Hello -

I am planning to purchase 7" wide, 3/4" unfinished quarter sawn white oak flooring from a mill that specializes in wide plank floors. They recommend that it be both glued and either nailed or screwed to install.

This will be put in the main floor of my home (kitchen, foyer, living and dining rooms) located in SE PA, over a 3/4" plywood sub floor. Below this is a finished, dry basement. My home is heated and cooled with a heat pump, and I plan to keep the humidity inside my home relatively constant (including the basement) and within the prescribed guidelines for hardwood floors, on a year round basis.

My first question is, do I need a moisture barrier over my plywood sub floor, and if so, how do I use a moisture barrier and also insure that the hardwood is securely glued to it?

The contractor that I would like to use initially recommended using aquabar as a moisture barrier, with a single bead of glue. He said he would cut slits in the aquabar to allow some of the glue to get through to the sub floor. Intuitively, that seemed to me to defeat the purpose of the moisture barrier, and would nor seem to provide a sufficient amount of glue in any case.

Alternatively, he said he could do a full spread of glue, using Bostik's Single Step adhesive (at an added cost of $2.60 per square foot) but said he would then not also nail (staple) the hardwood.

What would you guys recommend as the best way to install this flooring?

My next question involves sanding quarter sawn white oak. I have read that you should not sand quarter sawn boards "with the grain", and that sanding back and forth, lengthwise on the boards, can leave tiny scratches on the wood. Therefore, you should use a random orbit sander with a fine grit sanding disk to avoid this problem.

This contractor has a drum sander for his primary sanding (we haven't discussed the grit he typically uses), followed with a 16" buffer over the entire floor area.

What do you guys think is the best way of sanding this quarter sawn oak?

I want to have the best installation, and the cost to do so is not a primary concern.

Thanks, and I appreciate your input.

John

For your installation, a full spread of glue would make the most sense.Normally, you would spread glue but still staple.

Not sure how your contractor plans to get the floor to go together without stapling because strapping the floor is far less productive.

As far as cutting slits in the aquabar, that makes little sense to me and basically defeats the purpose of having it in the first place . That being said, aquabar or felt paper are not true moisture barriers.They are only moisture retarders . We primarily use them to minimize movement of the flooring against the subfloor.

Thanks for your reply, and thoughts. I looked at your website and wish you were located closer to me as I would consider having you install my floor. I am having to look hard to find someone good in my area to do it.

You do want a contractor who's going to staple it as well as glue it. Then there's the screws at the joint ends to consider. I was doing a bid for installing 7" solid walnut plank, and called the National Wood Flooring Association with some questions. They were reminding me that there is always the additional fastening power of screws at every joint end, countersunk and then filled with decorative plugs, either round or square.

I have installed "fake" plugs on top-nailed plank, but I've never done the screws plus the plugs on T&G. With a solid wide plank like John is using, is the extra holding power worth all the expense that would go into adding screws?

With staples and pro adhesive like Sika or Bostik's , there is no need for screws in the top. The floor will never come loose . Screws are either done to avoid the cost of adhesive or to match a floor in the home that has already been screwed .

Generally, the staples simply make the floor go together until the adhesive sets up .The adhesive is more than enough to hold plank but the staples certainly add some grip as well.

I just removed 1200 ' of 3'' 5'' 7'' Red oak that was pegged with screws . I can tell you it sure does hold the floor down. HAHA
I never thought that was a good look.

There's manufacturers out there that make 3/4 engineered that wide or wider with just as much meat on top as a solid. You'll probably pay more but less worry bout movement. Staple with aquabar, done.