I wanted to thank all of you that contributed to my knowledge base re: pre-finished hardwood floors. A few months ago I installed a pre-finished oak floor in our son’s 8×10 bedroom (yes…just 8’x10′ – just one of the many reasons we’re building a new & bigger home soon). I decided against the normal wood floor because of the timeframe to get him back into his room and because he’s already very sensitive to various asthma-inducing “stuff” so I didn’t want him breathing anything ‘bad’. Plus we wanted to take out the carpet in his room and let him try hardwood for a year to see if it would help his breathing since he struggles a bit w/asthma. Unfortunately we just did some allergy testing on him and he’s allergic to just about d*mn near everything!!! But I guess the floor will be some help according to his doctor.
Anyway, here’s how it turned out. Keep in mind I work 60-70 hours a week as a salesman…wood floors are not my specialty! 🙂 In fact aside from a Pergo floor I installed about three years ago this is my…SECOND floor ever!!! Thanks again for the help everyone.
– Rob
Sorry all, it was my first time trying to download/upload pics to the forum. Looks like I jumped the gun…hopefully they appear this time.
Thanks,
Rob
Replies
Looks great!
What was the make? the model? how thick? is it real wood on a ply structure? did you lay each strip individually or were there 2 or 3 strips per plank?
(I've been looking for a good real wood engineered oak strip floor with individual strips about 2.25 -3" wide, and plain or quartersawn.)
Jake Gulick
[email protected]
CarriageHouse Design
Black Rock, CT
At the risk of sounding like a REAL novice here, I'll divulge the truth. I walked into our local discount flooring shop and told them what I was doing. They kindly showed me what they had in their "out of stock" section. I said "hey, that looks great and I like the price!" (it was about $4.75/s.f.?). It was standard width - I think that's 2.5" and it was "true" hardwood, 3/4" thick. It was Oak but I forget which type of Oak, maybe red oak. It came from Bruce Hardwood. I really liked the nice virtually 90 degree edges - VERY TINY bevels so from about 6' it looks just like a regular hardwood floor. We plan on building a 3000 s.f. home this Fall and I plan on installing this stuff in much of the house.
- Rob
Thanks for the info! Nothing to be ashamed of there! Looks great, and it was a great way to go considering the situation with your son....
Theres a lot to be said for prefinished!Jake Gulick
[email protected]
CarriageHouse Design
Black Rock, CT
Rob, looks like a very nice installation.
Not a criticism, but more a tip since you wrote you're going to be doing a lot more of this in the future...try to stagger your joints from one run to the next a bit more. It could certianly just be the way my eye deciphers the wood grain in the pics, but in a couple of spots in pic #2 it look like adjacent butt joints are as close as one board width, or 2-3", apart. Again, it could just be my eye being tricked.
Sometimes it's tough if you end up with a lot of shorts.
Again, not trying to be picky...just for future reference.
Still, nice job, congrats!
You guys are being too nice. After I posted that pic I thought to myself "stupid, stupid, stupid!!! Don't let them see that stuff!!!". :-) But you're right, I did get moving a bit too fast and wound up with some butt ends aligned too closely. Will remember next time.
That was the one downside to the pre-finished floor is that there seemed to be a lot of short pieces. This wasn't a problem in areas where I knew I could hide it, like in the closet or where I KNEW we'd have furniture but it did become a bit of an issue in the center. But had I planned a bit more carefully I could have overcome it. Thanks guys.
- Rob
Rob,
I'll let you in on a little secret...and this comes from Mr. Mongo, who, with the exception of the foundation, chimneys, and the drywall, built his own house solo:
By the time you finally get good at something...you're done doing it and you don't have to do it anymore!<g>
Still, stand back, take another look...and be proud.
Ya done good.
stro
Welcome abroad...I mean aboard.
Mongo's comment.....well he's right to a degree,,,,IMO you "just" got away with the butt ends being close. Doesn't look bad on that issue but Mongo has a pont you should be aware of for the rest of yer floor.
Looks great...nice job. You're hired.....lol.
Keep the pic coming bro
BE floored,
andy
My life is my passion!
http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
I know a lot of people who eliminated their allergies by not drinking milk, others corn.
Well, thats one of the issues with prefinished flooring. The lengths you actually get are never as long as you'd like, it seems.
Perhaps there is a make and model that isn't that way, or maybe the solution is getting extra and tossing the shorts. Seems a waste though....
Jake Gulick
[email protected]
CarriageHouse Design
Black Rock, CT