A couple recent flooring installs.

[UnklSnappy]

Just some pics of a couple recent installs I've done.
First up is 4000 sq ft of reclaimed oak from the erie canal. Used to be docks and stuff I guess.

20180303_082112 by bladerunnr40, on Flickr

20180303_082240 by bladerunnr40, on Flickr

20180301_085053 by bladerunnr40, on Flickr

Next is 4000 sq ft of 2 1/4 inch quarter sawn white oak installed with a dime sized gap between every single row. And all the lines need to line up from room to room. This took almost a couple months to do. And the part that kills me is that the floors are being painted white.

20180509_144510 by bladerunnr40, on Flickr

20180509_144526 by bladerunnr40, on Flickr

20180509_144542 by bladerunnr40, on Flickr

 

[drnickriviera]

Wow, what a waste of 1/4 sawn. So is it T&G or is it all face nailed? Looks great, but all the dirt and junk that is going to collect in the cracks would drive me crazy.

Ever used Rubio monocoat? I've been pretty happy with it on my house, but don't know of anyone else that has used it.

 

[UnklSnappy]

It's all T&G. As far as dust and dirt, well that's the maids problem. The reasoning behind using quarter sawn is that the grain pattern would not show through the paint.
Yes I've used Rubio many times and it can look very nice. We are probably the only ones in our area that will use it.

 

[Greenman]

It's a shame to see so much effort and money put into such a bad idea. That oak floor is going to have an entire ecosystem living in the gaps.

 

[boomerang]

Next is 4000 sq ft of 2 1/4 inch quarter sawn white oak installed with a dime sized gap between every single row. And all the lines need to line up from room to room. This took almost a couple months to do. And the part that kills me is that the floors are being painted white.

Hope no woman walks on that with high heels. I'm far from a women's shoe expert but the base of a high heel seems to be about the size of a dime. Regardless, it's undoubtedly the 'vision' of an 'interior designer' which means... something.

Awesome workmanship! Truly.

Edit: Doh! Thickness of a dime, not width of a dime... Nevermind

 

[drnickriviera]

It's all T&G. As far as dust and dirt, well that's the maids problem. The reasoning behind using quarter sawn is that the grain pattern would not show through the paint.
Yes I've used Rubio many times and it can look very nice. We are probably the only ones in our area that will use it.

Yeah i've talked to other installers about it and they just said no one has wanted to pay for them to use Rubio. I think it would have looked great on the first job. Matte sheen would look great with the old wood.

I agree with the grain on the quarter sawn, but wouldn't something like maple have been cheaper? At least the next owners can have the joy of sanding off the paint and finding it underneath 🙂 What is the white topcoat? I hope it is something more durable than paint

 

[Micrornd]

Neither of those installs match my tastes, BUT I really want to compliment you on the quality of the installations, especially the reclaimed oak.
Very nicely done!

 

[Carson Dyle]

What's the reasoning behind the gaps in the second floor? Wouldn't that be uncomfortable to walk on in bare feet?

 

[UnklSnappy]

I agree with the grain on the quarter sawn, but wouldn't something like maple have been cheaper? At least the next owners can have the joy of sanding off the paint and finding it underneath 🙂 What is the white topcoat? I hope it is something more durable than paint

The pics of the reclaimed oak were taken when the floors just had a couple coats of sealer on them. They were top coated with a coat of matte Glitsa.
The quarter sawn oak is more stable than the maple especially here with 4 seasons, plus cost was not a factor.
It is actually gloss white oil based paint. 2 coats primer and 2 top coat all rolled on and brushed out.

Awesome workmanship! Truly.

Neither of those installs match my tastes, BUT I really want to compliment you on the quality of the installations, especially the reclaimed oak.
Very nicely done!

Thank you, I truly enjoy my work when I'm on these jobs.

What's the reasoning behind the gaps in the second floor? Wouldn't that be uncomfortable to walk on in bare feet?

The gaps? Some designers whim. No you don't even really notice them in socks. They are only the thickness of a dime.

 

[Humpy]

The gaps? Some designers whim. No you don't even really notice them in socks. They are only the thickness of a dime.

I think the white floor looks fantastic... for now.

Even using quarter sawn I have zero confidence the gaps are going to still be so consistent within a few years. Then it will just look like a shrunken mess.

 

[UnklSnappy]

Quarter sawn mainly expands and contracts over it's thickness. And since your only dealing with a 3/4 inch thick piece of wood that change will not be noticeable. This is what makes it an excellent choice for a floor. I routinely work on 50 to 100 year old quarter sawn floors that are as tight as the day they were installed.

 

[Humpy]

Quarter sawn mainly expands and contracts over it's thickness. And since your only dealing with a 3/4 inch thick piece of wood that change will not be noticeable. This is what makes it an excellent choice for a floor. I routinely work on 50 to 100 year old quarter sawn floors that are as tight as the day they were installed.

It's not the stability of the material I doubt, it's the combination of movement of the structure (I'm assuming wood as well) and the flooring and the high contrast between white and black that will make any variation super obvious. You can see some offset at the butt joints in the pictures.

Not questioning your work, just the amount of precision that seems necessary to keep it looking good.

 

[UnklSnappy]

I'm just going to disagree with Humpy and leave it at that.

I think I'm going to continue to post pics of various jobs I do in this thread for those that have any interest in this stuff.

 

[UnklSnappy]

This is a job that I'm currently on. Refinished the floors in the entire house.
White oak floors, 1 inch x 5/16 top nailed upstairs, 2 1/4 T&G downstairs.
Sanded then wet with distilled water, allowed to dry then stained with Duraseal Heritage Brown stain. Will be finished with 2 coats Glitsa seal and top coated with semi-gloss Glitsa.

A couple pics of the stairs since that is what I was mainly focused on.
Stained, no finish
20180512_080650 by bladerunnr40, on Flickr

After first coat of sealer
20180512_110540 by bladerunnr40, on Flickr

 

[Exterous]

Next is 4000 sq ft of 2 1/4 inch quarter sawn white oak installed with a dime sized gap between every single row. And all the lines need to line up from room to room. This took almost a couple months to do. And the part that kills me is that the floors are being painted white.

Painted white? Ugh. Great work though!

When a house my parents had owned went back on the market a few years later we went back through to see what it looked like. It was a good lesson on why you shouldn't go back to a house you have any attachment to. My parents had put custom oak cabinets in the kitchen that the owners had cheaply painted white (probably hadn't cleaned the cabinets, one coat, poor cut in skills around the hardware that had obviously been left on etc). To this day I still have an immediate negative reaction to the phrase 'oak painted white'. I also have never even driven past my first house where we spent 7 years updating the house and fixing up the yard.

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

That reclaimed oak looks fantastic. Where does one get material like that?

 

[drnickriviera]

This is a job that I'm currently on. Refinished the floors in the entire house.
White oak floors, 1 inch x 5/16 top nailed upstairs, 2 1/4 T&G downstairs.
Sanded then wet with distilled water, allowed to dry then stained with Duraseal Heritage Brown stain. Will be finished with 2 coats Glitsa seal and top coated with semi-gloss Glitsa.

So do you always water pop before staining? or just in this case with a dark stain?

 

[UnklSnappy]

That reclaimed oak looks fantastic. Where does one get material like that?

You can get reclaimed wood from places like http://pioneermillworks.com/ and https://www.wideplankflooring.com/custom-floor/ both unfinished and pre-finished. But be prepared for the prices of $15+ per sq ft just for the material.

So do you always water pop before staining? or just in this case with a dark stain?

No not always but quite often to get a darker, richer color.
We also will sometimes dye a floor with Transtint dyes prior to staining.

 

[nitsuj3580]

Love the first and third pics. The white oak...looks great but definitely not my taste. I would love to have the skills to refinish the butterscotch oak floors in my house to something darker.