wood flooring (making your own)

I have contemplated making my own for some hardwood in the house. I have a sawmill near by that seels kiln dried lumber. I can probably buy a router b it and tongue and groove it, however I am wondering about the bottom. When I look at a piece of hardwood flooring, I notice the bottom of it that lays against the subfloor as two indentations milled into it. What is this for and is it necessary?

Reply to
stryped1
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Relief so it will more easily set flat on subflooring which inevitably will have some imperfections despite how well it's prepared. And, yes, it will make laying flooring w/o it more difficult to avoid high-centering on occasion. How significant will depend on the subfloor and also on how wide your flooring strips are going to be. Very narrow and you can do without.

Reply to
dpb

In addition to that - which dpb addressed - you should note that in commercial solid flooring the area below the tongue does not touch the piece into which it fits nor does the tongue extend entirely into the groove. In addition, the area above the tongue is slightly beveled. All are to reduce the possibility of the floor buckling when it expands.

IOW, you can't use a T&G router bit to make flooring in the same way as the manufacturers do.

Reply to
dadiOH

You will want to set the router in a table for ease of handling the wood. The job will go faster and better than trying to hand hold.

The relief on the bottom is a good idea and it allows for some imperfections.

Ask the guys at the sawmill and they may have a flooring uy already. It may be just as easy to buy rather than do your own and save hours of work. If saving money is the goal, the guys doing huge quantities can often be cheaper than DIY.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

e a sawmill near by that seels kiln dried lumber. I can probably buy a rout er bit and tongue and groove it, however I am wondering about the bottom. W hen I look at a piece of hardwood flooring, I notice the bottom of it that lays against the subfloor as two indentations milled into it. What is this for and is it necessary?

art of me likes the challenge. Also, in one area I am wanting to match some existing hardwood.

Are the areas on the tongue and reliefs on the bottom necessary for 3 3/4 w ide red oak?

I do have a small router table by the way.

Reply to
stryped1

On 5/1/2014 11:30 AM, snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com wrote: ...

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For that wide I'd say it would be almost mandatory unless you can level the subfloor like a table top.

As much or more to the point is do you have a planer to finish finish to exact thickness to match the existing (or just a little more if you're refinishing in place to sand down level) and the facilities to handle pieces 6-ft and longer in length?

Not saying it's not doable but it may be more work than you're bargaining for. How much (linear feet) do you need?

You can, you know, buy unfinished flooring in any species needed? Also, you can almost always find prefinished rejects/seconds at bargain prices owing to finish mismatches/defects primarily that can be refinished to match simply by sanding as you're going to have to do, anyway.

Reply to
dpb

I do have a small planer and a 1950's era craftsman jointer.

Reply to
stryped1

Stryped1:

I have no idea what the indentations on the bottom of commercial hardwood flooring is, but I think you need to be aware that most woods have tannins in them. When you use steel nails to install the hardwood flooring, and that floor subsequently gets wet, you will have iron ions from the rusting nails coming into contact with the tannins in the wood and producing a chemical called "iron gall ink". This is a black substance that forms right inside the wood.

Look at any picture of any old wooden flooring, and you will see black stains around every nail used to hold the wood flooring down. This is the result of people mopping that hardwood flooring and the resulting rust reacting with the tannins in the wood to form that black ink which penetrates into the wood and stains it.

Similarily, if you ever see a black round ring on a hardwood floor, that's caused by overwatering a floorstanding plant. The water that seeps out of the bottom of the pot is rich in iron ions from passing through the soil, and that iron rich water than forms a round puddle on the floor. The tannins in the wood react with the iron in the water to form a black round stain inside the wood.

So, make your own hardwood flooring, but keep in mind that your hardwood will stain if you don't protect it from iron nails, iron in the soil of potted plants, and other sources of iron. Google "Iron Gall Ink" if you want to find out more about it.

Reply to
nestork

I bought my hardwood from a local mill - all milled and prefinished - for a whole lot less than I could have made it myself if I paid myself fifty cents an hour and someo e gave me the router bits.

Reply to
clare

I bought my hardwood from a local mill - all

Reply to
clare

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