The Wide Plank Flooring Blog

Cutting the lumber for Wide Plank Flooring !

2011-10-15T04:36:00.000-07:00

Making flooring with a band saw!

Here's a rare peek at Merv using his large band-saw mill to make Flooring.

You have to start somewhere, so he takes a slice off the top first.
He cuts the boards wide enough to allow for shrinkage during the drying process... and to acommadate for planing after it is kiln dried. This is the butternut being milled.

The bigger the tree, the wider the planks you can get.

Yes, Merv has been known to smile on occasion!

What is kiln dried lumber, and does it matter?

2011-10-07T06:41:00.000-07:00

Using Wet Lumber for Flooring

You can use wet, ( non kiln dried flooring ) in your house, however, you need to expect to have 3/16" spaces between the boards when it acclimates to the moisture level of the air. Those gaps between the boards will change from time to time as well. In the summer the floor will soak up moisture and the gaps will shrink. In the winter, when there is less humidity in the air because it is cold outside, the gaps will expand again. You will actually hear it groaning and creaking as this happens.

This is charming and fits many old houses...because that is how they were done when the home was built!

We had to match a floor in a century home north of Toronto (Barrie area), and the specialist flooring contractor had ordered quarter sawn douglas fir, which has a beautiful red colour and the straightest grain you can imagine. However the original floor was put down wet and had those tell tale 3/16" spaces. I had the contractor lay waxed twine between the boards as they laid them. He installed the floor with modern equipment, then to match the original square head nails we ordered horse shoe nails which looked nearly identical.

If you want that unique look of a perfect floor though, you need kiln dried materials.

While we are talking about kiln drying, you have to be aware that much of the flooring coming out of South America is only dried to about 13-14%. This flooring will shrink and warp and cup significantly after installation.

Colling-Wood flooring dries all our floors to 6%. It takes more energy, more time but we believe it is worth the effort to create a flooring that will remain the way it is installed.

Get in touch about 2 months before you need it if you are looking for a truly special floor.

L

Butternut Wide Plank Flooring

2011-09-19T05:53:00.000-07:00

A rare find... Legally harvested Butternut, and it is being turned into wide plank flooring!

This lumber is typically not available because of being a protected species. You are not supposed to cut it for any reason, however the owners of a property that is becoming a subdivision obtained one time approval to clear for home building and Merv jumped at the opportunity to work with this very rare wood.

It is a unique lumber with small worm holes randomly throughout. When you want a floor with a high degree of character this flooring will fit the bill. Nobody will know if it is antique lumber or not.

The photos above show it's natural color with only a clear finish applied. This butternut flooring will not last long. Give Merv a call for pricing.

Here is a lift of very wide planks ready to be put down in a house...they look to me like 1x10 boards.

I believe there is about 15,000 square feet of this Butternut flooring available--after that, there is no more, so if you are building a custom home, get in touch with Merv or Lisa!

L

How do you apply hardwood to the stairs?

2010-04-04T05:06:00.000-07:00

So, you have put in your beautiful wide plank hardwood floors, now, how do you deal with the stairs? This set of stairs was refinished by someone that didn't have a clue how to do stairs. When I was called in the newel posts moved a couple of inches in every direction and the stairs were cladded in underlayment plywood and painted with white latex paint. So much work for absolutely nothing! Using 1/8" material meant that the top step was 3/4" taller than the lowest step--and the stairs would wear constantly and always look old and dirty.

The first thing I had to do was remove everything he had done.

Step two, remove the overhangs and step 3 fabricate and install brand new treads in Red Oak to match the floor and rail up top.

I have seen some tough looking staircases in my time. gluing and nailing hardwood to each tread with a nailed on nose just won't last. The best method is always to add a 1 piece tread to the existing rough stair tread.

You can likely buy pre-made treads at the big box store, however this is likely to be a laminated plywood product with a solid portion only on the nose. These laminate treads will wear out under foot traffic and because it is a plywood core they can't be refinished. Check the ends of the narrow part to make sure it is solid wood.

Normally these store bought treads are unfinished, just make sure the species is a match and normally the store that sells you the hard wood flooring will also have small quantities of stain and verathane on hand for matching the flooring on thresholds and stairs.

We tend to make our own treads--using the same wide plank materials, gluing them up marine quality adhesives and laminating solid wood to form a nosing that will last.

If you are considering removing and replacing any hand rails just consider that hand rails are a specialty item and there are many ways of messing the job up. Installing a hand rail is difficult with all new materials. Installing a hand rail already installed twice and botched previously is a painful task at best.

Wide Plank Flooring in Barrie and Muskoka Builder's Shows!

2010-02-04T05:27:00.001-08:00

Our Home Show Schedule for 2010 :

Meet Merv at the Barrie Home and Garden Show;

Spring Home & Garden Show

March 6th & 7th, 2010
at the Barrie Molson Centre

And See us in Muskoka;

Muskoka Home & Cottage Show
April 23-25, 2010
at the Bracebridge Memorial Arena

Merv will have samples of many species of wide plank flooring, as well he can answer all your wide plank flooring questions right there so bring plenty!

Working with rough lumber

2010-01-30T05:19:00.000-08:00

Stores typically sell dressed lumber. Here is a secret however there are times where it would be better to have wood that is 7/8" thick rather than the typical 5/8 to 3/4".

How on earth do you make the wood true? Often there is nearly an inch of crown to take out.

Merv showed me a trick the other week. I was recladding a staircase with oak so I bought enough rough cut lumber from him to do the job. I had always made a cradle and tacked the piece of wood to that and ran it through the tablesaw... which is tedius and takes 2 people.

He said take the factory edge off a piece of plywood and tack that to the board... then run that through the saw with the plywood against the fence. The pieces were only a few feet long, so it was easy to do with only 1 pair of hands.

What a great method... and just 2 little nail holes to fill later!

Thanks Merv--

BTW, Merv sells dried cabinet grade lumber from the store for reasonable rates. You may have to give him a couple of weeks notice though, he starts getting pretty busy this time of year.

L

Transitions and Thresholds

2010-01-27T16:30:00.000-08:00

When a floor is a different level the pros use a transition strip. These are made from the flooring or any block of the same species of wood. The general rule is that it should be a gently tapered flush fitting piece that eases you from level to level.

There should be no sharp angles or butt edges that can be caught by foot traffic. Our goal with a transition in wood flooring is to avoid causing people to trip. It should be subtle and finished with the same color as the floor.
The upper part of this floor is Beech, and the lower right hand side is pine. We used a custom tint to make them look similar.

When you cannot match the finish... you may wish to add contrast. Give it a darker stain on the transition if that will help make it look better.

You can use countersunk screws and tapered plugs glued in to cover the screws... or PL Premium adhesive and unobtrusive finish nails to hold it in place until the glue sets.

Tapering the cuts on the butt end of the threshold will help you get the joints tight. Typically you mount the threshold temporarily, then butt the end grain cuts up to the threshold.

Shown below are samples of threshold where it meets ceramic tile... those need to overlap the tile to protect from damage from foot traffic.

This type of threshold can be milled on a table saw and sanded smooth with a belt sander/palm sander. The harder the wood, the more aggressive the tools you will need to finish it.

Wide Plank Hardwood Flooring in Wasaga Beach

2010-01-12T17:56:00.000-08:00

This floor was installed in the Elmvale Area (Just north of Barrie Ontario)-- Custom Tinted, Random Width Beech Flooring. This old school floor was done to closely match the pine flooring in the adjacent room.

The lumber is from Colling-Wood Flooring and every piece was glued down to the sub-floor to avoid squeaks and movement. We left the odd scratches and imperfections to add character.

After a year, in the driest season of the year, this floor is absolutely tight.

Jamie Elliott and Lawrence Winterburn are two local carpenters that install Colling-Wood Floors in Barrie, Elmvale, Wasaga Beach and Collingwood.

Talk to Jamie at 705-627-9805 in the Barrie Area, or Lawrence in the Wasaga Beach-Elmvale area at 705-322-9919

Wide Plank Flooring - Cupped Boards

2009-06-27T11:19:00.000-07:00

Cupped boards are common problems after installation often due to moisture damage or flooring that was not dried sufficiently to start with.

The 5" piece of Beech Flooring is what a cupped board looks like before planing. Much of the imported prefinished wide plank flooring has moisture issues. Better to rent a moisture meter and check the ends of the boards for moisture content before putting material down from another part of the world. If it is more than 8% consider returning it for a refund. We have seen prefinished flooring measure at or above 12%.

I was skeptical when Merv told me that I could put down 1x8 boards without surface nailing or screwing--however it is true. When flooring is dried properly it lasts beautifully.

Applying Verathane to Unfinished Hardwood

2009-05-12T11:30:00.000-07:00

Next comes the Verathane.

Spend the Money... Cheap verathane will not last. Buy the professional quality verathane for a durable finish.
We are using a paint tray with a liner, a broom handle and a wool verathane application head. Rule #1, Apply the verathane in even coats with the grain of the wood. #2 Maintain a wet edge. #3 don't paint yourself into a corner!
Slow smooth motion will avoid air pockets within the finish.

Don't apply too much at a time or you will have puddles. Give it 3 or 4 good even coats for a durable finish. Again, I can't stress this point enough. $30.00 verathane will not last as well as $100.00 verathane. The better materials are nearly often worth the extra money!

Applying Stain to Unfinished Hardwood

2009-05-11T11:00:00.000-07:00

Applying Stain-- Old School

Here's an exhausting hobby! Rule #1, get knee pads. The trick to this is to keep your wet edge to prevent color discrepancies. In just the few moments it took to focus and snap some photos I could see dark spots. Keep in mind though--once the verathane goes on you won't see very much color variation. We actually had this color custom tinted by our paint store. It was a combination of 3 different colours in an effort to closely match a pine floor adjacent.

Yessir, Rubber Gloves, A Rag and Stain. You can use a mop head or wool pad with a broom handle to apply stain, however it will be more streaky and just not as deep and rich typically. You get residue resting on the grains unless it is hand rubbed.

It is a simple task really... apply with a rag... rub excess off with clean rag. Don't take breaks.

Some people will tell you to use a wood conditioner, and if you are considering you may want to do samples to determine which look you like the look of.

Sanding Unfinished Hardwood Flooring Part 1

2009-05-07T10:09:00.001-07:00

When it comes to finishing Hardwood you may want to leave this to the pros.

It is not an easy task. You can rent the equipment to do the job, however a drum sander. (photo below--is not a pleasant tool to use).

A drum sander is simply a spinning cylinder with sand paper on it, and what makes it tricky is that the drum is mounted on a slight angle. The first pass is diagonal from right to left until the floor is more or less even. You start working from right to left paralell to the floor....and work your way around the room in a clockwise pattern. The tricky bit is in the middle. You never want to start and stop in the same place or you could dig yourself a trench .

These are sheets of sandpaper that fit the drum sander--each machine is different so buy your paper where you rent or buy the machine. On harder species of wood we will start out using 18 grit, then 24, then 40, then 60 or 80.The machine blow is called an edger. This has a spinning disc and casters or wheels at the back. It tilts forward and is used for sanding close to corners and walls. IN the same way you use coarse paper and work down to smoother finish as you work.

These are the discs used in the edger. Edgers will usually have a light that casts down on the work surface... this one was broken!

Installing Unfinished Hardwood Flooring Part 3

2009-04-29T07:43:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pro tips for actually installing the flooring.

Pulling the boards into place is not easy--so often we drive a chisel into the subfloor and use it to ratchet the boards tight for nailing. It always works better with 2 workmen.

Thresholds and in particular nosed thresholds at the top of stairs should look like the existing stair treads. You can rip a piece, glue, nail and screw to emulate the same look in most cases. Hide your screws where you can.

Casings and jamb extensions will often need trimming so that the flooring slips under and doesn't leave an unsightly gap. We use a flush cut backsaw (a saw that cuts on the pull stroke--Japanese steel preferred), and rest it on a piece of the actual flooring for a guide.

Installing Unfinished Hardwood Flooring Part 2

2009-04-26T08:09:00.000-07:00

Putting down Hardwod

Here we are nailing wide plank beech flooring with an old fashioned T-Nailer. You need strong arms to use this unit all day. This is a pneumatic stapler. You still trigger using the mallet, however it does some of the work for you and shoots a staple with excellent holding power. These two are working in tandem...one holds the board tight with a chisel (an old one), and the other fastens using the pneumatic nailer.

This floor is being put down over a good solid softwood floor... this makes an excellent base. Every board is glued down to prevent squeeks. IN the old days they would use a layer of building paper to prevent squeeks.

Installing Unfinished Hardwood Part 1

2009-04-15T07:42:00.000-07:00

When you decide to install hardwood flooring the first consideration is whether the floor supporting it is strong enough. If there is movement when you walk on it you may want to add another layer of plywood (and glue the layers together), for strength.

In this case the floor joists were undersized, however there was a full width 1 1/2" cedar floor in place already. Considering that this 1" beech (very hard), flooring would be glued to the floor beneath, it should be more than strong enough as long as we ran the flooring perpendicular.

We always start with a clean chalk line and in this case we would be fitting a threshold to the entrance door later, so we trimmed off the lower part of the groove to make it easier to fit later. The first couple of rows get surface nailed typically... set the nails well below the surface though, and make sure the first board remains aligned to the chalk line.

Planning for full boards along obstructions is something that youwill find only experienced carpenters like Nick Vanegmond doing. (in photo above).

You will always start with the straightest boards, and alternate the width. This floor has 3", 5" and 7" boards. For the boards to remain tight you have to use the smaller boards to split the inconsistancies. End cuts all have to be trimmed off about 5-7" for stright from the mill products like these.

Every board is glued to prevent squeeks and for added strength and durability.

A cut off plank is used to bump the flooring into place. Trim off the tongue of the block leaving the groove face... this way you don't cause splinters that will obstruct the flooring from laying flat.

2 Steps to Make Hardwood Flooring

2009-02-07T09:16:00.000-08:00

Making Flooring in 2 Steps

Step 1, Plane the dried lumber. One person feeds, the other takes it out and stacks. That's Chris feeding.

Step 2, the lumber is fed into the shaper. This is trick. I haven't showed you the machine because Merv designed it and built it to work the way he likes it. This machine trues the wood (takes the crown out), trims it to width, then does the back cuts, shapes both sides and does all this in a single pass.
Out comes perfect flooring!

Wood Flooring and Moisture

2009-02-05T08:57:00.000-08:00

Did you ever wonder how wood absorbs moisture?

Plants draw moisture up the stem to the leaves. Wood from a tree is just a slice of the stem.

Wood cells can be as long as 2 1/2" and they look like tubes. When the wood is alive they are full of moisture

Oak has rather wide cells and that give it a distinct grain. Mahogany is a similar shape of cell.

Sealing the end grains can prevent any wood from expanding and contracting quite so much and so quickly.

Many exterior builders seal the lumber all 6 sides.

The more wood flooring is dried, the harder it gets. When wood flooring is dried using heat the sap cooks. This cooked sap will not absorb moisture the same as air dried or partially dried floors, and it will actually deter the infiltration of moisture some species like pine.

This is why Merv dries his flooring to 6% rather than 8% moisture content.

Quite often floors are destroyed by moisture damage-- It takes considerably more moisture to make 6% flooring swell than it does flooring dried less.

What makes good Hardwood Flooring?

2009-01-03T06:40:00.000-08:00

Sanded in place flooring will always be more even and a more finished looking. Pre-finished flooring doesn’t get sanded in place and for that reason imperfections in the sub-floor will often show through. It also normally has v-grooves or ridges so that the joints are less prominent.
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The other issue with pre-finished hardwood flooring is that it is typically not available in wider than 5” strips and the moisture content is rarely less than 8%. Our flooring is dried to 6% or less. We have seen flooring from brazil between 10-12% which is wet enough to buckle, twist and shed much of the coating in the first year. Even flooring with 8% moisture will have durability issues and movement.
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Early flooring was comprised of alternating strips between 3-8” planks to make best use of the materials. It is a very different look and it simply cannot be matched in a pre-finished product.
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They would also hand plane the rough materials while they were in place. It was always a rough, hand hewn look, charming and personalized. That can be done, however the price will be astonishingly high. Rather than $15/sq.foot it may be closer to $35/sq. foot. Finishing with sanders is far more efficient and much more quickly done.
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When you buy pre-finished flooring you don’t have control over what finish is applied. Stains and Coatings vary greatly in both performance (durability), and how they age. When it comes to price stain can be purchased for between $20-200/gallon. Verathane can vary between about $30-150/gallon as well. Factory finishes can vary wildly in which product they choose to apply. It is often lacquor which is hard, but humidity can cause imperfect finishes.
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The major difference between pre-finished and finished in place flooring is that you can create custom colors to nearly any tint and shade. From pink to green… natural is rarely the choice anymore.
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Pre-finished flooring is often small chunks between 16” and 3’ long. Twisted material is simply cut shorter and milled at the ends as well.
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Our finished in place flooring is typically between 8-12’ in length and put down by craftsmen. Working with our flooring enables patterning and borders as well as countersunk plugs. Surface screwing and installing tapered plugs adds a historical look to a floor. Alternating the species of plugs will also add character and interest as well. We can also give an antique look by just sanding lightly leaving a slightly uneven appearance to the planks. Nothing you would trip on—just an authentic type of look. Sanding happens with a large polisher rather than a drum sander.
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Speak to one of our flooring installers if you are considering solid wood floors. If you are a builder or home renovator you may wish to visit the mill and talk to Merv about improving your offerings. Typically it means buying better and building better and more often than not—increasing your profit margin.

Hardwood Flooring Whitby Ajax Oshawa

2008-12-10T05:59:00.000-08:00

Strip Hardwood Flooring is the traditional flooring of the 50's.

They use smaller and shorter, lower grades of material and tongue and groove the ends as well. Some strips are 12" long... some are 36" and anywhere in-between.

This strip flooring is roughly 3". Merv doesn't often mill material this small. In the interest of showing you different looks and options, we include these.

You can reach Luke at (416) 834-0750 or (888) 293-8938

This was unfinished oak, 3" strip which was stained and finished with 3 layers of high end verathane. You can tell from the photo above that it was finished in place due to the smooth appearance in the light from the window.

Antiqued Wide Plank Flooring

2008-12-06T06:05:00.000-08:00

Antiqued Wide Plank Flooring

There are different ways to lay flooring. Sometimes it is a restoration type of project where we have to mill douglas fir into quarter sawn planks and then lay string in to create spaces and use square head nails to match a nearly 200 year old floor. Don't get me started about the tinting. Photo(Etobicoke-Toronto Wide Plank Pine Flooring Custom Tint)

Flooring can be antiqued using chains, bolts, ball bearings, carved hammers and chain mail. The goal is to make it look old before it's time. There are a million techniques and some will look more rustic than others. We could start out with thicker boards and even sand wear paths out when it comes to pine and softer woods.

My caution here is that the expectation needs to be met--not managed. Managing after a client is upset will cause problems later. Best to have an informed client. Photo(Etobicoke-Toronto Wide Plank Pine Flooring Custom Tint)

If they like the look of pine, but aren't aware that pine will crush beneath heavy furniture and chairs and leave marks, and that high heels will mar the surface (antiquing the flooring further), and that the flooring will wear away with time. Beech is a hardwood that can be stained to look much like pine, (and without so many knots), if they want a better wearing floor. Photo(Etobicoke-Toronto Wide Plank Pine Flooring Custom Tint)
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A good hardwood, or Antique Wide Plank Flooring supplier will show you samples of what the floor will look like before it is installed.

The floors seen in these photos were installed in an Etobicoke-Toronto Area residence and had to be stripped up after installation and hickory put down instead because the contractor didn't explain to the client what they were buying. It was nearly 3000 sf of flooring. Photo(Etobicoke-Toronto Wide Plank Pine Flooring Custom Tint)

The photos in this article were provided by Lawrence Winterburn. He was the trim carpenter doing crown molding, base and hanging doors on the site.

Barrie Area Hardwood Flooring Company

2008-12-03T05:29:00.000-08:00

Nothing looks better beneath a Christmas Tree than Real Wood Flooring.

The client wanted a rustic wide plank wood floor and an instantly old look so we gave pine the run down with 18 grit paper which gave it a scratchy surface. We gave it a rough scrape with 40 grit on the drum sander to even things out a bit. A light sand with the buffer to make it feel more smooth without taking out the slightly rough finish and this Wide Plank Pine floor was ready for stain. (photo) Wide Plank Pine Barrie On.

We mixed high quality tints by hand to produce this exotic, South American Hardwood looking custom colour. Then gave it 3 coats of a high end verathane.

Most people don't realize that we can put down high quality wide plank flooring of any species and give it nearly any colour tint we want. Some species absorb the finish better than others. Every type of wood has subtle differences in grain and colouration. You could use the same color stain on 5 different types of wood with entirely different appearances.

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This Beech Flooring has beautiful tone differences between sap and heartwood and has a natural color applied--however there is nothing stopping you from giving it a deep red tone to make it look much like tiger wood.

. (photo) Strip Beech Flooring Barrie On.
Both of these jobs were done in Barrie Ontario. To speak with the hardwood flooring contractors call 705-322-9919 and ask for Lawrence or speak to Jamie Elliott at 705-487 5353.

Wide Plank Flooring Toronto

2008-11-25T05:52:00.001-08:00

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Wide Plank Flooring Suppliers in Toronto

Random width, wide plank pine, custom tinted installed in a Rosedale Residence in Toronto

The majority of our clients live in or near Toronto Ontario. We offer free shipping directly to the site within the GTA or Barrie*, or you can pick it up at our Mill near Collingwood if you would prefer.

If you look closely at the photo (or click it to see the larger view), our wide plank wood flooring is milled to different widths. When you buy wide plank wood flooring out of a box from a retailer it is usually a 5" board and all the same.

Our Random Wide Plank Products are available in Beech, Ash, Oak, Maple, Pine and most other locally grown species and typically feature 3" to 8" boards and really give a different and more historical look. Pine is available in larger board sizes, however it is a softer wood.

If you would like wide plank wood flooring installed in the Toronto Area please call Lawrence at 416-951-9998. They have 5 crews at the ready all winter long. You can also place your materials order through Lawrence.

You can also order through the mill directly or arrange a visit with Merv at (705) 445-1147. You can click for directions at the side bar, but please call first.

*(on orders of more than $3,000)

Dehumidification Kilns.

2008-11-23T06:53:00.000-08:00

These are drying kilns. Sort of like a garden shed with a railroad to move the lifts of stickered lumber in and out.

These kilns use heat and a dehumidifier to remove moisture from the lumber. It takes a few days to take White Pine down to 6%, and can take up to 3 weeks for some hardwoods.

The wood is always dried before being turned into flooring. Drying makes the lumber much more stable and any cracking or twisting will ocurr during the drying phase. When the lumber has "Done its Thing", we then plane it so that it is flat and true it so that it is straight.

Stickering is basically re-stacking with small spacers to allow the air to flow through the lumber. It really has to be done by hand.

These fans circulate the kiln's air through the stickered wood. Plywood is placed to direct the air to fit each load of lumber individually. If you didn't have the circulation the kiln would not dry the lumber all to the same level.

This unit is the dehumidifier--it simply extracts the water from the circulated air. There are other aspects involved, but for simplicity, we are showing you the basics.

Planing Wide Plank Hardwood Flooring

2008-11-20T15:28:00.000-08:00

We've come a long way from the days where planing wide plank flooring was done after it was in place.

This is a 10 HP Three Phase Planer. I am not sure how old it is exactly, but she has history.

This 3500 lb machine lived at the Collingwood Shipyards for the first 35 or so years of it's life, and Merv bought it at auction.

It originally had an 8 hp, 500 Volt motor. If he tried to run it with that motor every home within 2 miles would have their lights dim for a second when it started.

This is the kind of wood planer that will remove 1/4" of material a pass and do it smooth, quickly and without slowing down. This is no handyman machine... it was designed for constant duty.

Relief Cuts - What are they for?

2008-11-10T15:12:00.000-08:00

Relief Cuts in Flooring

These small cuts out of the bottom of flooring actually have 2 purposes.

Firstly it breaks the tension that causes wood to cup. (Cupping is when the board becomes curved across the width of the flooring).

Secondly it cuts the surface area that contacts the sub-floor. If the boards were flat on the bottom they would likely have more creaks and pivot points. Small bits of sawdust, grit or sand may cause the flooring to pivot or not sit flat after if the relief cuts did not exist. Cutting the surface area down increases the pressure on the contact points--enabling more solid connection.

White Oak and White Cedar Shingles

2008-11-01T07:55:00.000-07:00

Now Milling White Oak Shingles and White Cedar Shingles in the Toronto Area

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Many people don't realize that shingles were made from numerous species of wood over the centuries with varying results.
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White oak, black locust, honey locust, redwood, cedar, rock elm, yellow poplar and osage orange for examples.
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Here in Ontario we traditionally had plenty of White Oak so many historical buildings originally had them.
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This is an old school mill with Merv posing beside it. Merv has actually devised a way to do the shingles on his band saw mill. Many have tried... few have had success but he has made it work.
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Where Red Cedar may last 20-40 years depending on the grade and who installed them, White Oak shingles may well last twice as long.
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White Oak Shingles are difficult to source. They are available now from Colling-Wood Flooring mill starting at $410.00 USD per square. (FOB Collingwood Ontario).
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Merv also has a supply of White Cedar to make shingles from. These start at $200.00 per square and again, it depends on the grade. We can custom mill longer, thicker or to just about any specification. Turnaround time is 6 weeks for most orders, so please book ahead.
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Most people don't realize that White Oak Shakes or Shingles have a life expectancy of 125 years and obviously they are a renewable and Green Alternative to Asphalt and most other types of roofing.
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The other issue is fire protection in places like California. These shingles can be chemically treated to resist fire as well.
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Call Merv Directly at (705) 445-1147 for more information about shingles.

Best way to heat a Woodwork Shop

2008-10-21T07:39:00.000-07:00

Here's the best way to heat a woodworking shop.

This little shed houses a fireplace with something resembling a truck radiator. Water is circulated through the flooring mill-woodworking shop and the house offering nearly free heat for both.

The fuel for this unit? Off Cuts, Mill Ends, SCRAP wood from the woodshop.

No disposal cost, no delivery surcharge.

This is the most efficient way to heat any woodworking shop.

Inside the shop and showroom are 2 small radiators with fans that are controlled by a thermostat.

Running a profitable woodworking business is about efficiency and practicality. The lower your overhead the higher your profit and the greater your ability to keep pricing competetive.
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This is the other shop unit. It is designed so that it doesn't load up with sawdust.

Is Engineered Wood Flooring Durable?

2008-10-16T06:45:00.000-07:00

Engineered Wood Flooring is made from numerous layers of plywood and solid wood laid up perpendicular to one another with resin and has a thin layer of hardwood on top. Normally it then has the same polyurethane with aluminum oxide on top to seal it as click flooring. It is more durable than click flooring, however by the price you would think it would be real hardwood flooring.

Engineered flooring normally contains real hardwood so it will look very much like the real thing HOWEVER--If engineered flooring gets damaged you will not likely be successful in repairing it. You may be able to sand lightly and touch up with polyurethane however it just isn't worthwhile. If you tried to refinish it like real hardwood floor you will likely burn through the typical 1/8" veneer when you run a power sander over any high spots. These floors are not likely to look good for more than a few years, then it is replacement time.

Based on price, you are likely better off to install pre-finished strip hardwood which retails about the same price. It takes a little longer to install, however you have the ability to re-finish a couple of times over the life of the floor.

Now, if you want real hardwood flooring, you can have our wide plank Oak, Maple, Ash or Beech for the same price. It takes a little more time to install, and you may want to hire a pro for the finishing, $3.00-4.00 per foot, however you should get 50 years of service from your initial investment and you can custom tint the colour to any shade or colour. If you plan to keep the home for more than 5 years, and you care about value, install real wood flooring.

Our flooring is full length and wider boards than the standard boxed store flooring. It is a far superior looking floor and obviously has a greater intrinsic value for many years to come.

So in summary, use click or laminant for locations where people are not going to take care of it. Rentals, investment properties.

Use real wood for locations where you get to enjoy the durability and the better looks.

Is Click Flooring Hardwood?

2008-10-01T20:10:00.000-07:00

Click Flooring ? Hardwood?

Here's a hint.

You cannot buy hardwood flooring for $1 a square foot.

You can likely buy 1/4" mahogany plywood... come to think of it, that is pretty similar to click flooring... but you don't have a million little gaps between the pieces. At least it comes in full sheets.

Click flooring is an architectural product that is designed for maximum coverage with minimum materials. There is typically no actual hardwood within it. Simply resins, hardboard, a photograph layer and a verathane type of product on top with aluminum oxide to seal it.

Don't use click flooring in damp conditions or high traffic areas--it will not last. Click Flooring is at best, a temporary fix for a cheap reno, rental appartment or until you can afford proper flooring.

You cannot re-finish click flooring.

Unless you like the look of raw MDF you simply tear it out... and put it in the bin.

Pine Flooring Mill Operating in Collingwood

2008-09-29T10:54:00.000-07:00

Here's something not many folks get to see--Wood flooring being milled. Merv starts with a round log, slices it once, flips it, slices it again, and once more until it is square. There are different settings for hardwood and soft wood when it comes to width. Slicing rough boards has to be done at different widths since it takes a wider p lank to get a flat piece of hardwood than it does pine. Merv says that is due to hardwood tending to cup more during the drying process in some cuts of wood... they just cut them all a little larger. Today, Merv is cutting pine flooring.

Obviously making pine flooring on a log mill is not a DIY activity. My uncle tells a story about a guy in Huntsville l osing an arm at a sawmill...right at the shoulder. He adds horrible comments about the blood and the tourniquet and the pick-up truck ride to the hospital.

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This may look like a simple machine, and a simple thing to do however, to get a product out of something like this that is actually good enough to use takes some working out. Merv has rebuilt and reworked this machine to do what he needs it to do. And lets not forget about that under-rated thing called Experience.
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When it comes to the trades--Experience is paramount.

We are going to look at the next step in making flooring soon--The drying Kiln.

About our Pine Flooring

2008-09-22T10:58:00.000-07:00

Wide Plank Pine Flooring

Wide Plank Pine flooring is a rustic, character rich floor. Over the years it gets scratched, wounded and antiqued. If you plan to have coctail parties with ladies in high heels this is not the floor for you. This floor is very soft and things like high heels will mark the floor badly. Log homes often had full width tongue and groove boards. Over years paths will get worn into the floor and the knots will become raised. This is charm in my opinion.

Our Pine flooring is all mill run,which means there will be knots as well as some clear boards. We produce widths from 4"-16" wide so that more of the tree is used. The waste heats our shop using a wood fired hot water boiler.

We dry All our wood down to 6% moisture content in the dry kilns. Most other manufacturers only dry down to 8%. That extra 2% means far less shrinkage than 8%.

Heating the pine causes the sap to become solid which prevents shrinking and bleeding of knots. Once the floor is laid and finished there should be very little movement unless water is introduced through a leaky roof, a broken window, or a plumbing problem.

Our wide plank flooring is planed on both sides ,with relief cuts on the back to prevent cupping. It is tongue and grooved with a square edge so that when it is laid properly the joints should be very tight.

Our flooring is also a full 13/16"thick.

The lengths of our floors will be from 8'-16' long--rather than hundreds of 2' pieces like some of the boxed flooring you find.

Current Pricing for Wide Plank Pine Flooring

4"-12" random widths $2.85 square foot

14"-16" $3.65 square foot.

Why do we need to dry flooring?

2008-09-10T13:01:00.000-07:00

Lumber for flooring needs to be dried to prevent the boards from expanding and contracting. If you have ever noticed a dead tree standing in the forest, the trunk shrinks as it dries out... and the bark is left loose.

Trees expand as they absorb moisture, and shrink as the moisture leaves. They do this primarily through the end grains. Every type of wood expands and contracts at a different rate.

If a tree is milled into lumber and air dried for a few years it may get down to about 13%. When first milled the moisture content can be as much as 55%. We take it down to 6% because we have found that to make the most stable floor. This is the same moisture content that we use for furniture.

In this photo the wood was put down wet, and it was full width ship-lap boards. No, we didn't make this floor, it is likely about 120 years old. I'd love to see if anyone can guess what type of wood it is made of. It is the only one I've ever seen.
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This floor was typical 5" tongue and groove pine flooring available at any lumber yard. It is often leftover of lifts from different mills, not straight and rarely ever less than 8% moisture content. We mixed the stain to create a pleasing color.
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This wide plank pine flooring was dried, milled and installed by us. I am sure you can see the difference in the size of the cracks. This is a 3 year old floor made of pine just like the last one.

You may find pine flooring "cheaper" however it may be air dryed. So once you lay the floor after some time it will shrink. So don't be careful when you find deals on cheap pine flooring.

Welcome to A Small Flooring Mill blog.

2008-07-14T19:09:00.000-07:00

A Small Flooring Mill "Blog"

Welcome to our Flooring Mill Blog. My name is Merv and Lisa is the one editing this blog with me. The purpose of this website is to share information about hardwood and softwood flooring with people searching for information. We want to inspire homeowners to choose the right materials, do it yourselfers to build better and help professionals to hone their skills , and maybe sell a little more flooring from our mill in the process.

Our flooring mill is a wholesale operation, however we may sell small lots directly to contractors in some cases.

Stay tuned for photos of our operation here near Collingwood Ontario. We will show you how we do our job, our unique equipment and methods as well. BTW, we have shipped flooring as far away as Texas and Alberta.

Merv Gardner