Splinters from hardwood floors?
Debbi Washburn
2 years ago
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engineered hardwood floor over old hardwood floor
Comments (14)You need to do a little more archeological digging still. You need to know the whole construction of the floor before you can decide how best to install something new. I'd take up that plywood piece in the kitchen and see what's under it. It's higher than the surrounding floor, so needs to go. You should also be able to see from there what subfloor is under the original kitchen hardwood. It's too bad the space under your entryway is finished, but I'd still do some exploring from below to see what's under there, and to figure out the fix to stop it from squeaking. Is it drywall below or a drop ceiling? I know it probably seems like a pain to tear out drywall, but if you cut out a clean patch, like 2' x the width of the joists, it'll be relatively simple to repair. Just make sure to cut it down the center of the joists so that there's room to screw the patch piece to it later. Cut the hole under the area that squeaks the most, if you can. Have someone walk on and watch the floor from below to see what's moving. It might be as simple as pounding in a couple shims from below, or face-nailing a loose board from above. You want to find out what's underneath the hardwood. It might be laid directly on the floor joists, or there might be 10" wide boards that the hardwood is nailed to. Another thought is to take out a board in the hallway, since that's not original and you want to replace it. See what the subfloor is there. I am a bit puzzled at why, when you've stripped the kitchen down to the original hardwood, it's still higher than the hallway floor. Is your current surface perhaps not the original kitchen hardwood? Peeling back the plywood area will help determine that. BTW, I haven't heard of that stop squeaking product you linked to, so can't offer any personal opinion. And don't pour self-leveling compound over top of hardwood. It needs to go over plywood....See MoreSerious splintering of old hardwood floor.
Comments (5)weedy: Mmph. I didn't even think of just slapping some carpet over the top. That's not all that bad an idea. Hmm. glenn: Chestnut seems unlikely for the Pacific Northwest. The rest of the house is trimmed out in a fairly modest fashion, and was built in 1925, so I'm assuming it would be a local wood. The boards near the splintery one, which have grain more perpendicular to the surface of the floor, have held up extremely well to 80+ years of use. I only guessed at what kind of wood it is in case that makes a difference....See MoreDark hardwood vs lighter hardwood floors
Comments (61)When it comes to hardwood, trends are something to ignore! Why? Because hardwood is pretty much a lifetime purchase, and unless yours is damaged in some way, you're probably not going to replace it. So, light wood vs. dark wood, wide planks vs. narrow planks -- that stuff's all going to come and go. With that in mind -- as well as the very real concerns about cleaning dark wood -- I'll vote for a nice, neutral midtone every time. Not too much contrast, not too red, and (unless it's a beach house) not too pale. I think this is the wood that's most likely to give you good service and stand the test of time....See Morehardwood floor crack/splinter right after refinishing
Comments (4)That's a tough one. It's likely caused by a defect called shake, where the wood splits almost parallel to the surface. I'll guess that your floor was either water popped or finished with a water based finish. The water seeps into the defect, swelling and distorting the wood. The reason it's so tough is that it usually can't be seen until the finish goes on, at which time it's hard to fix. We usually cut them out carefully with a sharp razor knife and use hot wax/shellac/burn-in sticks to repair. It may not be perfect after, but the alternatives are to replace the board and try to blend it, or replace the board and refinish the whole floor. I always start with the smallest, least damaging method to fix an issue. It's rare for a floor guy to have this equipment or skill, but a furniture repair person usually does. If this is on a new floor, your floor guy should pay for it. If it was an existing floor being refinished, I'd consider it an existing flaw in the wood. I'm fortunate to have someone on payroll that can do this, so I pay for similar repairs, but I can't say that others would do the same. https://www.shellac.net/burninsupplies.html...See More- PRO
Debbi Washburn
2 years ago 
M V
2 years agoWe have hickory engineered hardwood with a fairly dark stain and we love it. I agree, that some hickory can be very high colour variation. But it isn't all that way. Ask to see samples in person and it is worth buying a box that you can open up and lay out the pieces so you can see the colour variation and decide if you can live with it.
I'd choose our hickory all over again if I had to. No regrets, no splinters. Love it.
Here is an example of a high colour variation hickory:
hickory hardwood flooring images - Google Search · More InfoYou can see why folks are warning you about colour variation.
Here is something similar to the hickory we have.
hickory hardwood flooring images - Google Search · More Info
Some of ours has been down for 4-5 years now and it is at a cottage which is unheated in winter (ours is Engineered which we were advised to use because the cottage is unheated). It still looks fantastic and shows no wear. We chose a handscraped finish, that way if it gets a few dings/bashes, they look like they belong. I can't remember the brand name we have and I've searched the store where we got it and the name isn't jumping out at me. Sorry I can't help on that.Debbi Washburn thanked M Vlikestonehomes
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoAlways had hardwood in many different homes as well as in kitchens. love love them, never ever any issues. We just remodelled our kitchen, tore out existing tile. Here are our floors, They are 5” Hickory from Lauzon, made in Canada. I absolutely love them as they dont have a whole lot of variation.
Debbi Washburn thanked likestonehomes- PRO
Debbi Washburn
2 years ago
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