free service, if you pay taxes you can do a couple per year for free.-RobYou can send the sample to me at the address below. It usually takes 2-3 weeks for an identification, but we can usually accommodate deadlines and special requests for quicker identifications.When you submit a sample, please include a letter stating where the sample originated and any common names associated with it. Normally the sample should be 3 inches wide X 6 inches long X 1/2 inch thick.Regis B. MillerUSDA Forest Service, Forest Products LaboratoryOne Gifford Pinchot Dr.Madison, WI 53705-2398Tele: 608/231-9200FAX : 608/231-9508EMAIL: [email protected]://www2.fpl.fs.fed.us/
*Martin:From my experience in Northern California I would say that you have some old Douglas Fir with a nice tight ring count. You can still see the front porches of old Craftsman and Victorian style homes around here decked with a clear, tight vertical grained Douglas Fir, usually 1" x 3" tounge and groove. The inside finish/subfloor is similar; usually wider boards. Although I don't know for sure, my guess is that the floors were painted or stained but 90% covered with rugs. In retoration you see the parimeter of a room with lots of coats of something and the interior where the rugs typically were is raw or not kept up. That old Douglas Fir is actually very tough stuff and the tight vertical grained stock was, and still is, used for stair treads. I have seen these floors restored with stain and paint. Yes, this wood can have a very slight pinkish or red tint under the right conditions.
*Yep, I second on the Doug Fir. West coast, 100 years old? You got some tight grained wood. Many time it was layed on the diag. installed before the walls went up, just like a subfloor.The red tint could be leachate from laminate floor or other.