Feasibility of reclaimed wood flooring
We are in the process of buying a circa 1970s cedar shake house with vile gold carpeting throughout. There is available enough 100-year-old fir flooring to do all of the floors in the house, at a very good price. It must be sanded, refinished and installed. The final consideration is that we live in an area of constant ambient volcanic dust, and some have said it makes no difference on the finish of their wood floors, while others have said they’d never put down a hardwood floor in this landscape. First, is this reclaimed wood flooring a good idea, in itself? Second, can it be finished with a sufficient protectant to make maintenance reasonable? Third, is it preferable to use a polyurethane/varathane finish or an oil or wax finish on hardwood? Lola
Replies
Lola,
I like old flooring much better than new. It can be a little harder to install and finish but a good floor guy can handle it. For a really tough finish I like Polo-Plaz moisture cure urethane.
No volcanos down the bayou,
KK
Merci, cher. Lola
Lola - you ask what the best finish for a hardwood floor is, but you say you are considering installing a fir floor. Fir is a softwood and although I think it makes beautiful flooring, there is no skin type finish you can put on top of it that will prevent the inevitable dents and wear. That's just the nature of fir flooring.
You can stiffin it up a little by putting an oil modified polyurethane into it/over it, but you're still going to get a lot of pitting and denting. I'd try to highlight this character by oiling the floor instead of putting a skin type finish on it. You might look into Livos non toxic wood finishes. I've used them on fir and Red Oak and I really like them.
We took maple flooring out of an old school building and installed it throughout the downstairs of our house about 18 years ago and it's held up great. Just consider how much wood there is left above the tongue. You'll want enough to remove about a buisness card thickness when you sand it after installation, then maybe plan on resanding some time in the future.
Hey kk, you got the hatches all battened down and the claymores out?
We got the boudin out instead. Maybe some crawfish bisque (sp).
I have relay maple floors out of an old lumber yard office also.
Etoufee'?
Thanks, Jim. As I understand your answer, the oil and the polyurethane are exclusive of each other, not to be used together? Lola
You can use penetrating oils to color wood, similar to the way we commonly use stains, then urethane over that to protect it, sure, you betcha. Nicest set of Red Oak cabinets I've ever built were finish that way - poly over Watco natural - beautiful still ten years later.
But what I was saying was that since the wood itself is soft, and floors take a ton of abuse abrasives-wise, that floor is gonna get "character" no matter what type finish you use. A pentrating oil does just that - penetrates into the pores of the wood - so when the wood gets dented, or waorn down a little through abrasion, there's still plenty of color IN the wood. Polyurethanes form a skin over the top of the wood, and so, rely on the surface strength of the underlying wood to support it. When a poly finish gets damaged, it wears off, leaving the wood unprotected. And the hole will then rapidly grow as the edges wear back from the center.
I don't think any polyurethane will be tough enough to stand up for long, or resist more denting and scratching than the wood under it. They work okay on hardwood floors, not great but okay, but I think they would be a poor choice for a softwood floor.
Now, an oil modified polyurethane is supposed to kind of be a hybrid. The oil content is supposed to wick down into the wood, and the urethane is supposed to form a protective skin. I believe that's the principle behind all these famous "1 part boiled linseed oil, 1 part turnpentine, 2 parts urethane" (or whatever) homemade finishes folks swear by.
Is there a difference between "oil modified polyurethanes" you pay 30.00/gallon for and a 30.00 gallon of urethane mixed with 2 5 dollar gallons of mineral spirits? I don't know, but it would make an interesting study. Hopefully someone will come along with their opinion.
25 years ago I was managing an old apartment building on Venice beach, where the tenants track in sand. It had T&G Doug fir subfloors under carpet, etc. On turnovers, I'd rip out whatever was there, sand down the Doug fir, and urethane it. The results were OK if you don't mind it being sort of on the rustic side. You won't get the kind of long lasting perfection of an Oak floor, but the tenants really liked it even with the wear and tear. There'll be dings, gouges, gaps, and black rust stains around old nail holes all over, but if that's OK with you, then go for it. Subsequent turnovers varied from a good mopping to light sanding and more urethane.
BTW, I'm taking up a lot of T&G Doug fir subfloor from my present place. I'm going to be doing a dropped subfloor and tile on mortarbed for the master bath, laundry, and utility rooms. So if anybody in the LA area wants some circa 1926 old growth T&G, let me know.
-- J.S.
We put down about 1600 sq ft of 6" cherry shorts in our house. Got a good deal on it. I sanded it with orbital sander and we finished it with a mix supposedly like the old Watco oil finish. My paint guy suggested a high quality tung oil 2 parts, boiled linseed oil 1 part, and good quality mineral spirits 1 part. Dear wife hand rubbed a minimum of two coats and I ran a buffer with synthetic steel wool (scotch-brite) to give it a matte finish. It can be touched up and has held up well. Marks and scratches add character. It mops ok with damp mop and we have had no problems.
Our longest visible run is almost 45 feet, it is very pretty sight to see these 12 to 20 inch boards straight as an arrow.
Waterlox is another fine finish http://www.waterlox.com/
EliphIno!
I'm super late to the party but I was just curious what you ended up using? Did you go with reclaimed wood or new wood. Seeing some of the photos of reclaimed wood flooring at https://www.appalachianwoods.com makes me lean that way (depending on the cost)
I have fir floors from the early 1900s in my house, built in 1850 in Maine. So these floors have lasted over 100 years in my house. It is a beautiful wood with the tight grains and long boards. It does wear and dent pretty quickly. But it's a good looking floor. I'd be interested to know what you finish it with. I'm about to sand mine down and refinish.
I have a 3" t/g standard hardwood flooring boards.
Reclaimed wood, like your 100-year-old fir flooring, is a great choice for both style and sustainability, especially considering that we got our house through a property management company https://estateagentsdagenham.co.uk/property-management/. The property was restored using similar materials, and the reclaimed wood fits perfectly with the character of the home. It can definitely be finished with a durable polyurethane or Varathane finish, which will provide a strong barrier against dust and dirt, especially in your area with volcanic dust. While oil or wax finishes are more natural, they require more maintenance. For durability and easier upkeep, polyurethane is recommended.