1'' x 16'' wide oak planks for flooring

   / 1'' x 16'' wide oak planks for flooring #1  

rodsauder

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Hoping to get some info here on doing a hardwood floor. I have some very well seasoned oak planks. They have been in dry storage for 10 years now. They range in width from 12 to 20" ( that is not a typo ) These planks average in length from 10 to 14' . I want to do the floor in our main room. I was just going to pull up the carpet and then glue and screw to the existing sub floor. Then I was going to peg the countersunk screw holes . As the planks are very dry and have not warped what should I look out for?? Or not do? Thanks for any info or ideas.
 
   / 1'' x 16'' wide oak planks for flooring #2  
I have a friend that used narrow plank hickory and oak in a house. He glued square edged boards to the subfloor. No nails. While it looks really nice, the edges are now rough. You can feel every edge as you walk in socks. Most places you can fit a quarter between the boards now after about 6-7 years. It was too much work to tongue and groove them and he didn't have time to let them acclimate to his house. Hey those were his words. He also said they're dry they won't shrink. (kiln dried and stored in barn for 2 years ).

Be sure you let them acclimate good maybe a week or better. Depends on the look you are after that wide of a board I'd use a fastener of some kind and glue. Screws then fill holes to make it look pegged like you said or face nail it with cut nails. Either one would look really good. Especially a contrasting peg. ie walnut or cherry.
 
   / 1'' x 16'' wide oak planks for flooring #3  
I have absolutely no experience with something like this, but if I was going to try it, I would use a significant amount of glue under each board and probably 4 screws across each joist to hold them in place and to make sure they stay flat. Then I would probably wait several months before final sanding and finishing them.

Sure does sound like an interesting floor. Please post pictures when you do it!!!
 
   / 1'' x 16'' wide oak planks for flooring #4  
We did something similar to a museum floor back in 2002. We put felt paper down first and tacked the boards with a nail gun. Our boards were not as wide as your.....ours were basically 1x6's. The floors have held up extremely well and still look great. A few boards have warped very slightly.....but not much. I thought I could always sand away the warp if it got too bad but it has never become necessary. Our floor has held up very well. There has been lots of foot traffic over the years and a lot of heavy items rolled over them. Good luck with your project......I am sure it will look great!
 
   / 1'' x 16'' wide oak planks for flooring #5  
The boards will expand/contract over the width as the humidity changes over the season.

So; leave expansion room on the sides and only solidly fix one side of each board. The boards should be held to each other by machined surfaces. There are specific glues that should be used.( flexible ) If the cracks between boards are grouted use a flexible form for the grouting. There are different ways to mechanically fasten the boards to the floor. Some are hidden. Others need plugs.

Next: visit a few flooring shops that also sell installation supplies and get some professional advice. Actually this should be done first.
 
   / 1'' x 16'' wide oak planks for flooring #6  
If your planks are a full 1" thick and are flat sawn they will move with the seasons as the humidity changes. No matter how you fasten them down they are likely to still move. You can minimize this by kerfing the back of the planks. Space the kerfs about 3" apart running the length of the planks, the depth should be about half the finished thickness (leave yourself some allowance for sanding). You will still be likely to see some cracks between planks but the tendency of the planks to cup and curl will be minimized.
Post pictures when of this is done, with that length and width it should be stunning.
 
   / 1'' x 16'' wide oak planks for flooring #7  
I would obtain professional advice prior to starting this project. You do not want to end up with a mess. Boards this wide will tend to cup & buckle with seasonal changes in humidity.
 
   / 1'' x 16'' wide oak planks for flooring #8  
You may want to consider having the floor professionally finished, there are some incredibly tough epoxy finishes that look really nice, but are really toxic when they are curing. They have to be handled correctly and protective equipment is needed by the people doing the work. They also have the large sanders needed for leveling and finishing the floor.
 
   / 1'' x 16'' wide oak planks for flooring #9  
My opinion is you are totally ignoring seasonal movement. On a wide board, it can be very drastic. You can expect gaps to form between the boards. And cupping will lift the edges. Fastening it with screws or glue will not stop the expansion/contraction, but instead will cause the boards to split, as you cannot fight Mother Nature. I would have the edges milled with a tongue and groove, so at least it will eliminate cupping and the lifting of the edges. And I would accept that gaps will form seasonally. I would not use glue. Or screws or pegs. I would nail the tongue only which would allow movement without stressing the boards that would cause splits.

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   / 1'' x 16'' wide oak planks for flooring #10  
I would tongue and groove the boards after getting them to 3 or 4 consistent widths. Maybe making them 6/8/10/12 inches wide. With 10 to 14 foot lengths you will quickly find out how square/straight your lumber really is!

Using 2-6 foot lengths would be much easier to groove and much less liable to twist and you would lose little in the dramatic look.

Tongue and Groove Joint: 3 Techniques to Create your Hardwood Floor Panels | Toosltoday.com Blog

After letting the boards acclimate to the room for 5 days or so I would put down underlayment and use a regular hardwood flooring nail gun.
 
 
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