Hi All,
Anyone have comments, good or bad, regarding the use of reclaimed flooring that is 2 inches thick? I am not sure of the wood type, I am awaitng a return phone calle from the seller. I know the width is 8 inches, random lengths and that it was reclaimed from a barn.
Thanks
Kevin
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Replies
Since it's reclaimed, cupping and warping shouldn't be an issue, "barn smell" will be unless both sides are sealed, I think it's more an issue of can you raise your floor 2", you can trim interior doors, etc, but how's it going to work around exterior entry and patio doors, the last step on stairs, baseboard ...
"barn smell"
Good comment. In the late 1980's I worked often in an electronics shop at Warren AFB in Cheyenne. The shop was in one of the many former horse stables from when the Base was Fort Russell.
On a warm summer day, you sure could still smell the horses - the buildings had all been thuroughly cleaned and renovated into "modern buildings' in the 1960's, central AC, etc. -- the horse smell still came thru.
All very good points, yours and the guys who responded before you. Assuming there is no smell when I inspect, any suggestions on how to bring it out, the smell that is?
As to wether it will fit around doors, etc. this is a 125 year old beach cottage 1 1/2 stories high and I only want it for the first floor. I'll be removing the existing floor, leveling the joists and installing flooring. There is a closet door and a threshold to contend with. The front door is already about 3 inches higher than the floor. A reducing strip and cutting the bottom of the door is all.
Thanks
Kevin
> Assuming there is no smell when I inspect, any suggestions on how to bring it out, the smell that is?Take a small sample, wet it, and then heat it.
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
To seal the wood, you might want to give it a really heavy coat of de-waxed shellac, all sides...maybe two coats.
Edited 9/1/2006 3:22 pm ET by johnnyd
I just spoke with the woman selling the wood. She says she's been told it is western red cedar. It was used for the walls of horse stalls. I plan on looking at it tomorrow or Sunday and I'll post after.
Note that it's the bottom edge where the horses (and stablehands) peed.
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
"horse stalls"
Whoo-whee. If it is free I'd take it and let a piece sit indoors near my nose for a month before use, otherwise be sure to do the soak/heat/sniff test Dan mentioned.
Also look for relatively faint ragged edged discolorations that indicate urine soaks.
Don't forget, you're going to have to rebuild the stairs to the 2nd floor so the bottom riser isn't 1 1/2" shorter than the rest....
Bob
I bought a 1000 sq ft of heart pine flooring from an old kitchen cabinet shop - paid $1000 for all of it. It is 2 1/2 thick by 7 1/2 wide with grooves for a 3/4" floating spline.
As I also faced the same decision as you - resawing into several pieces or simply using it as it is, I choose the latter. My wood is over 100 years old and is hard. I am running it through a thickness planer - taking a max of 1/8 total rom both sides just to get it cleaned up and a uniform thinckness. I'm taking lite passes and it's still quite a chore! The wood is still very full of resin so I have to use all the tricks - oven cleaner and spray cooking oil on the planer to keep it reasonably clean.
I'm glad I didn't resaw it; yes I could have used the extra wood or sold it for a nice profit. But resawing would have been quite a job and it still would require planing. My application is a woodshop/studio in the second floor of a new carrage house building that compliments the adjacent historic home and barns. So keeping it as is is both accurate for the building and enhances the value of the property.
You need to assess the wood you are buying, its condition and how much prep you need to do to use it for a new floor. Be cautious about old metal/fasteners in the boards - mine have a few and a good metal finder is doing the job for me. There are shops that can prep it for you but one nick on their blades and you are buying new ones for them, a costly endeavor.
Let us know the condition, species, etc. Sounds like some interesting wood.
Kevin
Couldnt you resaw it and get twice the wood coverage and not have to deal with the 2" wood?
Doug
I have thought of that, not sure how difficult it would be. Good excuse to buy a bandsaw though. I would like to have all the character found with reclaimed wood, so I'd probably put the fresh side down. Pretty sure a local mill could do it all for a price.
Kevin
Kevin
It'd be real easy to resaw and then run the fresh cut through the planer so that all boards are consistant, you'll get a little blade drift with the band saw so the planer would be necessary.
Even if you take it down to 11/16" to 13/16" it will still be good for flooring.
2" just seams to thick to properly nail down, not to mention all the other things that will have to be delt with because of the thicker floor.
Doug
I'd slice it into blocks and lay it up as endgrain if it truly is WRC.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
" If ya plan to face tomorrow, do it soon"
Are you going to put T&G on it or ship lap or lay edge to edge? How are you going to nail it? Not insurmountable problems, I'm just curious.
Wood is already T&G. It was used as walls in a stall and I was told it has a beveled edge. It may be too wide of a bevel for walking on and may have to be remilled with a router. This is all speculation at this point, I haven't actually seen the wood yet. I just wanted to answer your question.
WRC is too soft for an house floor.Makes good decking.