T&G Floors

[Beavers]

Instead of hijacking considerations house thread, I figured I would continue this question here. 

"I'm also considering using 2x6 T&G for my flooring.  The T&G would cost more upfront but, I would be able to have a finished floor for only $1.55 a sq. ft. if you included the cost of a 3/4" T&G plywood subfloor.  "

I seem to remember spending $750 for enough 2x6 T&G do do the 14 x 24 floor....and I had 3 16' pieces left over... no subfloor, just insulation and a critter barrier underneath.

"Have you been happy with your floor so far?" 

Yes

"Has it been gouged up much during construction or gotten any water damage?"

No water damage thanks to the dire warnings about how and why to protect it from the members of this forum.

Gouging? well, nothing horrendous.  I'm banking on sanding it and then applying the same sort of stuff that hardens up gym floors.  During the construction, I keep sweeping up the woodchips and picking up the errant nails to help preserve the surface.  Plus I have 3 rugs for foot wiping that you have to step on before going inside, and I use them. I keep a tarp laying outside that collects a 4" deep puddle of rainwater to rinse boots on before wiping them on the rugs.  Crude but effective and no one argues about doing it, mostly its just me.

I'll be using "coasters" on any furniture feet and area rugs that will stand up to being hung outside and cleaned with a pressure washer. 

If it goes to the dogs, I'll consider a different type of finish, but I saw softwood floors over 200 years old in Virginia that had held up just fine.

"Would you use it again?"

Yes.  I've pulled carpets out of old places and I don't want to live with what gets stuck down in the weave of wall to walls.   I'm also suspicious of the damp that wafts up out of the ground around here.  Even with moisture barriers on the ground, floors made with particle type sheets seem to blow out faster than plain old wood.  I'll let you know in 25 years how it turned out. 

Thanks for the info.    Your floor does look great in that last photo!

I found 1x4 T&G Douglas Fir for about half the price of the 2x6 stuff.  If my joists are 2x12 16" o.c. would there be any problem with using the 1x4's ?  How about prefinishing the floor with something like Thompson's?  I realize I would most likely have to refinsh after construction, but it seems like it would protect the floor in the mean time.  Good idea...or not?

[Redoverfarm]

Beavers  you just want to run the stain and top coat on the bevel and stain only to the tounge.  If you are staining differently of each side just stain down to the tounge and in the crease and about 1/3 of the tounge on both side but not to include the outer edge of the tounge.  You will not have to put the protective finish on the tounge portion as there will be no wear on that.  You just want it to be stained the same so when it opens up you will not have a visible white line.  I usually just do to where the bevel edge stops on the top coat.  You don't want to get a buildup to prevent them from butting closely. The stain will not prevent the tounge from seating but several coats of poly may.

[MountainDon]

John, did you stain and/or finish coat both sides as you went along. Usually that is best as it helps prevent cupping, warping, curling, etc.

[John_C]

When I was in Lowe's on Saturday I decided to ask if someone in another area of the country could order 2x6 T&G through their local Lowe's.  All the guys I usually talk to at the commercial desk were busy and one guy who was a manager was pretty insistent on "helping". 

"I've worked for Lowe's for 14 years and I've never heard of it.  1x6 sure."

Now we were having this conversation about 50 ft. from where the 2x6 T&G sample hangs on the wall.  It's a special order item just like 9' plywood or different patterns of Hardie siding. 

14 years and about as ignorant as when he started.

[MountainDon]

 

[Beavers]

Thanks Redoverfarm!

I'm planning on just the T&G for the main floor...no subfloor.  I'm sure it will get wet at some time or another during construction, and I was thinking some kind of finish might keep it from warping, ect.  

Could I just stain the tongue, and do the rest after construction is done and I sand it down?

[John_C]

Could I just stain the tongue, and do the rest after construction is done and I sand it down?

You would probably end up with some darker areas where the stain bled from one area to the other.  It's a lot easier to do it before hanging it and you get a better look.

[Redoverfarm]

Beavers mine really didn't get wet as the floor was installed after I had my roof on.  But the beams were done before hand and stood up to several months exposure to the elements with really no noticable damage. They did appear to change some but I had went back and applied two more coats of poly on them later and they look fine.  So without saying I would put the stain and a couple coats of poly on them.  Then as I am going to do wait until most of your mess work is done and recoat them with your finish coats.

[considerations]

During the construction process, after the 2 x 6 T&G floor was in and before the roof and walls were covered, we did occasionally get rain.  At the end of each day, I covered the floor with a great big tarp, and bungied it to the  stud walls so that any water it collected ran out a door hole.  The floor never got wet.

When I was putting the floor in, I clamped each piece very tightly, so that it seated as far as it could to the one before. When the clamps got too short, I grabbed the teenagers I'd hired to keep the clearing from overgrowing again, and had them be my "clamps".  They pushed hard on the T&G so it was fully seated, while I nailed it down.  Oh, and right or wrong, I used Liquid Nails on the top of each "floor beam" as well.  I'd been reading all the talk about the floor squeaking and decided that it would help.  It's not squeaking yet.

It was easier than I thought it would be, the biggest thing I had to watch for was making the boards so tight that I lost the parallel measurement with the beginning edge of the floor.  Sometimes I had to ease the pressure up a bit to keep the leading edge of the floor parallel with the beginning edge.  Lumber has a personality, and isn't always exactly the measurements it's sold as. 

Every three rows or so I would measure from the edge of the floor I started at to the leading edge of the flooring being laid, and did that in 3 places to make sure that the distance was the same.  I didn't want to end up at the other side and have them skewed toward a diagonal.  It worked, I have a floor that is straight.

I'm really glad I spend a lot of time making sure the floor was square before covering it. 

The last piece didn't come out exactly.  I had to "rip" the long way a couple 2 x 6's so that the flooring stopped at the edge of the rim joist.   It was ok, just a little harder than cutting cross grain. 

[Beavers]

Thanks guys. 

After seeing how great Red's, and Considerations' floors look, I'm convinced that the T&G is what I want.

I'm going to see if any of the local lumber yards have any higher grade 2x6's.  I've got a dado blade for my table saw, I could mill my own T&G if it will save me some money. 

[rwanders]

I've seen 2x6 tg intended for decks/porches in both cedar and pine---both very clear and straight grained. Either one would make beautiful floors, especially with right stain and finish. Wish I had thought of using it for my loft and catwalk. Both my deck and matching balcony has pine 2x6 tg---looks really nice even without staining or other finish----will finish them both next summer.

[Erin]

Now we were having this conversation about 50 ft. from where the 2x6 T&G sample hangs on the wall.  It's a special order item just like 9' plywood or different patterns of Hardie siding. 

Now imagine having this conversation on the phone and you can't point to the stuff. 

Beavers, I recently found 2x6 T&G locally (er rather, after much searching, calling to assorted lumber yards and several "well ma'am, I think you mean 1x6, right?"--I can have it ordered) for $.77 a linear foot...

[Beavers]

The cheapest I've been able to find so far is 99 cents a foot.  I've still got a few more places to call though.

Did you find that price at one of the big box stores, or a local lumber yard?

[Erin]

The only big box in my area is the North Platte Menards.  (Who insisted that not only could they not order it, it doesn't exist)   

Nope, this was a quote from a local lumber yard.  But I told him we'd be getting around 1500 sq' of the stuff and he gave me his best price.

[Beavers]

That's funny...The Columbus Menards is the one that gave me the 99 cent price! 

[Erin]

Make sure you try Builder's Supply up in Wayne...  My dad was saying he thought they carried/could order it when I was complaining about having trouble out here.
(Yeah Dad... Like I want to drive 400 miles for lumber!)

[Beavers]

Found an interesting article testing different floors.


The National Oak Flooring Association (NOFA) in Memphis recommends either 5/8-inch and thicker plywood, 3/4-inch osb or 1-x6-inch dense, group1 softwood boards installed at a diagonal under hardwood flooring. The NOFA recommendation is based on research conducted by Joe Loferski at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA. In his study, Loferski simulated what happens on a real construction site. He built several full-sized floors out of boards, plywood and osb and weathered them for 5 weeks before installing hardwood flooring. Finished floor systems were cycled in an environmental chamber to simulate the changes that occur in summer and winter months.

The study showed that solid boards installed at a diagonal were far and away the best system. Statistically, 5/8-inch plywood and 3/4-inch osb worked the same. But two significant observations were made during the study: Some of the plywood delaminated during the weathering experiment and new patches had to be spliced into the subfloor system. Also, researchers learned that the best floor of all was the control specimen, which had been protected from any weathering. This speaks volumes for the importance of protecting materials during transport, storage and early stages of construction.