Oak Flooring - Comments

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I am looking for a large quantity of 12 x 12 x 7/16" thick white oak tiles for a very large project Are you able to provide this and in large volumes. Please contact me asap. Devery Padgett Vintage Building Products 803.994.0064

Also who do you get your Antique Reclaimed Heart Pine products from

Devery Padgett at August 9, 2007 01:55 PM

Posted by: Devery Padgett at August 9, 2007 01:55 PM

We provide information not products. And I don't know where you can find what you are looking for. Good luck though!

The Flooring Lady at August 9, 2007 03:12 PM

Posted by: The Flooring Lady at August 9, 2007 03:12 PM

We have just put down 4 1/2" w unfinished white oak floor in our home. I love the natural look just like it is and want to stay as close to it as possible. I also do not want any shine to my floor. I want all of this with the most durable and easily maintainable finish. We are building our home - we are using all reclaimed wood throughout. Wormy chestnut window trim, deep oil soaked heart pine (from a linseed or cotton factory) as window trim and door trim. Very tight grained heart pine (14-16"w) across top and sides of open entryways. Heart pine staircase. My kitchen cabinets are original early 1800's step back cupboards & pie safes made of poplar and walnut. I want a primitive look and feel in my home, but not a "country" look. The white oak floor is in my kitchen also. I have read about tung oil, pure and modified, linseed oil, danish oil, water and oil based urethanes and waxes. Now I'm so confused - I'm afraid to pick anything. I'm giving you so many details in an effort to give you an idea of my style. If it helps any my favorite magazines for ideas are Early American Life,Early Homes & Old House Renovation. Floor installers in my area appear to be as unfamiliar as I am. They recommend picking Minwax in a preferred color and then use a clear gloss poly. I don't think this goes in line with what I've described. Can you help?

Sherry at October 13, 2007 12:06 AM

Posted by: Sherry at October 13, 2007 12:06 AM

I am wanting to add hardwood in a newly "opened" area which has white oak hardwood that is approx 37-38 years old and is the 1.5 inch width - would it be wise to attempt to acquire reclaimed hardwood to better match up with the existing floor (i plan to sand and refinish all after adding the new area) - i will need an approx 200 sq ft of white oak to complete the project. Since this is now one open room the floor will now be one continuous floor (old and new) - is my desire to add hardwood a good/bad plan or should i consider another avenue?

Carol at October 18, 2007 06:38 PM

Posted by: Carol at October 18, 2007 06:38 PM

A note of interest: I put down 400 sq ft. of pre-finished oak flooring (25yr warranty/Armstrong)and w/in hours after installation was finished I noticed what appeared to be fine scratches on the surface where the sunlight shined in. I was down on my hands & knees and found they were not surface scratches, but something called checks. I had 2 independent installers say I must have gotten a bad batch (@least 30% of the wood showed these checks - not enough light on other parts of the floor to determine checks presence). No surprise Armstrong denied the claim when their rep. came out. There was no way the installer could have so finely scrutinized each board before installation. I worry that when I clean, using Armstrong's recommended product, that the cleaner will penetrate these checks and ultimately ruining the flooring. Comments: Very carefully check your wood before installation. If anybody has experienced this, any advice? Thanks

Terre at December 18, 2007 04:40 PM

Posted by: Terre at December 18, 2007 04:40 PM

I see I'm a few comments behind. The challenges of travel strike again! I'll reply to this "note of interest" post first, and then work my way backwards.

I have found flooring companies to be "weasely" when it comes to bad batches of flooring. When my cork floor was declared a bad batch by the sales rep and Natural Cork admitted in writing it was defective, we still had to hire an attorney to get them to make good on it. I'd like to think Armstrong won't be like that, but we'll see.

Did you buy the flooring from your installer, a flooring store or a big-box store? That may have to be part of your path of remedy.

First, don't use Armstrong's recommended product to clean this floor. Vinegar water will work well to clean the floor.

If you can't get satisfaction on replacing the flooring, consider having it refinished so the new finish will seal the crazing and checks.

Then visit a website I know called CrankyCustomer and write about your situation and how Armstrong handled your case.

Sorry to hear of your problems. And yes, people need to check flooring products before installing them so they don't get stuck with a manufacturer's bad products.

Let us know the results of your research and probing. Good luck!

The Flooring Lady at December 20, 2007 08:50 AM

Posted by: The Flooring Lady at December 20, 2007 08:50 AM

To Carol with the white oak question: I'm sure by now you have taken action, but for others in your situation I'll reply.

You could try to find a reclaimed white oak and hope it looks close to the floor you have, but it's probably going to be different. So the challenge you face, in my mind, is do you have a floor that's a little different or very different with a totally different type of hardwood? Without seeing the spaces you are working with I'm not sure I can answer that for you. And I don't know your decorating style.

So, I'll vote for trying to find a matching white oak flooring and hope that after it and the original floor are sanded and sealed they match well. The challenge might be in finding the wood.

If you can't find the reclaimed white oak, go for something really different and make a statement with it, like putting a border around it with the same new wood and treat it like an area rug or focal point. You can do some fun, creative and cool things with different woods.

Let us know what you did and how it turned out.

The Flooring Lady at December 20, 2007 08:56 AM

Posted by: The Flooring Lady at December 20, 2007 08:56 AM

To Sherry with the new home and the reclaimed woods, wow! What a great sounding house and combination of woods. It may be too late now, but if you want a natural and low-maintenance floor, don't use MinWax in any color. Just seal the floor with a water-based sealant. My favorite is Diamond Coat Varathane Urathane (which I have found at my Home Depot) because it applies easily, dries quickly, doesn't yellow as most oil-based products do, and it's as hard as can be when cured.

I hope you enjoy your new home with all those great woods. The home sounds elegant and the white oak floor should be the crowning glory -- under your feet.

The Flooring Lady at December 20, 2007 09:03 AM

Posted by: The Flooring Lady at December 20, 2007 09:03 AM

I want to install about 1500 sft of oak wood hard wood, flooring. I am confused as the the one which suits my budget is having a less weight. Somebody mad a refrence saying that the flooring planks should be heavier than what the sample is. The sample is oak with 15mm thickness. kindly advise me on urgent basis. hnaks

chanchal Batra at February 5, 2008 12:27 AM

Posted by: chanchal Batra at February 5, 2008 12:27 AM

I'm not sure I'm following the situation here. Your sample will be lighter than an entire plank, assuming the sample is short, by virtue of being a piece of plank. It's also lighter because it has been acclimating to your climate for longer than your flooring planks. I think you can go with the flooring you have chosen and be content.