Has anyone installed 5 1/4 inch hardwood in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada?

6 years ago

last modified: 6 years ago

We are looking to have PG Model 5 1/4 inch Heritage Grade Silver Maple installed at our home in Ottawa, Ontario Canada. I am hearing mixed reviews of whether or not I can install this size wood given our climate. Contractors are saying that I should not go more than 3 1/4 inches given the extreme temperatures that we get here (down to -30 Celsius) i.e. that with time, if I don't maintain humidity at around 40% then I will see cupping in my hardwood. The retailers are saying that you can glue as well as nail the hardwood down and you won't have any problems. Contractors say that anything above 3 1/4 in our climate should be engineered wood. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

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Comments (4)

charpell
6 years ago
We are in Oakville (just W of Toronto) and we went with engineered flooring because we knew that we experienced wide swings of humidity. The product we used was from Vintage Hardwood. They have clearly specified acceptable humidity ranges for each of their products. I can’t remember what the range was for the solid woods, by it was too narrow for our home. We are very happy with the product, but it was pricey. We used 5” hand scraped hickory.
Laur thanked charpell
SJ McCarthy
6 years ago
You can have your cake and eat it too. You can have the 5" wide plank but you MUST have GLUE ASSIST! MUST! That means more money for glue and more money for installation. There is NO WAY around the GLUE ASSIST!

That being said, if your CONTRACTOR (ahem...NOT a flooring professional...not even close!) is hesitant to do this, it means they have had BAD experiences because they do not use flooring PROFESSIONALS on their crew. They use "guys with hammers" to do ALL the work. That's why your GC is hesitating here.

That's fine. At least s/he knows the limitations of their crew. You can ask the GC to REACH OUT to PROFESSIONAL flooring installers (you will agree to pay for the UP CHARGE for doing this) so that you can have your 5" wide maple.

So...you will be looking at the glue-assist up charge (can be $1.50 - $2.50/sf MORE for the install) and the up-charge for the PROFESSIONAL flooring company to come in and do the install (can be $2 - $4/sf more).

If you have a GC coming in, you might want to have your HVAC (heating/cooling system) inspected to see what is needed to maintain a constant humidity level. Your summers are HUMID (dehumidifier and/or A/C required) and your winters can be humid AND dry (because of all the heating required indoors the air becomes very dry = whole home humidifier).

At worst, the $6K up grade to the home's HVAC will be money well spent. And just to be clear, 3 3/4" wood needs the same humidity requirements. Nothing will get you out of the need for humidity control with wood flooring. Nothing.

So....ask yourself if all the up charges are worth the 5" plank (could be as much as $6.50/sf added to the build). The HVAC will need the up grade no matter what type of solid flooring you have in there. Even laminate and vinyl require this level of stability.
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rwiegand
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Glue will not stop wood from moving with seasonal humidity changes, the forces involved far exceed the strength of the wood or glue. At best it will keel the flooring from moving in bigger sections, giving you a cumulative gap that is more noticeable.

If you want to know exactly how much each will move, here is an article and chart that will let you predict the movement. The actual amount that each board will move is directly proportional to the width. If a 5" board shrinks by 1/8" a 2-1/2" board will shrink by 1/16", so the actual gaps will also be directly proportional to width. Cupping is another issue, best dealt with by using quartersawn flooring.
tryingtounderstand
4 years ago
Hi Laur, did you decide on Vintage floors. If som how did they work out, any issues with them We also live in Ottawa and are considering their engineered 61/2 “ plank, white oak? We are dealing with a highly qualified and locally recognized flooring installer as well.

Has anyone installed 5 1/4 inch hardwood in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada?

Comments (4)

charpell

SJ McCarthy

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rwiegand

tryingtounderstand

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