Installation of Antique Reclaimed Wood Flooring

Solid timber has proved itself throughout the centuries as the best material for wood flooring because it: will last indefinitely if properly laid and cared for. A wood floor is resilient and therefore less tiring to the feet than more unyielding materials. Wood flooring provides very good thermal insulation being a low conductor of heat. The equivalent thermal insulation value of wood is about 16 times better than concrete and 400 times better than steel. An antique wood floor can be easily be renovated after wear or neglect and remains fresh and attractive long after other surfaces (including laminates) have become unserviceable. A wood floor is less dusty and therefore healthier especially for Asthmatics. Antique reclaimed flooring has a superb natural grain, color and enhances any environment.

Engineered wide plank flooring is considered more stable than wide solid wood flooring especially in environments where moisture or temperature change is a concern. We do not recommend gluing down boards over 5 inches wide. Wide plank engineered flooring boards are more likely to move (expand, contract, twist, bow and or cup) than narrow ones when laid in rooms subject to seasonal variations in temperature and humidity.

Understanding your wood floor from the moment a tree is felled: Wood starts to lose moisture and the process of drying and seasoning begins. As wood loses moisture air moves in to fill the emptying spaces of its cells and so becomes lighter, harder, stronger and shrinks a little. Seasoning continues slowly under natural conditions until a balance is reached between moisture remaining in the wood and the water vapor in the air around it. In a warm centrally heated room wood holds a quantity of water at least equal to 12% of its own dry weight. In a damp room or outside it holds much more. Timber losing water will dry and shrink, and wood which is dry and well seasoned can absorb air borne moisture rapidly and result in swelling and twisting. One cannot completely prevent these natural processes but steps can be taken to limit them.

Your reclaimed hard wood flooring should be stored inside your house at the appropriate living temperature. Take delivery only when other building work is complete and wet work dried out. Allow the antique flooring some acclimatization time prior to laying. Up to two weeks prior to installing is recommended.

Dampness and moisture are your main enemy. If you have doubts about where you are laying your wood floor, discuss this with an expert before proceeding. Be sure to monitor the moisture content of both the subfloor and floor boards. Remember, do not install your flooring over green concrete or wet plywood.

Marking even a hardwood floor is possible. Stiletto heels are a problem, the point loading is so heavy that this may mark even the hardest of hardwood flooring. Hardwood floors will mark less than a softwood such as pine flooring, but remember pine floor boards are also very hardy and many country pine plank floors are still going strong! If moving heavy items on wood floors, it is best (assuming the item cannot be lifted) to drag with a piece of carpet underneath to act as a slider. Dirt & Grit - vacuum regularly to minimize wear to the floor finish. Problems are few, and handled, laid and cared for properly, wood floors give years of wear and satisfaction.

First lay down an underlayment, a plastic and foam combination is best, and then the wood flooring is laid on top of this underlayment, a bead of water based glue is applied to the groove side, the boards are tapped together using a tapping block, and the excess glue is wiped off with a damp cloth.

Why is this type of installation stable? Simple. With the free-float installation, the boards are glued together, not down, so when the floor expands and contracts, it does so as one big floor as opposed to individual units. The boards are not attached to the sub-floor. The foam underlayment also helps absorb some of the minor imperfections in the sub-floor, so the exact evenness of the sub-floor is not as crucial with this type of installation. The free-float method requires slightly less effort in the way of sub-floor preparation

Laying wood flooring over a concrete floor - Concrete should be dried out with a maximum moisture content of 5%. Another successful "floating" method for a solid or engineered hardwood floor over a newer concrete slab is to first seal the floor with a good commercial grade sealer. Then lay one or two layers of heavy gauge plastic sheeting (6mil or better), overlapping all joints by 24 inches and taping them. On top of the plastic install two layers of ½" (or 3/8th inch) plywood with the second layer perpendicular or on diagonal to the first layer. Preferably screw (or nail) the second layer to the first without fastening the first layer into the concrete, You can then nail your wood flooring to the top layer of the plywood sub floor, being careful not to nail through the plastic sheeting. You can glue wood flooring to the top plywood, we do not recommend gluing down boards over 5 inches wide. The term ‘floating’ means that a plywood subfloor is not fixed to the slab.

Laying on ground floor joists - Reclaimed wood flooring should not be nailed direct to joists over a ventilated ground floor void. The wood flooring will absorb airborne moisture from the ventilation and will swell. We recommend that plywood of at least 5/8 inch is laid first followed by a sheet vapor barrier (not polythene) and then your recycled antique hardwood floor.

Laying over existing old wood floors - You can lay over an old wood floor if it is sound and level. Counter punch any nails and check the floor for high spots before sanding flat if necessary. Lay your new wood floor at 90 degrees to the existing wood flooring, if possible, and nail at about 10 inch intervals. If your new wood floor must run the same way as the old one, lay plywood of at least 1/4 inch thickness to the old wood floor before laying the new one. It may save cost if the plywood is laid in strips at 12 inch centers. In both cases when you lay the new floor fix with nails of sufficient length to fix through the ply and into the old floor. If your existing floor is laid over a ventilated void ensure that a proper vapor barrier is sandwiched between the old and new floors.

Other laying tips for reclaimed and engineered wood flooring - Wide plank flooring boards are more likely to move (expand, contract, twist, bow and or cup) than narrow ones especially if laid in rooms subject to seasonal variations in temperature and humidity. If you are secret nailing a wide wood plank floor (i.e. where the width of the board is >5 times the thickness of the board) you should consider additional fixing by nailing through the face of the plank, and optionally plugging the hole with a plug made from the timber. This will give a smooth finish if you do not wish to see the nails. It is a wise precaution to treat all battens and existing timber joists against infestation and rot before laying your new floor. Remember all antique and engineered wood floors will move between seasonal extremes, expands in summer and shrinks in winter when the heating is on. This is quite normal. T&G end matched boards need not terminate on a joist or batten provided the board on either side does not terminate between the same joist or batten. Always leave an expansion gap of round the perimeter of the room. This should be a 1/2 inch for small rooms and 1/2 to 3/4 inch for larger rooms. In most cases the gap will be covered by the skirting board. Cramp boards before fixing to ensure a tight fit.

Nailing - When surface nailing use a nail punch to drive below your wood floor surface. This will assist sanding. Recycled hardwood floors may be secret nailed using a porta-nailer and driving the nails in at 45 degrees. Use 1 3/4 inch nails or staples for a typical 3/4 inch thick board. Traditional cut nails (brads) are best for surface nailing. Use 2 - 2 1/2 inch brads for boards up to 1 inch thick.

- Fine - to achieve final surface, finish with grit 120 or finer. Edges should be sanded with a hand sander and using same process as above Filling - many choose to emphasize scars and minor knotty imperfections in an antique or rustic floor. If you wish to do any filling use a resin (e.g. Lecol clear resin) mixed with sanding dust, and fill prior to the final sand. Remove dust. This can be done by thorough vacuuming and prior to applying any finish wipe the floor with a damp cloth or rag coated in white spirit and allow to dry.

The choice of finishing products is wide and can change the look of the floor considerably. The choice you make should be geared to the amount of wear your reclaimed wood flooring will get and the look you require. Some tips: Try finishes over a decent area, use board backs before they are laid and offcuts to decide, this is especially important if you are coloring the timber. Remember all wood floors darken naturally over time with the effect of light. Whatever you choose, 3-4 coats as a finish will give you longer life. Apply all products according to instructions detailed by the manufacturer.

Wax Polish gives a sheen to a country plank floor , successive layers building to a patina gives a good natural finish and feeds the wood. Wax can be applied to bare timber frame foors, but first coats should be mixed with white spirit, this aids application and ensures the polish really soaks in. A shellac (alcohol based resin) could also be applied as the base coat to seal the grain, with wax applied on top. The wax goes further and buffs more quickly to a shine. A downside with waxing is high maintenance as rubber soled shoes and water will mark the wax. Maintenance is a must for an antique, distressed oak, elm and pine flooring, some only consider using wax for low traffic areas or areas where rugs will take the majority of the wear

Oils for wood flooring, there are lots of different oils on the market. Oils which have been specially developed to provide a long-lasting quality hardwood floor finish which is easy to maintain. They sink deep into the grain, hardening and protecting the wood and give a good natural finish which may slightly darken the timber and enhance the grain.

Varnishes, Oil based polyurethane's, water based acrylic varnish are all suitable for floors and are normally available in matt, satin and high gloss. These are very hard wearing and ideal for floors which get lots of wear. This is obviously a less natural finish.

Wood Stain: Think carefully before you decide to put a stain on your floor. Any reclaimed machined wood such as oak or pine flooring will age and darken naturally. They darken considerably in the first year, especially if in an area where there is plenty of sunlight. Stains may easily wear off poorly maintained or high wear floors. If you must stain here are some tips! Try a large area first using off cuts and the underside of some boards. Be absolutely certain of the color and appearance, there is no going back! We recommend oils for a natural colored look (great for country floors). Use water based stains (except under water based lacquers which require a solvent stain), these soak in more unevenly and therefore look more natural. Once the staining is completed a finishing product should be applied. Check suitability for application over stain.


	Great Lakes Wide Plank Flooring \| home Wood Flooring Price \| Country Plank Floors \| Quarter Sawn Oak \| Engineered Flooring \| Tuscan Style Floors \| French Country \| Wood Plank Flooring \| Installation Info \| About Reclaimed Flooring \| Contact Us Installation of Antique Reclaimed Wood Flooring Background & Preparation for your reclaimed wood floor Solid wood flooring Solid timber has proved itself throughout the centuries as the best material for wood flooring because it: will last indefinitely if properly laid and cared for. A wood floor is resilient and therefore less tiring to the feet than more unyielding materials. Wood flooring provides very good thermal insulation being a low conductor of heat. The equivalent thermal insulation value of wood is about 16 times better than concrete and 400 times better than steel. An antique wood floor can be easily be renovated after wear or neglect and remains fresh and attractive long after other surfaces (including laminates) have become unserviceable. A wood floor is less dusty and therefore healthier especially for Asthmatics. Antique reclaimed flooring has a superb natural grain, color and enhances any environment. Engineered wood flooring Engineered wide plank flooring is considered more stable than wide solid wood flooring especially in environments where moisture or temperature change is a concern. We do not recommend gluing down boards over 5 inches wide. Wide plank engineered flooring boards are more likely to move (expand, contract, twist, bow and or cup) than narrow ones when laid in rooms subject to seasonal variations in temperature and humidity. Preparing to lay a wood floor Understanding your wood floor from the moment a tree is felled: Wood starts to lose moisture and the process of drying and seasoning begins. As wood loses moisture air moves in to fill the emptying spaces of its cells and so becomes lighter, harder, stronger and shrinks a little. Seasoning continues slowly under natural conditions until a balance is reached between moisture remaining in the wood and the water vapor in the air around it. In a warm centrally heated room wood holds a quantity of water at least equal to 12% of its own dry weight. In a damp room or outside it holds much more. Timber losing water will dry and shrink, and wood which is dry and well seasoned can absorb air borne moisture rapidly and result in swelling and twisting. One cannot completely prevent these natural processes but steps can be taken to limit them. Moisture Your reclaimed hard wood flooring should be stored inside your house at the appropriate living temperature. Take delivery only when other building work is complete and wet work dried out. Allow the antique flooring some acclimatization time prior to laying. Up to two weeks prior to installing is recommended. Wood Floor Problems Dampness and moisture are your main enemy. If you have doubts about where you are laying your wood floor, discuss this with an expert before proceeding. Be sure to monitor the moisture content of both the subfloor and floor boards. Remember, do not install your flooring over green concrete or wet plywood. Marking even a hardwood floor is possible. Stiletto heels are a problem, the point loading is so heavy that this may mark even the hardest of hardwood flooring. Hardwood floors will mark less than a softwood such as pine flooring, but remember pine floor boards are also very hardy and many country pine plank floors are still going strong! If moving heavy items on wood floors, it is best (assuming the item cannot be lifted) to drag with a piece of carpet underneath to act as a slider. Dirt & Grit - vacuum regularly to minimize wear to the floor finish. Problems are few, and handled, laid and cared for properly, wood floors give years of wear and satisfaction. Laying your wood plank floor All of our floors can be laid by a carpenter or (in most cases) a competent enthusiast. Here are some laying tips for an antique reclaimed wood floor. Also our Quartersawn and Engineered floors. A Free-Float Installation is very popular today. It has become known as one of the most stable and forgiving installation methods available. The reason this installation method is so stable, is because it is not attached to the sub-floor whatsoever. First lay down an underlayment, a plastic and foam combination is best, and then the wood flooring is laid on top of this underlayment, a bead of water based glue is applied to the groove side, the boards are tapped together using a tapping block, and the excess glue is wiped off with a damp cloth. Why is this type of installation stable? Simple. With the free-float installation, the boards are glued together, not down, so when the floor expands and contracts, it does so as one big floor as opposed to individual units. The boards are not attached to the sub-floor. The foam underlayment also helps absorb some of the minor imperfections in the sub-floor, so the exact evenness of the sub-floor is not as crucial with this type of installation. The free-float method requires slightly less effort in the way of sub-floor preparation Laying wood flooring over a concrete floor - Concrete should be dried out with a maximum moisture content of 5%. Another successful "floating" method for a solid or engineered hardwood floor over a newer concrete slab is to first seal the floor with a good commercial grade sealer. Then lay one or two layers of heavy gauge plastic sheeting (6mil or better), overlapping all joints by 24 inches and taping them. On top of the plastic install two layers of ½" (or 3/8th inch) plywood with the second layer perpendicular or on diagonal to the first layer. Preferably screw (or nail) the second layer to the first without fastening the first layer into the concrete, You can then nail your wood flooring to the top layer of the plywood sub floor, being careful not to nail through the plastic sheeting. You can glue wood flooring to the top plywood, we do not recommend gluing down boards over 5 inches wide. The term ‘floating’ means that a plywood subfloor is not fixed to the slab. Radiant heated concrete slab - The slab should be well-aged before installing a hardwood floor. Never install wood flooring over concrete or gypsum cement until you've turned on the floor heating system to remove any residual moisture from the slab. Install an 8 mil polyethylene vapor barrier on top of all slabs in contact with the ground or over fill. Make sure the vapor barrier isn't damaged before the finished floor is put in. Radiant plywood subfloor -- Turn on the permanent heat source if the plywood is wet. Don't deliver the flooring until the room has reached the proper relative humidity. Plywood is a good candidate for a subfloor materias in radiant installations. Particle board subfloors are not recommended. Laying on ground floor joists - Reclaimed wood flooring should not be nailed direct to joists over a ventilated ground floor void. The wood flooring will absorb airborne moisture from the ventilation and will swell. We recommend that plywood of at least 5/8 inch is laid first followed by a sheet vapor barrier (not polythene) and then your recycled antique hardwood floor. Laying over existing old wood floors - You can lay over an old wood floor if it is sound and level. Counter punch any nails and check the floor for high spots before sanding flat if necessary. Lay your new wood floor at 90 degrees to the existing wood flooring, if possible, and nail at about 10 inch intervals. If your new wood floor must run the same way as the old one, lay plywood of at least 1/4 inch thickness to the old wood floor before laying the new one. It may save cost if the plywood is laid in strips at 12 inch centers. In both cases when you lay the new floor fix with nails of sufficient length to fix through the ply and into the old floor. If your existing floor is laid over a ventilated void ensure that a proper vapor barrier is sandwiched between the old and new floors. Other laying tips for reclaimed and engineered wood flooring - Wide plank flooring boards are more likely to move (expand, contract, twist, bow and or cup) than narrow ones especially if laid in rooms subject to seasonal variations in temperature and humidity. If you are secret nailing a wide wood plank floor (i.e. where the width of the board is >5 times the thickness of the board) you should consider additional fixing by nailing through the face of the plank, and optionally plugging the hole with a plug made from the timber. This will give a smooth finish if you do not wish to see the nails. It is a wise precaution to treat all battens and existing timber joists against infestation and rot before laying your new floor. Remember all antique and engineered wood floors will move between seasonal extremes, expands in summer and shrinks in winter when the heating is on. This is quite normal. T&G end matched boards need not terminate on a joist or batten provided the board on either side does not terminate between the same joist or batten. Always leave an expansion gap of round the perimeter of the room. This should be a 1/2 inch for small rooms and 1/2 to 3/4 inch for larger rooms. In most cases the gap will be covered by the skirting board. Cramp boards before fixing to ensure a tight fit. Nailing - When surface nailing use a nail punch to drive below your wood floor surface. This will assist sanding. Recycled hardwood floors may be secret nailed using a porta-nailer and driving the nails in at 45 degrees. Use 1 3/4 inch nails or staples for a typical 3/4 inch thick board. Traditional cut nails (brads) are best for surface nailing. Use 2 - 2 1/2 inch brads for boards up to 1 inch thick. Finishing your wood floor Sanding any hardwood flooring This stage is perhaps the most critical, so take care and time. Use a drum type commercial sander (hire by the day). Three stages to sanding working from coarse to fine grit - Coarse - to remove dirt, old finish, marks and high spots. Sand at 45 degrees to the direction of the boards then with the grain. - Medium - to remove marks made by coarse sanding - Fine - to achieve final surface, finish with grit 120 or finer. Edges should be sanded with a hand sander and using same process as above Filling - many choose to emphasize scars and minor knotty imperfections in an antique or rustic floor. If you wish to do any filling use a resin (e.g. Lecol clear resin) mixed with sanding dust, and fill prior to the final sand. Remove dust. This can be done by thorough vacuuming and prior to applying any finish wipe the floor with a damp cloth or rag coated in white spirit and allow to dry. Finishing products for your plank flooring The choice of finishing products is wide and can change the look of the floor considerably. The choice you make should be geared to the amount of wear your reclaimed wood flooring will get and the look you require. Some tips: Try finishes over a decent area, use board backs before they are laid and offcuts to decide, this is especially important if you are coloring the timber. Remember all wood floors darken naturally over time with the effect of light. Whatever you choose, 3-4 coats as a finish will give you longer life. Apply all products according to instructions detailed by the manufacturer. Wax Polish gives a sheen to a country plank floor , successive layers building to a patina gives a good natural finish and feeds the wood. Wax can be applied to bare timber frame foors, but first coats should be mixed with white spirit, this aids application and ensures the polish really soaks in. A shellac (alcohol based resin) could also be applied as the base coat to seal the grain, with wax applied on top. The wax goes further and buffs more quickly to a shine. A downside with waxing is high maintenance as rubber soled shoes and water will mark the wax. Maintenance is a must for an antique, distressed oak, elm and pine flooring, some only consider using wax for low traffic areas or areas where rugs will take the majority of the wear Oils for wood flooring, there are lots of different oils on the market. Oils which have been specially developed to provide a long-lasting quality hardwood floor finish which is easy to maintain. They sink deep into the grain, hardening and protecting the wood and give a good natural finish which may slightly darken the timber and enhance the grain. Varnishes, Oil based polyurethane's, water based acrylic varnish are all suitable for floors and are normally available in matt, satin and high gloss. These are very hard wearing and ideal for floors which get lots of wear. This is obviously a less natural finish. Water based lacquers and sealers. Suitable for all wear requirements including commercial floors. Downside is these do not give such a natural finish as the oils. Wood Stain: Think carefully before you decide to put a stain on your floor. Any reclaimed machined wood such as oak or pine flooring will age and darken naturally. They darken considerably in the first year, especially if in an area where there is plenty of sunlight. Stains may easily wear off poorly maintained or high wear floors. If you must stain here are some tips! Try a large area first using off cuts and the underside of some boards. Be absolutely certain of the color and appearance, there is no going back! We recommend oils for a natural colored look (great for country floors). Use water based stains (except under water based lacquers which require a solvent stain), these soak in more unevenly and therefore look more natural. Once the staining is completed a finishing product should be applied. Check suitability for application over stain. Wood Flooring Maintenance Reclaimed wood flooring should have its dust and grit removed on a regular basis using a vacuum cleaner, soft broom or other dry cleaning method. If recycled wood floors are in kitchens then vacuum as above then wipe over with a damp mop. The amount of moisture on your antique wood floor should be kept to a minimum by ensuring mops and cloths are only lightly dampened. Spillages - refer to floor finish manufacturers advice. For varnished old wood distressed floors maintain as indicated above. Call us for a free friendly consultation! Wisconsin - 608-356-8849 - Pennsylvania "We Ship Nationwide" home \| Wood Flooring Price \| Country Plank Floors \| Quarter Sawn Oak \| Engineered Flooring \| Tuscan Style Floors \| French Country \| Wood Plank Flooring \| Installation Info \| About Reclaimed Flooring \| Contact Us Wide Plank Flooring Great Lakes Company 1911 Draper St Baraboo, WI 53913 608-356-8849 --------------------------