Help with a hard wood floor

[todpod]

Recently installed a hardwood floor. I had bought a 1000 sq ft of black walnut seconds for about $.93 a sq ft. The living room turn out great. The boards have some rough spots but thats ok for were its at. I am going to do the kitchen but would like to do a square parquet pattern. The boards are 2 1/4 wide. I will be able to cut smooth sections out of the boards to get the smoothest sections of the wood, which will be good for the kitchen. So I need to do some math to make it work out even boards.

If I figure correct and use 7 boards I can do a square the is 15 3/4 inches. Does that sound right. I have a pile of boards to pick though. The kitchen is 81 inches x 19' 5"

 

[highland145]

Are they pre-finished?

Just install them, sand, sealer.

Edit:I'd pay a pro for the sanding/sealing.

 

[todpod]

Not prefinished, I am not concerned about that. Just want to make sure I got the size of the square figured correctly so that it works out even boards

 

[Humpy]

It'll be just right for the 81" dimension. Pretty hard to get full squares in both directions unless you get lucky.

 

[highland145]

Not prefinished, I am not concerned about that. Just want to make sure I got the size of the square figured correctly so that it works out even boards

Sorry.

7X2.25=15.75

 

[UnklSnappy]

<<< 30 years exp. doing hardwood floors

Do you plan on end matching all the boards you cut? (putting tongues and grooves on the ends)
What your planing is going to suck actually doing it. Everything needs to be done very precise and square, or things can go bad quickly

 

[todpod]

On the long end it will be buried under the cabinets. I am trying to figure out a good way to do this so it looks decent and use shorter peices so i can really pick though the pile. Maybe us 2 foot pieces and do a running bond like bricks.

 

[UnklSnappy]

Maybe us 2 foot pieces and do a running bond like bricks.

Ah I see, thats not parquet.
Parquet is alternating squares of horizontal and vertical boards all the same lenght.

 

[todpod]

well I was thinking Parquet, but getting square seems like it might be nan issue, I am sure the room is not. Trying to think of a new idea

 

[UnklSnappy]

I did something similar to your bricks idea in my kitchen.
I put in #2 grade oak shorts (2ft and under) on a 45 degree angle for the field. With a 1" maple, 3" brazilian cherry, 1" maple border. Then that border is surrounded by 1ft boards perpendicular to the walls (known as soldiers in a row)