Hardwood Floors in Log Cabin

[John17three]

So, I stopped by a friends house (stick frame) and they had a gorgeous hardwood flooring. This is like a 275K home, so pretty nice for our neck of the woods. It looked like it was 'scraped' by a machine or something, but very nice. This got my mind reeling about flooring for a log home. For nice hardwoods, most of the companies are around $5-7 sqft for just the board--NO installation. I've got plenty of hardwood trees on our 80 acres: persimmon, hickory, oaks, and a some walnut, too. I'm considering cutting my own hardwood flooring if I didn't think I'd jack up making the T&G part. Here are my questions:

1) Does hardwood flooring require tongue and groove cutting to work?
2) Is it better practically/financially just to buy the stuff from hardwood flooring company than DIY?
3) how long should one air dry milled/lumbered before installation?

[blane]

It would typically be t&g for hardwood. It would take a good bit of time to mill, so from that perspective you would have to weigh time vs $$$. most of us don't have much of either. But I don't think making the t&g in your boards would be that hard only time consuming and until you got the hang of it you will have a little waste.

You can find hardwood flooring at salvage supply yards in my area pretty cheap.

[WNYcabinplannin]

You can do it yourself, with help.
I had some big oaks cut into 1x6 boards with a portable woodmizer. Then had them kiln dried and turned into flooring (T&G). My net cost was $1.37 a sqft !! cheaper than Pergo!
http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/8153/img0907n.jpg
http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/5926/img0911sz.jpg
http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/4163/img0912w.jpg
http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/6288/img1225h.jpg

[John17three]

You can do it yourself, with help.
I had some big oaks cut into 1x6 boards with a portable woodmizer. Then had them kiln dried and turned into flooring (T&G). My net cost was $1.37 a sqft !! cheaper than Pergo!
http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/8153/img0907n.jpg
http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/5926/img0911sz.jpg
http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/4163/img0912w.jpg
http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/6288/img1225h.jpg

You said, "...and turned into flooring (T&G)." Does that mean you outsourced the drying, and the grooving you did yourself, or did you outsource T&G grooving, too?

[LogLover]

Lots of oak around here at about $2.40 s/f and pine at $1.95...T&G and ready to nail. Same place has Brazilian stuff at $44.20 s/f
Pays to look around on flooring. It is everywhere - the building choke down left many distributors will loads of inventory on hand

[WNYcabinplannin]

Loglover- true, there is a lot of inventory around. Good deals to be had if you look hard.
John173- I had my roughsawn 1x6 (actual dimension) cut by the logger/sawyer then brought it to a guy with a kiln and some 1/2 M$ machines that cut ribs on the bottoms, and the tongues and grooves. His cost was $1 a sqft to dry and finish them. The logger charged me $40 an hour to fell the 4 oaks, cut them to length, and drag to my side lot. then a few days later, came with the Woodmizer. $175 setup fee, (included first hour cutting) $40 an hour afterwards. He was retired and just likes to cut wood all day. The big mizer was all laser and hydraulic. Other than rolling a log onto the lifting arms with a peavey, he didn't have to lift a finger. My part was to pull each finished board off the mill and onto my trailer.
I did it vs buying, b/c the logs were old growth, tight growth rings, and most importantly, had smashed tops from our big ice storm in '03. they were coming down in a few years anyways, so I saved them for a better fate than firewood. that last pic is of a board that was quartersawn. about 30% of the boards come that way by how he was cutting, and we also did the largest log all QS, but it wastes some wood and time to do it that way. My floor guy said you don't get oak this good unless its reclaimed anymore.... :)
Can't wait to see it in my cabin after we finish the interior of the cabin this fall.
Have fun with it and do the best floor you can afford, it makes a big difference in the final look of a home, and if you sell it'll be worth it.

[logsurfer]

Good Lord that's SICK!! Shaking my head...will there ever come a day when I can have such fun! Props to you WNY!

[LogLover]

I looked at some youtube vids on the mizer and that auto unit is the cat's meow. Bet it was a joy to use the old growth off the land.
The guys with them around here charge a bit more than you paid but I still think, even it cost runs slightly higher, that to be the way to go. You'll be walking on lands history for years to come. :)
If I can locate a used one, maybe just the #1 even priced right, I think I will snap it up. I been looking for several years now and they don't come to the market often around here. Maybe I need to expand my reach? dunno. I'd but that high ender if I thought I could break even in time on it. NOT cheap new.

[edkemper]

You know . . . . One of the reasons we build this way is because it's so darn cheap. The other is because we can do it ourselves. Seems to me that even if it costs just a little more, it'd be worth it to be able to say you built it all from scratch.

[BarstowRat]

I had a similar thoughts as John17three, but instead of t&g, I was curious if a simple 'V' groove would work. Thought that would be easier to cut by hand, and with some wax or other sealer, it would fill any gaps that may occur. I also want to keep them tapered (as the tree grows) so they will lay out in a radial pattern from the center of the house... that's where my fire pit will be.

[jrdavis]

Here I was thinking.... with an OAK log that straight -- I'd build a HOUSE out of it and use PINE for the flooring :)
JD

[LogLover]

I had a similar thoughts as John17three, but instead of t&g, I was curious if a simple 'V' groove would work. Thought that would be easier to cut by hand, and with some wax or other sealer, it would fill any gaps that may occur. I also want to keep them tapered (as the tree grows) so they will lay out in a radial pattern from the center of the house... that's where my fire pit will be.

My youth days were spent on our family farm, built in 1858 (with addition later). The floors were black walnut and oak cut from the property. No V ot T&G or notches at all. Butted together tight and maybe in the next 130 years had 10-15 coats of varnish and oils tossed on them. Some "character_ gaps" I guess were there but they were few and far between and no one paid a heed to them. The foundation was rock with dirt walled cellars so we had some settling. That said - it didn't impact the flooring. The floor joist I bet were 4-5" x 10" or 12" and spanned around 35-40' so they'd have been a lot longer to sit on the earth. Tell you one thing with certainty - they DO NOT build 'em like that anymore. lol
I'd think V would be fine - suspect I will just toss down ply or cdx and nail straight planks on this unless I get lazy and buy the stuff from a wholesaler.
Let me know what you did. If anyone wants to see a 1858 vintage farmhouse in MN tell me how to post pics and I'll hoist some up when I can. Sadly the place was torn down and burned 20 plus years ago - corporate farming ya know.

[Mosseyme]

Spent the last 2 days haveing that kind of fun! Actually I really do enjoy milling. I get a real charge out of seeing the next board and checking out the grain patterns and all.
We have been milling that big ole Hickory that came down in the road a few weeks ago. It took 3 days to clean up the mess it make and now it is taking forever to mill it. I got every answer you can think of from dry it on the log, cut it into cants and dry it, to if you don't cut it now you will never be able to mill it. [steel wood] is what some millers I talked to called it. I believe it. We cut it to 7' and 8' lengths because I knew it was going to be a tough go. I can mill one log and maybe get a couple of sides off the next and have to change blades. We did about 1000' lf but of course it is only 4",5",6" wide so it is probably only 300-400' sf. Still have 5 more logs to go plus some smaller ones. I'm going to hate it if this stuff splits all to pieces. If this works out maybe those bear size claws on my Alaskan Malamute will have met their match.

[rckclmbr428]

Mossemye, look up anchorseal, it keeps the ends of boards from checking

[rocklock]

Just a few thoughts...
1. I air dried my Doug fir for three years. The moister meter was at 7%. I put down the floor and now I have 3/16ths cracks in my floor... Lesson for me, air drying won't do it!
2. I just put down my re purposed oak floor. I got it on crag's list for about .45 cents per board foot (700 bf for $200 and 450bf for $320). I need to refinish it but its down and looking very rustic - it needs refinished badly... The water based finish will cost over 300 but it will look great!!!

Bottom line, making boards for floors is very tough. Craig's list is easy....

[LogLover]

Isn't CL almost like cheating?! ;)
Rocklock - I had left you a qustion on your blog - btw, very very nice looking! What size is your home?

[Mosseyme]

Thanks Ron,
I did look up anchorseal, none in this small town so bought coolseal, read that it was next best except for the mess. Will wait for one more day to warm up the wood and paint a little then seal.
Rock lock, that is very good advice, I am sure there will be many a time I'll wish I had taken it. When we started this it was to salvage dying trees, we kind of have gone with lets use what we have, so the plan is to use only wood from this land except for PT for sill wood if at all possible. This devil of a hickory tree just literally dropped in our laps so I have to see what I can do with it. It is just not in me to let good wood rot. You should see all the odds and ends and piles and piles of lumbar and logs we have around here. Gary just rolls his eyes every time I start looking for a new place to stack some odd shaped log, limb or whatever.
We have never milled anything like this Hickory tree. Ths sawdust is like talcum powder, it builds up between the board and the log as you cut instead of blowing out with the blade, It eats up blades like they were butter, and I have to go super slow with the cut or it pulls the blade off the mill. I am milling most of it quarter sawn but today I just had to take a few off flat sawn because the grain patterns were just so beautiful.

I do know it is a lot of work to do floors this way, we have done about 1800 sf in our current home with pine flooring, some of it from trees we cut out here and the other from Lowes, some of what has been down for several years has shrunk and separated a little but what we did from here we laid out on the floor in that room and let it lay there for a couple of years before we took it back up ran it through the planer again and then laid it glewed, and screewed it . It really looks good but in a year or two it may have change a lot

[John17three]

So did some snooping on Craigslist. A guy posted that we could buy "direct from factory" for T&G. I was hoping to do my own logging and millwork, then have someone else do the "grooving." I asked if they did this. He said no, and gave me the following prices for what they've got.

Here are our prices for 4” Flooring per square foot:


Red Oak White Oak

Select & Better $2.48 $2.35
1 Common $2.18 $2.15
Euro Common x $2.05
2 Common $1.95 $1.95
Tavern $1.00 $1.00

Sales tax is 7.225%.

Anyone know if these are good prices, assuming they're unfinished?

[rocklock]

This is a picture of my re-purposed oak floor...
I was able to re-purpose the oak cabinets for free... Yea, I can't believe it either...
Some like the rustic look of the floor in my log home, but I will be refinishing with a clear water based finish next year...
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s274/flintlock1/3.jpg

[spiralsands]

Very nice Dave. I love the variety of color and shades of the floor boards.

Frances

[John17three]

This is a picture of my re-purposed oak floor...
I was able to re-purpose the oak cabinets for free... Yea, I can't believe it either...
Some like the rustic look of the floor in my log home, but I will be refinishing with a clear water based finish next year...
http://i154.photobucket.com/albums/s274/flintlock1/3.jpg


Nice, looks historic! Great job. I hope I can find some pre-owned stuff like that on my place. I'm sure I'll sniff out some stuff off CraigsList when the time is right. :-)

[WNYcabinplannin]

Love the Floor, Dave!
a few of the boards are the same color as whatever is fermenting in the carboy on the counter ;)
That place looks like HOME to me!

[rocklock]

good eyes! WNY... Its 5 gal of Mead (blackberry honey) that is partially cleared and it tasted really good...
Next year, it will be ale's with fruit (blueberry, apricot and peach) and a porter or two...
Then they will be stored in my new fruit cellar... along with my Sauerkraut.

[allen84]

Softwood floors are pretty awesome, I think. I didn't revive this thread, but let's see your floors!

[allen84]

Floors in the basementhttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200525/db67ee3689c7239df2ddcc2aa11ea9f4.jpg
of a house I sold for a good friend several years ago. It brought top dollar... https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200525/69bc8e64721734df20c120ae738e5739.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200525/d090cbb9fd22200104c8948196fc8367.jpg


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[allen84]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200525/d859f2f7a6e684fb7fdad71e464b9d12.jpg


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