Hey everyone! I just purchased my first home and I'm super excited to dive into some big woodworking projects. Growing up, I had wood floors that I loved and I'm looking to bring that back using pine, since it's local and takes stain nicely. My question is, has anyone here ever used rough lumber instead of the smaller flooring boards? I'm thinking about using larger 6-8" planks, planing them flat, and adding tongue and groove for installation. I assume smaller boards are used to manage minor shifting? I'm looking for advice on whether this is a viable option for making hardwood floors.
1 Answer
You can definitely find milled hardwood in 6-inch widths. I just picked some up recently! Making your own flooring is a big task though. I considered it when trying to match some really old fir flooring, but thankfully found a mill instead. It's a lot of work, and you might end up with a lot of waste, which can make it less cost-effective in the end.
Absolutely! Production mills can really crank out prefinished flooring much quicker and usually with a better finish and warranty. Plus, I wouldn't rely on the idea that pine holds stain well—I've seen several pine floors that didn't age well over time because the wood's so soft.