prefinished, solid hardwood floors..

[thatguy]

I have carpet in my office that we want to replace with hardwoods flooring.. Most of our house has solid hickory hardwoods (3.25", unfinished when put down - no stain), but since its only a 12x12 office/bedroom we want to go the prefinished route..

We dont need anything 'hand scraped' or anything else special..

What should I be looking for when comparing prefinished, solid flooring? most have similar 25yr warranties, with a few having 50 yr - but pricing really varies it seems..

Any recommended mfgs?

would i need hickory 'quarter round' or what other wood would look similar enough

What would you recommend putting down over the plywood subfloor? resin pape or other?

I am thinking I could install it myself (some friends have a nailer) - am i crazy for thinking this? I have access to different saws needed to make it fit

From looking online it appears the cost would be between $4 and $5.50/ft - depending on mfg and width

thanks for any ideas/suggestions

brian

 

[CinderSchnauzer]

One person's opinion:

Try to save the current baseboards (remove & reinstall) and forget the 1/4 round. Screw down the existing subfloor - every 6". Install it yourself. The only potentially tricky part will be making the transition from the office to the rest of the house at the doorway.

 

[thatguy]

One person's opinion:

Try to save the current baseboards (remove & reinstall) and forget the 1/4 round. Screw down the existing subfloor - every 6". Install it yourself. The only potentially tricky part will be making the transition from the office to the rest of the house at the doorway.

I wasnt planning on taking up the baseboards at all.. I 'thought' I could just pull up the carpet and padding... nail down the first one or two rows of hardwoods 1/4" to 1/2" from the baseboards (to allow for expansion/contraction) and continue on with the flooring... Then put down the quarter round to hide the gap..

Am i wrong in my thinking?? I can see me really tearing up the baseboards or wall trying to get them removed..

brian

 

[CinderSchnauzer]

Sure you can do it that way with the 1/4 round. The way I suggested just reflects my own personal taste as to how the finished job looks. Some jobs I've seen with the 1/4 round it doesn't match the floor or the baseboard either and doesn't look like a nice finished job.

If your friend has the nailer / compressor and you have the saws and are even half way handy the installation is pretty easy as a DIY job. Hint - the wider the board you use - the less nailing and fitting. I'm doing a project using 3/4" x 5" oak plank and it goes very quick. The first row is fairly critical, since once started everything else has to follow. Try not to have a 1/2" piece as you last board. Hardwood usually looks better if run the long way in a room, but you should really go perpendicular to the floor joists.

If this is your first try - take your time - measure twice - cut once.

 

[om21braz]

Although they don't show hickory being available, a company in your home state makes as good of solid hardwood flooring as anybody. The company is Ten Oaks located in Stuart, Va. I believe they were previously Stuart Flooring until the gent that started the company passed away and left it to 10 family members - hence the Ten Oaks. A quality product made entirely on site. A link is below.

Ten Oaks, LLC

 

[/pine]

FWIW...I prefer to use "shoe molding" rather than 1/4 round...I just think it looks better

 

[PILOON]

I have done quite a few floors over last couple of years as my main source of income.
Always used what we call grey felt paper as the under lay.
(And not roofing felt with a tar base.)
Theory is that it goes to dust as it wears and for sure it prevents squeaks.
In fact I learned from an old pro that a squeaky floor can be best cured by brushing talcum powder into all the joints.

You might also wish to add screws to the plywood underlay to assure that it is up tight to the joists. More squeeks originate from that source than any other.

It is also recommended that the flooring lay about in the room for a couple of days so as to even out the temp and balance the humidity in order to assure nice tight joints.

Staples (or flooring nails) should be about every 10-12 inches with no less than 2 per length of wood.
Never align joints with the last row of flooring for the best look.
Whatever you cut off at the end of a run is what you use for starting the next row.
Yes, perpendicular to the joists is best way to run flooring.
If your runs are perpendicular to the door frame, fit a length across the base of the door to act as a sill. Looks good.

Good luck, have fun; and it is not really a hard job, just hard on the back, you'll see.

 

[thatguy]

FWIW...I prefer to use "shoe molding" rather than 1/4 round...I just think it looks better

Our current wood floors have either shoe or 1/4 round - im too lazy to get out of the chair and get on my knees to look too hard right now LOL

thanks for all the advice

Brian

 

[/pine]

...too lazy to get out of the chair and get on my knees to look too hard right now LOL

Granted that 'run of the mill' shoe molding is not that much different than 1/4 round...but what I normally do is try to match the top profile of the existing baseboard on the shoemold...even if I have to run it through the shaper...a lot of times I will just make the shoe mold from stock...run it through the shaper and then rip it off on the table saw...repeat etc...etc..etc.

if it is getting painted MDF works really well if you don't mind working with just 8' lengths...

 

[ElDorado]

...Always used what we call grey felt paper as the under lay...

This is a new product for me. Do you get it at a lumber yard or a flooring supplier? Is there a "trade" name for the product? Is it hard to work with? By this I mean does it fall apart if you are not careful? I am real interested in this product and want to research it more.

Thanks