skip to main content

Live sawn white oak for new build on finished basement.

6 years ago

We are building a lake house in Illinois. Geothermal heat and air with humidistat. The windows will rarely be open and if so only for short amounts of time. The house sits on a finished basement.

our last house had 4" wide finished on site red oak with essentially the same house specs and we had absolutely zero problems.

I'm hiring a company to install finished on site 3/4" Live Sawn white oak. We can do any width but would prefer 6" or 7". Nail and glue and they have discussed, warned us of all of the possible issues re: gaps, humidity, etc.

should I go narrower than 6"?

I don't want to sound like I want what I want but the beauty of this wood really comes through when it's a little wider.

what do you think?

thanks.

Featured Answer

PRO

User

6 years ago

We LOVE wide plank hardwood. Here's the thing with wide plank hardwood...It should be milled properly, it should be acclimated accordingly and it should be install correctly in the perfect indoor environment. I can appreciate your contractors telling you/ warning you of the potential risks associated with wide planks. It's actually a good thing they did that because now you know how to prevent and what mechanics need to be installed in your home in order to prevent any damage to the wood. (ie. HVAC system with a humidifier and dehumidifier, etc) 6" or 7" is pretty wide. We have worked with companies where 6 or 7" is the narrowest they milled and they only specialize in wide planks of over 9". Oh, something else to consider is having the flooring end matched. *Sometimes* with wider plank hardwoods, they aren't milled with the end match. So definitely speak with your contractor about that. We personally like having the flooring end matched.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

ILoveRed
Original Author
6 years ago
PS...want to clarify that wood will not go in the basement. LVT in basement.
ILoveRed
Original Author
6 years ago
Bump...any opinions?
Related Discussions
1/4 sawn oak floor with 1/4 sawn oak base cabinets?
Q
Comments (4)
Too funny! I'm in Vancouver as well and just finishing my white uppers, rift cut oak lowers, kitchen. Similar vintage house. We have new white oak quarter/rift floors everywhere on the main floor, but went with a darker ceramic floor tile in the kitchen. The oak of the lowers works well with the oak floors in the adjacent dining room. I think the darker tile floor works to break things up a little, in a good way. The counters are madreperola quartzite, with a taupe that picks up the tones of the wood, and greens that pick up the tones of the kitchen floor. Plain white subway backsplash that closely matches the white uppers. Overall, really happy. Hopefully I'll be posting pics in the next week or two. Having seen it, I can reassure you that the combo of white uppers and white oak lowers is gorgeous. You'll love it.
...See More
Replace honey oak doors w/white oak quarter sawn?
Q
Comments (7)
I bought quarter sawn red oak cabinets for my previous kitchen and although the doors were quartersawn, the interior faces of the cabinets were regular red oak veneer. That's the way they were manufactured. Since the doors were full overlay, the parts of the cabinets that were not quartersawn were never really visible and I had "furniture" sides so those were also quartersawn. However, red oak and white oak are different species, with the white oak tending more towards browner tones. If I were you I would buy a sample door and see how the color match goes with your current boxes. Or you can buy an unfinished door and see if you can play with stain to match the color. You might be able to find a stain close to your current cabinets in tone that will be good with the honey oak. .
...See More
Help! Rift sawn oak cabinets: clear finish, stain or cerused?
Q
Comments (10)
Hi, Sophie, Scherr's will do the clear coat. They will also do any Sherwin Williams stain. By specialty finish, if you mean the ceruse finish, I am talking to a local cabinet refinisher about it. He does not build cabinets. But I don't think it's likely we will go that route, for a number of reasons. Fori, thanks for weighing in. We will be ordering some sample doors. I have some white oak samples, so if we decide to stain, I may try some of the stains out before asking them to put them on sample doors. I feel the need to narrow the options down a bit first. The clear finish that Scherr's uses comes in two sheens: dulled rubbed (flat) and medium rubbed (satin). Does anyone know if the flat finish would hold up as well as the satin, be as easy to clean? Does the sheen determine durability and cleanability as well as the shine level? Thanks again!
...See More
Kitchen cabinets-Quarter sawn white oak stain
Q
Comments (8)
Thank you.. I love the contrast with the darker oak cabinets and lighter flooring in the pic above but our kitchen is small so we are trying to go lighter. We are flying solo on the flooring We have reputable cabinet maker who will create anything we ask for and has given us design ideas. We are turning our penisula into an island and swapping fridge and oven to allow for a range hood. In order to do this we are pushing the kitchen into an adjoing room with a fireplace and building in a beverage center to tie in with the kitchen (see old kitchen photos below) the new flooring will span the entire first floor.
...See More
PRO
Mint tile Minneapolis
6 years ago
last modified: 6 years ago
white oak is a stable wood in regards to moisture. Glued and nailed. Like it.
ILoveRed
Original Author
6 years ago
Thanks guys. So, do you think I can go 6" or do you think I should go narrower?
PRO
G & S Floor Service
6 years ago
You can do a random width pattern: 4-6-8 or 3-5-7 Keep the sizes 2" different, any less, the boards will look the same size. Random width patterns will help minimize the gapping. The flooring will need to be acclimated within 2% of your subfloor moisture reading.

Related Stories

BASEMENTS Ideas for Partially Finishing Your Basement

By Nicole Jacobs

Transform your lower level into a living area, laundry, bathroom or office you can use now — without a full renovation

REMODELING GUIDES Know Your House: The Steps in Finishing a Basement

By Bud Dietrich, AIA

Learn what it takes to finish a basement before you consider converting it into a playroom, office, guest room or gym

BASEMENTS Basement of the Week: Newly Finished and Open to the Outdoors

By Becky Harris

Relaxing, working, playing ... a New Jersey family can pick their pastime in this industrial-style walk-out leading to a new patio

REMODELING GUIDES 11 Ways to Finesse Your Finished Basement

By Laura Gaskill

Make your hideaway more enjoyable, fun and suited to your style with these useful tips

BEFORE AND AFTERS Basement of the Week: Expanded Living Space on a Budget

By Becky Harris

Cost consciousness matches style savvy in this downstairs Massachusetts family room with guest quarters and a laundry room

TRADITIONAL HOMES Houzz Tour: Basement Now a Light-Filled Family Living Space

By Cathy Rebecca

Merging a house and a basement flat into one townhouse creates a spacious family home in London

SMALL HOMES My Houzz: Black, White and Metal Shine in a 1930s Live-Work Apartment

By Corynne Pless

Mindfully curated vintage and antique finds fill this creative couple’s 850-square-foot rental in Los Angeles

KITCHEN DESIGN How to Keep Your White Kitchen White

By Becky Dietrich, Interior Designer

Sure, white kitchens are beautiful — when they’re sparkling clean. Here’s how to keep them that way

CONTRACTOR TIPS Building Permits: What to Know About Green Building and Energy Codes

By Matt Clawson

In Part 4 of our series examining the residential permit process, we review typical green building and energy code requirements

FURNITURE Kitchen Tables for the Real Lives We’re Living

By Jessica Mayfield

They see it all: homework, stories and, of course, meals

Sponsored

More Discussions

SOS: need urgently 2 1/4"unfinished red oak with bevel

15

Bona Traffic Anti-Slip

0

how to prevent water from the bathroom damaging the wood floor outside

2

New wood floors procedure

12

Not happy with floor.

2