Q:
I’m planning to mill some maple for flooring that will go over a plywood subfloor. How wide and thick should I make the boards, and should I quarter-saw the wood? What moisture content should I aim for before installing the flooring?
James V. Ryan, Putnam Valley, NY
A:
R. Bruce Hoadley, a professor at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and author of Understanding Wood , replies: To figure out the dimensions of wood flooring, a 3-to-1 (width-to-thickness) ratio is a good rule of thumb to follow. So if you plan to dress the flooring to 3/4 in., then mill the face width to 2-1/4 in. To keep winter cracks reasonably narrow, you probably ought not make the board any wider than 3 in., in which case you should increase the thickness to a full inch.
I would certainly recommend quarter-sawing the stock for maximum stability. For your area, I’d air-dry the stock to a 20% moisture content, then condition the stock indoors down to at least 7%. For flooring, 5% or 6% wouldn’t hurt, and if possible, I’d plan to install and finish the floor during the winter months, December through February.
