So - my son just called with an idea for floors in a house they just bought. They've yanked out most of the carpet, and are getting ready to put down some sort of wood floors. Nothing is decided yet. There is a long story behind this all, but the short version is that the subfloors are rock solid (floor joists, sub floor, etc.), dead flat, etc., etc., etc.
They went to a local mill and got prices, which really are not bad. My son came up with the idea of asking the mill to simply run the lumber through the band saw again, taking it from 1x8 to 1/2x8. His thought is that he can end up with more lumber for less money, and enough savings to buy a planer to touch them up with - or a double belt sander.
He does not want a fully planed finish on the boards. He wants something more rustic since the house is an old home and he wants to maintain some of the old character, so whatever he takes down on the surface of the boards is going to be fairly minimal. His plan is to lay down something like Liquid Nails, and face nail with cut nails.
So with that background - though it may defy conventional wisdom, what are various thoughts on laying down a floor that really only measures 3/8 - 1/2 inch? Heck - today's laminates don't measure that much real wood. I can't see any problems with the idea, but then again...