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Pine Flooring
Pine flooring isn't as popular today as it was in past centuries, but if it's the look you want then it's a good option. Pine is a softer wood than the popular woods of today like oak, making it show wear and tear sooner and more readily. But that distressed look can be fashionable, and with the right sealer, you can control the level of distress your floor gets.
If you are dreaming of installing wood flooring, but are afraid of the nightmare of the price, relax. There is a wood option for you that is not as expensive as the other wood flooring choices, but that looks great and the beauty only increases with the wear and tear of use. Pine flooring is an inexpensive softwood that has a classic beauty and appeal. It is not the first choice that people consider when choosing wood flooring for their homes, however.
Most people automatically think of hardwood flooring like oak for their home, rather than the softwoods, because of the hardness factor. The softwoods are not as well thought of for flooring, but they are less expensive and some people think that they are not as sturdy and durable. Softwood flooring choices include spruce, fir, and pine flooring. They are just as beautiful as the hardwoods and in most cases cost much less. There are some things that you need to keep in mind before purchasing these softwoods, however.
When looking for softwood flooring, you will need to learn the names of the wood varieties that you are interested in. The reason is that softwoods are not normally marketed for flooring use and most stores will not offer them as a choice unless you specifically request them. By doing your research beforehand, you will be able to walk into the store with the knowledge that you need to get what you want and desire for your home. Sawmills are your best source for the least expensive price, but lumberyards may be another source as well.
You need to keep in mind that softwoods are categorized that way for a reason. They are softer than the hardwoods, which means that they are more easily dented and pitted. For most people, they think that this only helps to make the floors more beautiful, but if you do not think that worn floors are beautiful, then you will probably not want to choose pine flooring. To minimize the appearance of dents, you will want to refrain from using a dark stain, because this stain makes them more noticeable.
Pine flooring can be found in most stores, but it is usually found unfinished. You can find tongue and groove varieties, which it great for the do-it-yourselfer. By being able to finish it yourself, you are in control of how light or dark you stain it. You may enjoy the beauty of the wood so much that you just want to leave it basically the natural color by applying polyurethane to it. It will look beautiful no matter which stain you choose.
Installing and finishing unfinished wood flooring takes longer, but the added beauty and value is well worth the time and effort. After installing the unfinished pine flooring, you need to sand the boards to ensure they level and mars are removed. After sanding, vacuum the dust from the floors using a shopvac, getting them ready for finish. Your finish options include polyurethane, stain, tung oil, or varnish, to name a few. You may even want to stain and seal the wood to get the look you seek. Consider using a floodlight to make sure that you get the finish evenly on the floors. It's also important that you lightly sand the floors between each layer of finish. The last layer of finish does not need to be sanded, but it must be completely dry before allowing people to walk on it. Then all you need to do is enjoy your floors.
Pine flooring is a great choice for almost any home and it can help you to save money for more important things. If you love the look of wood flooring, but not the price of hardwoods, then this may be just the flooring for you.
Comments
thanks for the advice. i think were going to go ahead and cover it with a hardwood.
Anonymous at June 9, 2008 04:19 PM
You're very welcome, glad to try to help!
The Flooring Lady at June 9, 2008 08:04 PM
Hi there, Could you critique & comment on this plan: 2×3 floor joists on top of existing pressboard flooring with radiant heat pipes woven through notches in the studs with strips of metal flashing to hold them down- reflective foam and sand between the studs and around the PEX pipes, and (here’s where i need the big help:) tounge and groove pine nailed into the studs, or plywood with cork tiles…...
planning simple stain & polyurethane for color and durability on the pine….
does anyone have experience with pine floor and radiant heat? does anyone have a cork floor critique?
We have 3 big dogs, and welcome the groovy grooves from their nails- we like to feel Home, yet we dont want it destroyed. we also want something easy to clean.
THANK YOU!
Carlyn at August 6, 2008 01:53 PM
I think it sounds ok so long as your original floor joists can handle the extra weight - you may need to beef them up a bit.
I would prefer pine flooring, but that's just a personal opinion only, after a bad experience with a cork flooring company. You can use the search engine (top right-hand corner of every page) and type in cork flooring or natural cork and you'll see what I'm talking about.
The Flooring Lady at August 7, 2008 11:00 AM
Carlyn,
I'm confused. Why are you putting joists on top of your existing floor? And are you saying the PEX, reflective foam and sand are in place in the existing floor? Or are you just saying that's what your existing floor is and you want to install pine or cork flooring on top of the pressboard?
Are you sure it's pressboard? That's not an ideal subfloor for nailing things to.
I have wood floors above radiant heat and had cork floors. I think the cork would have been fine, other than we had a defective batch (seems to have been a bit of that going around). When the wood floors went down we had to be careful to not nail too deep so we wouldn't damage our PEX -- short staples were the way we went.
With big dogs I wouldn't go with cork unless you could by unfinished cork and finish it in place with many coats of water-based sealer. I'd go with the pine, even though I loved my cork floors.
Annie at August 7, 2008 11:33 AM
Carlyn, I forgot to also mention that with radiant heat you should strongly consider an engineered pine flooring. I learned when I was shopping that engineered flooring is more dimensionally stable than solid wood so won't be effected by the heat, or humidity for that matter, as much as solid wood will be.
Annie at August 8, 2008 07:32 AM
Thanks for your input Annie, it's very much appreciated. I think that Carlyn was trying to imply that the base of the floor now is pressboard (or some sort of plywood at any rate) and that she only has an idea of what she wants to do, nothing's done and her ideas aren't finalized as of yet. Hopefully, Carlyn will be back to clarify a little for us.
The Flooring Lady at August 8, 2008 12:46 PM
Hi ladies, Thank You Very Much for your suggestions and comments!!! It's wonderful to bounce these ideas off~* I'm actually talking about a trailer. It's all we could afford and have done a lot of transformation work to improve it so it's more like a cabin: rough cut hemlock siding (cashed in most of the aluminium), closed in porches to make mud room and sunny sewing room on the back porch, all new appliances and fixtures: jacuzzi tub, bowl sink, new toilet, etc. and one big living room and one kitchen/dining/lounge/library/office (melts together in that order) so it feels more like a long house rather than a crappy paneled quick fix. we've taken so many trips to the transfer station with old insulation, panelling, carpet, etc! So, above the axles ;0) the floor is steel beams with 2X6 joists (insulated between with only tar paper stapling them up) with this press board layer and simple linoleum tiles on top, or plywood wherever we replaced water-damaged spots.
we are planning to put 2x3s, 16" on center, right on top of the pressboard and use 4" screws to place them. then, between the 2x3s, cut reflective foam to fit snug, notch out grooves for the PEX pipe, and fill with sand. then, nail or staple the pine flooring onto that.
what is engineered pine flooring? we are planning to buy tounge and groove or some kind of panelling from a local reputable sawmill that they would recommend for a floor. they have a kiln, so we thought that would help with the expansion for radiant heat.
Thanks for the brain teaser, you wonderfull women!!!! : ) have a fabulous day!! Carlyn~*
Carlyn at August 10, 2008 08:51 PM
Thanks Carlyn,
Use the search box in the upper right-hand corner and type in engineered pine flooring or engineered hardwood flooring -- I think you'll like the possibilities here! Oooh boy, and just when you think you had it all figured out! The choice is yours of course and getting it at the local lumber mill means that you could finish it how you want. There is unfinished engineered wood flooring too. Both are very good options.
Sounds like you've done a really neat renovation - very creative! My husband & I started out in a trailer - basically gutted before we moved in - didn't do like you did though. Heh. Which is why I wrote that it sounds wonderful - ours certainly wasn't! I hated our trailer............. but it was someplace to start out, live cheap & save for a house.
Ooh yeah - smart move on your part, as high as scrap has been.
The Flooring Lady at August 10, 2008 09:06 PM
We have discovered we have unfinished heart pine flooring in our living room and dining room that was installed back in the 1950's when the house was built. It has been covered with carpet all these years. we want to refinish it but all the stain colors are coming up red. I was hoping to find a stain that would make it look more on the warm browns. Any suggestions?
Kathy at October 11, 2008 07:33 PM
