Replies

1. 
   davidmeiland | Feb 18, 2009 03:25am | #1

   Buckling... you mean the edges of the boards are raising up, or the centers of the boards are? And you are saying this showed up after 3 years? Did anything change in that time?

   7" is a fairly wide piece of flooring and if the material is flat sawn, not finished on the back, installed over a crawl space or basement that is at all damp,not laid over felt... any of the above... then I would not be surprised to see a little bit of movement.

   You might get some improvement by screwing and plugging. The holes drilled thru should be slightly larger than the shanks of the screws. The rows of screws should be in from the edges somewhat, maybe 1-1/4" from each edge and 4-1/2" apart. The floor should be laid over 15# felt.

1. 
   sawdust58 | Feb 18, 2009 03:37am | #2

   thanks for the quick response, I don't know if the wood is flat sawn, it is unfinished on the back, laid over a warm dry heated basement and on blackpaper. The new floor will be over an insulated but unheated crawl space an I asking for more and bigger peroblems?

2. 
   Piffin | Feb 18, 2009 05:19am | #3

   You may have noticed that flooring for a hundred years was mostly 2-1/4" to 3-1/5" wide. only in the last dozen years or so has it become more popular to use wider planks , because designers want to give a feel of the two hundred year old raw and heavy timbered lifestyle.

   That is a design desire, not a practical consideration for the best way to make a wood floor. Consider that a 7" face is almost three times as wide as a typical strip floor, so there are three times the stresses on each fastener.

   That means you do get more movement, some of which is in the form of buckling. If you want it to stay tight, screw and bung it

    

    

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1. 
   Scott | Feb 18, 2009 08:54am | #4

   >>>That is a design desire, not a practical consideration for the best way to make a wood floor.LOL. You are such a diplomat at times (well, maybe rare times...it depends. ;) I'd be tempted to simply say that wide plank, second growth, poorly-stabilized wood flooring is silly. Even then I'm being polite....Scott.

2. 
   sawdust58 | Feb 19, 2009 04:05am | #5

   thanks for the comment piffin, i always enjoy your comments here and in FH. From the few responses I got, it seems ok to screw at least the 7 inch boards. Would you have a recommendation for plug cutter and which screws to use, I would think drywall screws would be a no no, stainless deck screws perhaps?

1. 
   Greg | Feb 19, 2009 04:14am | #6

   Uh oh.... he's questioning the use of Piffin screws.....

    

    The older I get, the better I was....

1. 
   Scott | Feb 19, 2009 07:11pm | #11

   >>>Uh oh.... he's questioning the use of Piffin screws.....Uh oh..... and I called him a "Diplomat".....*slowly backs away from the computer.....Scott.

2. 
   davidmeiland | Feb 19, 2009 05:56am | #7

   Get a Veritas snug plug cutter and use #8 x 1-1/4" interior bugleheads. My local yard sells 'em with a brass-colored coating. They do not snap like DW screws.

3. 
   Dave45 | Feb 19, 2009 06:28pm | #10

   I would use #6 trim screws in whatever length you need to get full penetration thru your floor and subfloor.Trim screws have a small, tapered, head and usually take a square bit to drive them. I run them in so they're slightly countersunk (~1/8"), then use a color matched filler to hide them - as much as possible.The small head means that you have a smaller hole to hide and the right filler(s) can make them almost disappear.Home Depot carries them in several lengths for ~$9.00 per box.

4. 
   mesic | Feb 20, 2009 06:21am | #13

   Because the floor you have a problem with is over a heated area and the present floor will be over an unheated area you may or may not have the same problem.I would surmise that with a heated area below those wider boards would be crowned. So with a floor over an unheated area you shouldn't have a crowning problem. If it was mine I would nail it down only and wait a month or so before sanding and finishing and then chances are it will stay flat. IMHO.Also, nowadays with AC and humidifiers and dehumidifiers etc or none of the above, and where you live, nobody can tell excactly how "your" floors will react [not even me, hehehe.] PS -- You can always screw 'em down.

3. 
   MisterT | Feb 19, 2009 01:12pm | #8

   If you want it to stay tight...re-saw and re-tongue and groove it...;o).
   .
   "After the laws of Physics, everything else is opinion" -Neil deGrasse Tyson
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   according to statistical analysis, "for some time now, bears apparently have been going to the bathroom in the woods."

3. 
   frenchy | Feb 19, 2009 05:36pm | #9

   My whole floor is installed with screws and plugs.. massive amount of time involved. It took me well over 120 hours to do 1000 sq.ft..  However I have random width planks 12 + inches to 2 1/2 inches..   no buckling or crowning at all. 

     Yes they are right you do have to drill larger holes than the diameter of the shank to allow for movement.   

4. 
   [email protected] | Feb 19, 2009 07:13pm | #12

   I think they should be screwed down.  I would use contrasting plugs, with the grain rotated, so they stand out. 

   I'd want to make the statement that this floor was had done, in a labor intensive manner on purpose.