I installed a pellet stove insert this past winter in my living room. The building inspector finally got around to coming out today and failed the installation because the hearth doesnt come out far enough. I figure this is the perfect opp to redo the floor in my living room. Currently I have wide pine planks that have seen better days. They are too checked and warped to sand and refinish. Anyone have about 220 Sqft of left overs they want to get rid of?

thanks,
Mike

Are you sure? Wide pine planks can be the bees knees. Assuming that the planks are 3/4 inch, I doubt that there are many checks that go so deep that they could not be sanded and steamed out. A refinished wide pine floor will look SO much nicer then laying tongue and groove, and once you have all the furniture out, it takes about as long to do (and costs the same to have it done for you.)

To steam out a deep check, put a damp towel over the check. But a hot iron over the towel. repeat as needed. You can pull out 1/8 inch deep dents this way. This will raise the grain of the wood, so you will need to sand it smooth again. After a couple passes with a drum sander, I bet there will only be a few places that need steaming.

Zach

i did 2200 sqf ( ) that way when i still had the warehouse loft space thing ...
Andy

The PO never sealed the floors properly and they have dried out so bad that they are not only warped and checked but cracked to the point of splintering in some of the high wear areas. I have a lead on some long leaf pine from an old mill. If I score it I'll plane it, tongue and groove it , and seal it (no stain). I'm waiting to hear back from the mill owner at this point. Still looking just in case this falls thru...

Let me go drop by a guy in Groton. He makes only wide pine flooring...he is well known in the restoration world.

Given that, I have never had a problem getting old floors back, and I did it for quite a few years.
If you need to remove a specific amount around the stove, you can use a router, straight edge, and make any design you want.
Use carbide bits, or carbide toothed blades...the hardened nails from the old floors are really super hard...

Side note so you know what to look for.
I was cutting into a floor in a dining room. It was an 1800's house.
I hit a nail with my carbide blade. Instead of cutting the nail (it was hardened) it pulled the nail and fired it into the glass door in front of me.
Needless to say, the door shattered.

So, moral...move things you love.
Put wood in front of your firing line.
Cover glass.

Rich

I paid for college restoring and modding houses. We didn't have a router, so I made plunge cuts with circular saws instead. learn from my mistakes. make sure that no one has run power under the floor you are cutting up. It was an electrifying experience. Happily, in my case the cable I cut was old armored cable. There was a great huge spark spray, and the house went dark. That particular house... I think it was trying to kill me.

I have found that old flooring nails can be very hard too very soft. in most of the old houses that I was dealing with, my circular saw would go through the nails (though I'd cut around them when ever I could). I never had a blade break, but I did have a saw bind and jump out of my hands once. *scary* A router would have been a better tool.

As Rich said, even if you just end up laying new floor, move everyhting you love out, and cover windows. Power tools are safe 99% of the time (if the operator is safe) but when somethign goes wrong, the operator won't have time to blink before wood is thrown across the room.

Zach

When I was in college (back in the 1970's) I worked for may Dad's construction company on weekends. We got into a remodel job on an old farmhouse in rural Willamette Valley (north of Eugene, OR). It was so old, the 2 x 4's were really 2 inches by 4 inches! Interesting thing was that the wood had dried out so much, we were unable to hammer nails into the wood. Each fastener had to be pre-drilled in order to gain entry into the wood. Another issue was that all new studs had to be custom milled for the old size (i.e. 2inches by 4 inches for 2X4's). What a PIA that was

My longleaf fell thru I need to pull the old floor anyways, I hate square cut nails. I guess it comes down to timing now. The windows need to be replaced and I'm going to remount the plasma so I might as well go gung ho and do it all over at the same time. I figure a solid week to peel the floor, pop and replace the windows and begin cutting the trim. Another week to plane the floors and stain. At least 2 planks will need to be replaced. I only have a few hours a day to work as I'm also helping re-side my parents house and maintain a full time job.
Since the hearth needs to be extended I'm going to shrink the mantel as it is too large for the room. I've got the blue stone chalked and marked and will cut it tomorrow. This is going to get out of control very quickly!

You can find wood floors IN THE SANDBOX!, with all the other non-car related stuff ........... The Cap'n

So true oh Crusty one and if an Admin would like to move it please do!

Extend the hearth, and enjoy the exisiting floors.

I own a vacation place that was built in the mid 1700's and even though the floors are worn and checked. You couldnt't pay me enough to refinish them

Ask the building inpector for some options that dont require you to install new flooring

Unless of course you want new floors