Poplar floors?

[db4570]

I have a simple cabin that I need to put a floor in, and a couple of big poplar trees that need to come down. How is poplar for floors? I understand it's a bit soft, which is OK. I don't mind the rustic look of a pine floor with some dings in it, so I figure poplar wouldn't be any worse in that regard.

The other thing is that most poplar I've seen has that greenish tint to it, which I'm not crazy about, and which would clash in a big way with the walls and ceiling which are a nice aged dark golden pine. I usually avoid stain, but it would probably be necessary in this case to try to cover the green. Is this usually eay to accomplish with poplar?

One last thing. I'm thinking about hiring a neighbor with a band mill to cut the boards for me. He can also plane them if they need it. Is t&g a must, or will plain planks work? The cabin is a bit rustic, so it doesn't have to be perfect, but I dont want it really wavy or anything.

Oops- another question. How long do boards like this need to air dry completely? I might be able to do it indoors in an unheated space.

Thanks! Any suggestions appreciated!

David

[MountainDon]

Poplar is soft. Poplar is a great painting wood, not so great for staining. When staining poplar it frequently soaks in unevenly leaving a blotchy appearance. A pre-stain conditioner prevents that. But it's still a very soft wood for use as a flooring. If you stain it on a floor I'd expect wear to show badly after a while.

It's an easy wood to carve, because of it grain and softness.

[glenn kangiser]

I see my pine boards shrink for up to a year, air drying.  About 5/8 inch per foot of width.  Not sure how poplar compares but I would guess similar.

[Ernest T. Bass]

Not too much experience to speak from, but I've actually heard that Sawtooth Aspen/Popple gets very hard when it dries, so long as it doesn't get punky from moisture...

[db4570]

Thanks for the responses.

I'm starting to like the idea of using the poplar less and less. I dislike staining most woods, and really hate woods that don't take stain well. I've seen blotchy ugly stained birch and pine, and can definitely picture poplar doing the same thing. I'm also afraid that to counter the green cast, it would take a pretty dark stain job.

Paint is another thought, though. I like the look of a nice traditional painted wood floor. My primary goal is durability; I only want to do this once for a very long time. The thought of having to sand and repaint it anytime soon makes me cringe. Anyone have any experience with painting floors and have pointers for accomplishing a long-term job?

It seems logical that a good painted finish would last as long as a good varnish finish. Is this true?

Thanks!

David

[John_C]

In my part of north GA we have a lot of poplar.  We also have many houses with wood floors, but I've never seen or heard of one with poplar floors....  I'm guessing it doesn't make good flooring.