Visiting from the Woodworking side, quick question: I have the opportunity to redo my garage shop, and was wondering if I could use hardwood flooring as a wall covering? (I saw it at a restaurant this weekend and it looked pretty cool) I can obtain a good deal on some strip flooring and wood like to use it to cover the one outside (currently non insulated or drywalled) wall. (I am in NJ, concrete floor attached, non-heated garage.) Few questions:
Assuming I insulate the wall, can I install the hardwood flooring using 15 gauge finish nails? (I’ve installed plenty of hardwood floors in the house with a bostich flooring stapler, but I think it would be awkward to use on the wall.) I will not be hanging any particularly heavy items on the wall. And should i use an additional adhesive?
Would I need a plywood “underlayment” or could i just nail the boards at the studs?
How would using an engineered laminate (cheaper and already finished) change this plan? (I pan to hang some flexible cabinetry from a single long french cleat attached at the studs so I’m not so concerened about the strenght of the laminate)
Thanks for the help.
Dave
Replies
I think you'd get better value and a better finished product by installing, say, 1 X 6 T&G with a V-groove. Whenever I see 2 1/4" strip flooring on walls I think it's an inappropriate material choice. 1 X 6 T&G (maybe pine or fir) run vertically is probably less costly and a better design choice, though I suppose that's a matter of personal preference. To run vertically simply install blocking between the 2 X 4s, you could then blind nail it.
jm2cw
In a living space, I find strip flooring looks cheesey applied to walls. Just looks as though someone had a bunch of leftovers. You could get away with it in the garage though.
I have used it as a wainscotting myself. Ran it through a router table to bevel and bead the edges. It was a lotta work.....but I was matching existing that was over 150 yrs. old.
J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
Won't it be hard to get the floor sander up there??
Bruce
Between the mountains and the desert ...
Just from a wallcovering perspective, using 15 ga nails will work ok. But if youi plan to hand stuff off the wall, I think you would want to screw the cleat to the studs. If you screwed the flooring to the studs, and plugged the holes, that would work, then you could attach cleats directly to the flooring. But not if it's laminate. That would be decorative only.
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt