Homemade Flooring

farminghandyman · #21 12/19/09, 07:26 PM

I have made some for repairs of wood I could not buy,

I have a shaper and it was not a hard process but a time consuming process, and once you start to cut it to width do not change the saw, (better off to have two saws if you need to rip other before your done, (I was off just a few thousands in width) and on the other floor that was all ready in it was not bad but could have been better, was weaving wood in where a wall came out, if you do change width, keep it separate and not mix it in to a floor where you may get it in the same row, even manufactured floors can vary slightly and some times you have to watch it carefully,

make sure it is good dry wood before milling,

Sawmill Jim · #22 12/19/09, 10:33 PM

I got a 52'' saw to mill with

Old Vet · #23 12/20/09, 12:39 AM

Quote:

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.

Be sure that you dry the wood well before nailing it down and don't let it get wet. We have a restaurant near here that has some and it was fine until they tried to mop it and left too much water on it for a while. The wood is turned up and makes it uneven.

Yvonne's hubby · #24 12/20/09, 05:24 PM

I made our wood flooring from scratch. We had some red oak trees that died after a freak hail storm. I cut them down, had them milled into 1 x 3s and let them air dry for a couple years prior to planing and tongue and grooving. I absolutely love the end product and for 16 cents per board foot (milling fee) I cant beat the price anywhere.

LK Lorton · #25 12/27/09, 09:19 PM

you may want to consider this depending on your capability. in this economy there are a lot of freight trailers out there that are being take out of service and are being dismantled for salvage. most have laminated hardwood floors. As I recall the boards measure something like 1 1/2" x 12" x 16' w/shiplap sides. It would be a lot of work that is for sure. However, the finished floor would have character like no other you will see anytime soon!
best wishes, LKL

UUmom2many · #26 12/28/09, 01:14 PM

A pizza joint we go to locally redid the interior themselves and used plywood sheets for flooring. It looks really nice, they sanded and stained and varnished it. We're considering doing this in our house. Not sure the costs but it would be easier to lay then lots of tiny boards! It seems to be holding up really well, they've been open for over a year with heavy daily traffic.