Hardwood Flooring Question

[mrs oz]

We are planning on face nailing our wood floors. Does anyone know a source for some different looking nails? Maybe square heads or something that will give that old farmhouse kind of look. I tried to Google but didn't have any luck yet. Will keep looking, but thought someone here has probably done the same thing. Thanks!

[Bearfootfarm]

Use "cut" nails
You'll need to drill pilot holes to keep it from splitting, and countersink them if youre planning to sand the floors

[mrs oz]

Thanks!

[DeerHaven]

Hi there,

We are currently face nailing a knotty pine floor in our main living area (living dining and main hallway). We are using "cut masonry nails" manufactured under the PROFIT (professional fit) name. The are not the same as the old fashioned cut nails as they are only tapered on two sides, and the other two sides maintain a standard width. They are however the closest thing we have found that aren't reproduction (and really expensive). They do give the knotty pine a very rustic look that we like. Also consider that if you are hammering them in by hand you will have hammer marks on the wood as "nobody's perfect"... If you could find some sort of automatic gun to shoot them in that wouldn't be as much of an issue. With the soft wood of pine we have not had an issue with the wood splitting (one end on almost 400 square feet of flooring so far) I do imagine that you will have a problem with that on a hardwood.

Hope this helps!

Paula

[agmantoo]

Ace Hardware did and probably still do carry cut nails. 50 lbs/$120

[Sawmill Jim]

Horse shoe nails ??

[diane]

Originally Posted by Sawmill Jim

Horse shoe nails ??

I really like this idea.

[mrs oz]

Thanks everyone. Oz found some on Lehman's website for a good price. Should be perfect! Now..........just to get it done!

[haypoint]

Am I to understand the hardwood flooring you are using doesn't have a tounge and groove?

I think that without a T&G, the boards might lift along the edge.

[oz in SC V2.0]

Mr oz here...

The floor will be tongue and groove 6 inch wide pine.

[Immaculate Sublimity]

I've been considering this with knotty pine... what are you going to be finishing or sealing it with?

[oz in SC V2.0]

Mr oz here again...

I am not sure,I believe we are staining it quite dark and then a coat of poly...

This is going to be quite 'rustic' looking which suits us fine...we are getting quite rustic ourselves.LOL.

[Joshie]

I've used tung oil and I've also used varnish on fir floors. I don't like poly. It's too brittle and it cracks with wood movement and when you drop things on it. Also, varnish can be coated multiple times and you can get a very nice, smooth finish. Tung oil is much better for a more rustic application but it has to be recoated every year or so.

[oz in SC V2.0]

Originally Posted by Joshie

I've used tung oil and I've also used varnish on fir floors. I don't like poly. It's too brittle and it cracks with wood movement and when you drop things on it. Also, varnish can be coated multiple times and you can get a very nice, smooth finish. Tung oil is much better for a more rustic application but it has to be recoated every year or so.

Thanks for the advice.

We are definitely going rustic....

[DeerHaven]

we are putting Minwax tung oil finish on our floor. It looks really nice, a matte finish and seems to be very water repellant. It brings up some color in the wood which I love and makes the knots very striking, just what we were looking for. I warn you however... if you are looking for pure tung oil you will need to do your research, it is seemingly only available online. I wish I had realized that minwax is marketed as tung oil and truly isn't 100 percent before I had purchased it and put the floor down. I guess the pure stuff is more what used to be used (with the addition of solvents for absorption...?) and that minwax is already mixed with solvents and whatever else they put in it. I hate marketing...

At least in the end the minwax was easy to find and really does look like I wanted it to. Being pregnant I was mostly worried about the gassing off time and chemicals. The good thing with this type of finish is that you can do a spot touch up. With Poly type finishes it would be very hard to touch up bad damage without refinishing the whole floor.

Good luck with your knotty pine! We are really loving ours, after all the time I took deciding on it, i'm truly very pleased with its rustic appeal. It looks just like the beautiful floor i had in my bedroom when I was a kid at home.

[haypoint]

I have seen a pine floor that had oak plugs over the screws. They counter sunk the holes, put in screws, then made wood plugs out of a hardwood dowel. 3/8 diameter. Looked good.

I don't know what your humidity situation is, but it wouldn't hurt to cut a slot the length of each 6 inch pine board. Make the slot at least a half inch deep, down the middle. This will discourage any cupping that some boards will get.

[just_sawing]

If you are using your own boards I would suggest two things. Tung oil the bottom of the boards and use a 1/4 radius router bit on the edges.
set the turn over as small as you can but this will make a pleasing look and save toes.
The big guys when the dry kiln wood the last thing they do with pine is raise the temp (approx 140) This sets the pitch and destroys bacteria. Well dried wood isn;t a problem (That is my business) but the wood is more acceptable to moisture. Seal the bottom with oil and all is good in the universe.

[oz in SC V2.0]

This is wood from a local lumber company and is tongue and groove by the way,we just like the idea of face nailing it.

I have read of sealing the back in some fashion to help with cupping,thanks for the tip.

thanks again everyone.