OK, I have an entrance hallway to floor beyond a quarry tile foyer. I’m in
Menards and seeing unfinished Fir flooring that is ‘1×4’ with a resulting 3″
exposed face. It has butt ends and no relief kerfs on the bottom, and is in
varying lengths from 4′ to 12′. It says “mixed grain” and “C and BTR
flooring”, and seems generally clear. It seems to be coming out to
$2.20-$2.52/square foot, depending on length. I think I would like the
finished look of this, but cannot find any installation information,
especially how to treat the butt joints (bevel ’em? put over joists that are
I-beam type on 12″ centers?). The wider width would be easier to adjust
than the ‘normal’ 2.25″. What with ‘normal’ unfished red oak flooring going
for $2.50/square foot., I’m wondering if the aesthetic difference with the
Fir is worth it? What is this stuff? Thoughts/suggestions appreciated.
TIA, Tom
Delphi, IN
Replies
I have Doug Fir plank floors in my house and I love them because they're in keeping with my semi-rustic Northwest log and timber frame house. They're stained with light walnut which really brings out the grain. The grade of my floors is similar to what you describe with VG, slash grain and flat grain mixed which makes for some interesting appearance.
That being said, be aware that Douglas fir is pretty soft, tends to be splintery and is tricky to sand. The fact that the wood you are looking at is not end-matched is of little consequence because the tongues and grooves of the planks on either side of the joint will hold it in place.
I installed mine with my Porta-nailer with 2" nails on 12" to 16" centers but counterbored, screwed and plugged the butts about 3" from the ends. (If you do this, make a little jig so you can place the screws and plugs evenly).
The floor was layed on 1 1/8" subfloor and #15 felt and I had no problems. The floor has been in place for 5 years now and looks good with the rustic, slightly distressed look I was hoping for.
However, if you have kids, dogs or steady company and don't want to invest in throw rugs or ask people to tremove their shoes, I would steer you toward a hardwood.
Personally, I prefer a wider plank than the 2 1/4" oak, and some other species, like Maple can be pretty reasonable in price.
Hope this helps.
Notchman, thanks yes that does help, though I'm reluctant to consider this stuff 'plank' flooring. I have 3/4" subflooring and was going to use 15#felt.
3/4" subfloor is fine if it's in solid shape. I was told once by an old floor guy that "plank" floor was anything 31/2" or wider. I dunno. I also like long pieces which I found was easier to find with the fir (I had a random length order, some were 20' long).
I should also have mentioned that the fir is a little more sensitive to humidity (probably because of the abundance of other than vertical grain) so it moves a little. The hardwood floors I've installed seemed to stay tighter (and it's a good practice to make an effort to get a nice tight fit as you nail).
fir flooring was the standard until it was displaced by oak around the '60's..Mike Smith Rhode Island : Design / Build / Repair / Restore
True, but what I've seen in most of the older homes is VG; still available but about $4.50 plus per ft. unfinished. Here in the PNW there was also a lot of Western Hemlock used which pretty hard when kiln dried and can be quite attractive.
Has anyone had any experience with bamboo flooring? Last I looked, it was priced like oak, and at the same price, I'd much prefer oak.