Homemade Flooring

[bluefish]

Has anybody ever done their own flooring? As in milled it yourself? If so, how did it work? Stories, techniques, don't ever do that agains? I'm all ears!

[woodsy]

Originally Posted by thermopkt

Has anybody ever done their own flooring? As in milled it yourself? If so, how did it work? Stories, techniques, don't ever do that agains? I'm all ears!

a
Yes, Worked out well here but takes some time, tools and patience as it is quite a process but satisfying in the end, and saves a good deal of money too.
Heres a previous thread on this topic with some pictures and techniques .
Feel free to ask for particulars on wood species and tools.

[Joshie]

Our neighbors used car siding for their flooring. It's just about the most beautiful flooring material I've ever seen. It's has beautiful graining, wide planks, and a lovely honey color. If I ever had to add wood floors, that's what I'd use. They used it to cut down expenses. They have a very high end home.

[wyld thang]

one of the coolest floors I ever saw was slices of fir set as tiles, I think they poured that clear resin stuff around them. The floor wasn't exactly even, the place was built like in the 20's or 30's, but now you could probably get it pretty even with those big sanders.

Also just saw a pic where someone tiled with pennies, VERY cool!

[Sawmill Jim]

Was working on that plan but someone always comes along an i sell all i have cut .

[jmtinmi]

We had our flooring dried and made by a local guy with oak that my DH had cut down. The local guy was relatively inexpensive, but it was a huge process. Rough cuts, drying, planing edges, etc. His prices were pretty good, but there was a lot of waste, so in the end the $.25 per foot ended up being closer to $.50 per foot (This guy charged by board foot, most others will charge by linear foot). This didn't include drying or planing costs, just tongue and grooving. He has currently raised his prices and is in the process of retiring. I don't know what the market it currently.

Of course if you are talking of pine floors, I think they can be put down without tongue and groove and that would be a much easier process!

One thing we would do different is to use boiled linseed oil, then two coats of oil poly, which we did in the final stage of our project. The first stage (upstairs bedroom wood floors) received two coats of water based poly with no linseed oil. We prefer the linseed/oil poly combo.

[bluefish]

Wow! Some of you all are very talented!

We're going to start building a little house this spring. We have tons of dead ponderosa pine on the property from an old fire and were going to mill a lot of the lumber for the house from it,....hopefully. We were just thinking that it would be nice if we could use it for flooring as well. I've always liked knotty pine flooring, and while this may or may not be 'knotty' I think it would be pretty.

We have a planer and a router of some sort (my husband loves me for my technical expertise ), what else would we need? We don't know much at all about this sort of thing, but figure we have the time to learn as this will be a build it as we have money sort of thing, so won't be finished enough for flooring for a while.

Thanks!

[woodsy]

Among the various tools needed for milling lumber a table saw and chop saw are essential.
The table saw will ensure your boards are uniform width and chop saw for nicely squared ends. I had to also use a skill saw to straighted some crooked boards before running through the table saw.
A tongue and groove router bit set will be needed and a router table or other home made table for that operation.
Dry wood...very important.

[Jolly]

I've used wide pine flooring in a camp. It had exposed regular nails, even though we had planed it and cut a shiplap joint with a router.

I've read on here where somebody had taken regular common nails and ground the heads to look like square nails, if you want that old-timey type look.

[Cheribelle]

Is this a for cheap project or a forever project?
I am in for cheap mode right now. We have (Nasty) carpet in the kitchen right now. I am going to use Luan or good on one side plywood. I will lay it out, then use a pencil to draw lines (planks), use square nails, and finish with a good poly finish.
This will last for a long time, be as clean-able as a hardwood floor, with the farm-house character, and cheap.

[MushCreek]

They still make old-timey nails- Tremont nail is a good source.

[crobar]

To Cheribelle; we used varnished luan on our kitchen floor. Works good. It is availiable in 3/4" sheets at Menards. I bought it years ago in 1/2". I grooved it with an icepick, drew in the grove with a BIC pen, stained & varnished. It fools everyone, they think it is real wood. However, each sheet differs a little in color, needs to be treated with pre-stain or it will be very dark. Mine really is darker than I would like.

[canfossi]

I think the old nails you can get now are called "cut nails." Maybe check Leahmans (spelling?) or just Google them. I wish I had used them. Chris

[MushCreek]

I'm planning on making my own flooring from trees on our property, There are a number of big oaks that will have to come down for the house and barn, so I might as well put them to use. The floor will be quite rustic. I'm not going to T&G it; just butt the planks and face nail it with old-timey nails. I consider knots to be a plus! At least I won't freak out the first time the dogs go scrambling across my floors.

[SRSLADE]

Use what you have.Rip a straight edge on one side with a skill saw then send it to the table saw to rip the other edge.When you're done with the second rip maybe turn the board around and rip a little off the skill saw side.This makes a nice straight board.Plane all boards to the same thickness.I like screws better than cut nails.Are the boards dry?

[Jolly]

Originally Posted by MushCreek

I'm planning on making my own flooring from trees on our property, There are a number of big oaks that will have to come down for the house and barn, so I might as well put them to use. The floor will be quite rustic. I'm not going to T&G it; just butt the planks and face nail it with old-timey nails. I consider knots to be a plus! At least I won't freak out the first time the dogs go scrambling across my floors.

As I said, we decided to use a shiplap joint. It's easy to make and worked out well...

[barn-apart]

May I suggest that any wood floor be set indoors where it is to be laid for seversl weeks prior to fastening it down, this is to allow it to acclimate to anbiante (sp) mosture which will make for minimal shrinkage.
Reclaimed wood also makes a beautiful and cost efecctive floor.
Goor Luck,

[Curtis B]

Originally Posted by thermopkt

Wow! Some of you all are very talented!

We're going to start building a little house this spring. We have tons of dead ponderosa pine on the property from an old fire and were going to mill a lot of the lumber for the house from it,....hopefully. We were just thinking that it would be nice if we could use it for flooring as well. I've always liked knotty pine flooring, and while this may or may not be 'knotty' I think it would be pretty.

We have a planer and a router of some sort (my husband loves me for my technical expertise ), what else would we need? We don't know much at all about this sort of thing, but figure we have the time to learn as this will be a build it as we have money sort of thing, so won't be finished enough for flooring for a while.

Thanks!

Are they dead from the pine beetles? If so the floor would look very cool!!!!! I have seen some of the funiture people have been making from it, and the blueish color is has is vey unique, and looks great IMO. Guess I didn't read very well.

[texican]

My upstairs floor is ~12" wide pine planks, screwed and plugged down. Next wood floor, I'll edge them better, and tongue and groove them...

I've got an unlimited source of granite slab chunks (from hand sized to table sized)... one of my oldest friend manufactures fake marble vanities and installs granite, slate, and other real stone slabs for kitchens and bathroom countertops.... planning on laying these slabs down randomly in the new house, in a mud room, cupboard, and utility rooms. Cost is perfect... free. And he has probably close to 50 tons of it behind his shop.

[MushCreek]

The 200 y/o house I grew up in had very wide hand-hewn hardwood floors- up to 14" wide. They were face nailed, and since they didn't have the luxury of kiln drying in those days, they pounded small manila rope into the seams to keep the cold air out. It certainly was a rustic floor- don't think I can convince the missus to go that rustic, though!