help plse-laying reclaimed hardwood flooring

[matt1098]

Symptoms- I hadn't really thought you could buy a thickness planer for diy prices but having looked at ebay they seem affordable. Maybe thats the way forward instead of sanding afterwards. Can you tell me whether the finish from a planer will be up to the job or would I need to fine sand as well if I wanted a really smooth finish? Im also assuming that if I plane a mill off the top then the floor will be all the same level (ie the t&g will all be the same height from the base- probably a stupid question)

Maybe to get the really smooth even finish I need, I should use a thickness planer and a fine sander. Any advice would be very welcome

 

[Symptoms]

matt - yes, you can buy cheapo diy planer/thicknessers which are OK for very small runs but aren't really up to doing loads of hardwood although some of the mid-range 'trade' ones would be OK ... we use a 3-phase Wadkin industrial jobby at our yard.

Short of checking each board you can't assume that boards from a mixed source are dimensionally the same - tongue/groove to base of board and tongue/groove to top of board, there may even be a discrepancy in the tongue and groove sizes. This is another good reason to have a router table handy for correcting these issues of matching on the fly (as you're laying and discover an odd one). All these factores will determine if planing is feasible.

If you really want the worn/distressed/100+year old look (yum, yum) then don't sand (or plane) but you'll have to do a load of careful sorting and matching to avoid adjacent boards having unacceptable height differences. Look at any old floor that's been down a century or more and you will see height discrepancies, splits, etc., etc. Of course, this is only appropriate in an old house if you have one.

You don't need to use any fancy tools to create grooves/rebates for door detail, a handsaw, mallet & chisel are all you need.

WYL - me thinks that could be one of your trick questions

 

[matt1098]

Symptoms-reading your last post has depressed me because if the height from the base to the t&g might vary then Im seriously in the sh*t. Im a DIYer who knows his limits

Ive been told that the wood came from one job- but I got it cheap so maybe Ive been lied to. Having said that the majority "looks" like it came from the same job-from a mill in "Arkansas USA" with 2 grooves on the back. Id hoped that 19mm 2 1/4 oak was like a industry standard but maybe not. I guess Im not going to know until I start trying to lay it. B%&*^%cks

 

[WoodYouLike]

I guess Im not going to know until I start trying to lay it. B%&*^%cks

Can't you 'dry-lay' as trial, say up to 4 - 5 rows (randomly picked from your 'stock)?

symptoms: (genuine wood-engineered floors underneath the genuine cat)

 

[Bondai]

I guess Im not going to know until I start trying to lay it. B%&*^%cks

Can't you 'dry-lay' as trial, say up to 4 - 5 rows (randomly picked from your 'stock)?

Couldnt agree more

Although the following may be irrelevent if you are going sand the boards right down...

The best thing to do if you are new to laying boards. A pro may just look at the boards and know where and which to start laying but if you are new to it (like me) and want piece of mind on how the floor is going to look - although time consuming - lay it down dry (without nailing). You wont regret the extra time you spend preparing and working things out.

Hard work so be prepared because when you start laying it down dry and start 'pick n mixing' your boards (so to speak) then you will have to reverse pile (stack the boards in order of when you will need them) so you end up with your last boards at the bottom of the pile and the ones you need 1st at the top.

On your notes on whether or not the T&G is going to be consistent throughout the boards. If you are going to sand them right down and you find one board 1 or 2mm proud then cant you macjhine plane or sand an equal amount of surface from the back and front so the T&G remains central.

 

[Symptoms]

matt - don't worry about this. When I refer to reclaimed stuff from mixed sources I mean some of your pile from an old wool mill in Yorkshire, some from an old cotton mill in Lancs and the rest made up from an old linen mill in N.Ireland. If it's all impressed with Arkansas USA (and the same vintage) you should be fine for matching and fit.

A mistake often made when laying reclaimed, by non-pros, is to use all the best bits of board (longest, blemish free, etc.) first and so end-up with short manky bits to finish the floor off. Try to think ahead so you have a mix of long/short/medium/shakes/cracks/blemish throughout the floor; obviously avoid placing a really poor board in the middle of the floor for all to see for all time. This is another reason for a router-table setup (with a tongue & groove cutter); you can cut the manky bits off then recut the t&gs on thee ends thus not wasting any of the boards.

 

[matt1098]

Thanks for the replies guys- Lots of really helpful points made.

I have dried laid a few random lengths and they do all seem equal but it does seem as if the odd board has a very very slight wobble after slotted together (not nailed just laid on solid floor) as if the t&g is not always perfectly aligned.

Luckily I have 70 sq yards to play with, 55 of which will actually be reqd.

Bondai- as suggested I will dry run the boards a few rows at a time-good idea.

Does anyone think me mad to put this in the bathroom as well? Obviously this will have a much higher humidity content and will have to be stored in there for a few weeks, but Im hoping with a generous expansion gap and Osmo hardwax oil v thoroughly applied it will be resistant to absorbing moisture and expanding/cupping.

Also is it really going to be ok to end planks between joists with the t&g intact all round to provide the necessary support? That seems a tad optimistic and although certain to increase wastage. my natural instinct is to always end and start a new plank on a joist.

 

[WoodYouLike]

As long as your joist are not further apart than 35 - 40 cm AND the floorboard connects with at least 3 joists you don't have to end on a joist.

 

[Bondai]

As long as your joist are not further apart than 35 - 40 cm AND the floorboard connects with at least 3 joists you don't have to end on a joist.

My joists were 30cm centers (30cm apart)
I tried my best to land on a joist each time but you will find this impossible and the T&G is amazingly strong and sturdy once its connected all round by the other boards so any overhanging of a joist will not cause you any problems.

I didnt make a habbit of overhanging any joist so that the end of a board fell centrally between the joists - which would be the weakest area ( i tried to end near a joist, either just before or just after).

If I were to overhang a board over one joist so that the end did fall centrally between the joists then I would ensure that the boards surrounding it do land on a joist just so that strength is maintained.

 

[WoodYouLike]

Good practice!

 

[matt1098]

Thanks Bondai, wise words.

I now have my wood moisture meter and the wood is reading 14-15%. Can someone tell me what it should be for an upstairs area? I think the joists upstairs are going to read below the min value on the meter ie 7%. Thanks

 

[WoodYouLike]

You Oak wood strips should be between 8 - 11%, nothing really to do with being upstairs.

Can you store them in a place where there is a normal house climate? The sooner they will be within specs (but don't force dry them!)

 

[matt1098]

Thanks- yes I will move the wood upstairs shortly to start getting the moisture level down

 

[WoodYouLike]

Ventilate the room they're in 15 - 20 minutes per day to get rid of excess moist