The OFFICIAL Hardwood Flooring Thread

[patrob]

foresbec , how are their hardwood floor products?

satin finish , i hear it's one of the best, true? false?

BTW. roughly how much does it cost per sqft to refinish old site-finished hardwood?

Foresbec - not familiar with that product at all...where did you see it?

Satin Finish - who told you that It's not true, it is a good product but it's not the best.

To re-finish floors in natural colour it's around $2 plus per sq. ft. If stained add extra $.50 plus (depends on wood & colour) extra for additional finish coat (standard is 2 coats)

[stealth]

What direction is correct for laying hardwood strip flooring in an upstairs hallway that goes in an "L" shape (so as not to have a pronounced ladder effect)? Or is the only solution to add another layer of subfloor so you can lay the flooring in parallel to the joists?

Also, when nailing hardwood I invariably scuff the wall with the mallet used on the flooring nailer. Is there anything that will remove these black rubber marks?

[patrob]

What direction is correct for laying hardwood strip flooring in an upstairs hallway that goes in an "L" shape (so as not to have a pronounced ladder effect)? Or is the only solution to add another layer of subfloor so you can lay the flooring in parallel to the joists?

Also, when nailing hardwood I invariably scuff the wall with the mallet used on the flooring nailer. Is there anything that will remove these black rubber marks?

Your floor is supposed to be installed across the joist. Properly installing a 5/8" ply will resolve your problem but create another with trim, nosings, doors & thresholds.

Also, that's why you use a white rubber mallet to avoid the black rubber marks Wash it off as much as you can & touch up with paint. If it doesn't help, re-paint the whole wall.

[stealth]

Your floor is supposed to be installed across the joist. Properly installing a 5/8" ply will resolve your problem but create another with trim, nosings, doors & thresholds.

Also, that's why you use a white rubber mallet to avoid the black rubber marks Wash it off as much as you can & touch up with paint. If it doesn't help, re-paint the whole wall.

Thanks, so what do the pro's do usually in these cases?

[patrob]

Thanks, so what do the pro's do usually in these cases?

The pros install it with the joist. Only if the customer really insists to have the wood installed in another direction, then you add plywood.

Hope this helps

[kalkama]

I purchased my Red Oak hardwood from a flooring auction in Brampton, however it seems to go every quarter around various locations. It cost me $3.50 approx including all taxes etc. More info can be found at http://www.principalliquidators.com/hwoodupcoming.htm. The only thing I didnt like was the 15% buyer premium but even after that I saved close to 1.50-$2/ sq foot.

[patrob]

... however it seems to go every quarter around various locations.

Not sure I understand

[kalkama]

I meant every 2-3 months at various locations. Please check the link for details.

[patrob]

I meant every 2-3 months at various locations. Please check the link for details.

I would tell everyone to beware of liquidation places, you never really know what you are getting. How the wood was stored, where it comes from, what the humidity level is at the warehouse. They just sell by the bulk & I doubt they really care about proper storage of wood. Good luck with the manufacturer warranty if you finish starts to peel off

There's a saying - you get what you pay for

[kalkama]

I would agree to that, and I was quite impulsive to buy it since I have limited knowledge of hard wood. After showing to couple of contractors they did say that quality is not bad and after installation for close to 1.5 month haven't seen anything notcieable either.

[patrob]

I would agree to that, and I was quite impulsive to buy it since I have limited knowledge of hard wood. After showing to couple of contractors they did say that quality is not bad and after installation for close to 1.5 month haven't seen anything notcieable either.

Consider yourself very lucky that there were no major problems with your floors...

Not all are bad, just lower grade & sometimes it's a risk you take, buying this way.

[stealth]

The pros install it with the joist. Only if the customer really insists to have the wood installed in another direction, then you add plywood.

Hope this helps

Thanks. So, you're saying just live with the ladder effect in part of the hall?
As long as thats standard practice, I guess I'm ok with it. I just was afraid of doing that and have some wiseass come over and say that it looks "amateur".

Out of curiosity, if I went parallel with the joists in part of the L shaped hallway (about 4ft wide x 15ft long) so as to avoid the ladder effect, how bad would the squeaking be (or other downside to this sort of installation)? Would gluing AND nailing help minimize any issues for this small area (without adding more subfloor)?

[stealth]

[QUOTE=patrob;6068916]I would tell everyone to beware of liquidation places, you never really know what you are getting. How the wood was stored, where it comes from, what the humidity level is at the warehouse. They just sell by the bulk & I doubt they really care about proper storage of wood. Good luck with the manufacturer warranty if you finish starts to peel off

There's a saying - you get what you pay for [/QUOTE]

Unfortunately, we all know how often manufacturers, retailers, etc. take advantage of this adage, making it hard for the consumer to really know if they're getting what they paid for, or just being had. Thus, we have great forums and threads such as this one. Thanks again for the time and effort you put into this thread.

[patrob]

Out of curiosity, if I went parallel with the joists in part of the L shaped hallway (about 4ft wide x 15ft long) so as to avoid the ladder effect, how bad would the squeaking be (or other downside to this sort of installation)? Would gluing AND nailing help minimize any issues for this small area (without adding more subfloor)?

There should not be any squeaks, doesn't matter what direction you go with. How old is the house & is the sub-floor screwed to the joist? Is the sub-floor 5/8" ply or chipboard? Are the joist TGI or regular?

If the sub-floors are solid, then the floors will be solid. You can install it with the joist, since it's a small area. There is no need to use glue.

[patrob]

Thus, we have great forums and threads such as this one. Thanks again for the time and effort you put into this thread.

Exactly That's why I created this thread, so I could help people who have these type of questions & are new at this hardwood stuff Plus if anyone is looking for a great hardwood installer in GTA, let me know