Wide plank hardwood floor questions

8 years ago

Hi,

I have been reading up on wide plank hardwood (6") for my kitchen. I live in northern Ohio and have forced air heat in the winter and don't run the a/c too much in the summer. There is a basement under the kitchen where I get some condensation on the pipes a few days a year if I forget to run the dehumidifier.

I have settled on white oak and have the following questions:

Is rift and quartered significantly more stable to prevent issues like cupping, etc. ?

Is a vapor barrier under the planks a good idea? I read that allowing the boards to breath is a good idea and that a vapor barrier may just trap moisture on top of subfloor and rot that away.

Is coating the bottom of the boards to match the top of the boards so that the tops and bottoms are more likely to stay at the same moisture level a good idea to prevent cupping?

Any thoughts on boards with flat bottoms vs those with grooves?

Any thoughts on end matching vs not end matched? I read an old post than not matching the ends allows for movement so less likely to split boards at the end.

Gluing boards in addition to nailing? Some say glue will restrict movement and cause splitting, others that it will add stability and keep squeaks down.

If there are other issues I should be aware, please let me know. Thanks!

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Comments (4)

PRO
Carpet One Columbia
8 years ago
My long distance advice: avoid solid plank - instead go with a dry sawn engineered w/ at least a 4mm veneer, control your interior climate (temp/humidity) to avoid cupping (usually what is good for your skin is good for your floor), use a vapor barrier that slows down the rate of vapor passing through (not block it 100%), consult with someone in the trade that is affiliated with the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA) and can explain the risk/benefit of wide plank natural flooring. If you do this, your other questions are not even part of the equation. If you insist on 3/4" thick flooring you can look at the engineered options from Uptown Flooring (Supplier/Online seller), Sheoga (Manufacturer), or Mirage (Manufacturer) are 3 quality choices.
Mike Peruzzi thanked Carpet One Columbia
PRO
WeShipFloors
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
If you are considering solid, a quartersawn white oak would absolutely be the option in that width. Quartered wood's grain runs up and down. This makes the wood expand and contract vertically instead of horizontally. This is a rock solid flooring - by far the best solid flooring you can buy. It's not going to cup.

Another option in a wider width for a solid would be a glued up solid. This is flooring that has smaller strips that are glued into a wider width board - very much like a stair tread. These hold up way better than a solid non-quartersawn product.

As far as a vapor barrier goes, I would recommend you use it. But the #1 thing you should be concerned about is the moisture level in your sub-floor. Cupping is caused by the flooring encapsulating a wet sub-floor. Solids will have a moisture level from 6 to 9% when you take them out of the box. If this product is immediately nailed down to a subfloor with a much higher moisture level, the bottom of the flooring sucks up the moisture and expands causing the cup. This can happen with or without a moisture barrier AND with or without a 6 sided seal coat. I have seen it happen both ways.

End matching flooring serves absolutely no purpose other than making it easier on the installer.

Squeaks usually come from nails. Not sure how gluing with nails would keep this from happening.
Mike Peruzzi thanked WeShipFloors
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PRO
Unique Wood Floors
7 years ago
Rift and quartered flooring is going to be more stable because of the movement in cell structure.

Vapor barrier underneath the flooring is something that is a minimal investment for an invaluable benefit. You might be fine without the vapor barrier 90% of the time, however, if you were to have a warranty claim this is a big red flag for any flooring inspector. The vapor barrier does not completely block moisture from coming through, rather it allows moisture to pass through at a safe level for your hardwood flooring. A good example is if the basement floods and you have the vapor barrier installed underneath your flooring on the main level, it might save your hardwood from cupping.

Having finish on all sides of a plank is useful for slowing down the moisture changes in the wood allowing it to withstand small fluctuations in humidity.

Flooring with grooves on the bottom side allow for the planks to get more surface area which is the most important for glue down installation.

After analyzing your particular situation, I feel like with a 6" plank it is best to opt for an engineered product with a decent wear layer (3 mm or more). If you can get quarter sawn that would be the best, but this will be a more costly option and limit your choices because not all manufactures produce their floors in quarter sawn. The main thing to monitor is moisture, try and keep things between 35-55% RH and you should be safe.
Mike Peruzzi thanked Unique Wood Floors
Mike Peruzzi
Original Author
7 years ago
Thanks for the replies and helpful information!

Wide plank hardwood floor questions

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Carpet One Columbia

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Wide plank hardwood floor questions

Comments (4)

Carpet One Columbia

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Unique Wood Floors

Mike PeruzziOriginal Author

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Mike Peruzzi
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