Hello, I've dug through this forum and have found it to be a fountain of information. You guys are top notch and have a good thing going here.

Some questions I have that I either can't find an answer to or am still a but fuzzy about are...


Also, the reason I'm considering Hickory is because my son is... well we call him spirited. He's certainly an active child and we plan on having quite a few more so I was thinking that I'll need something tough to withstand their abuse. I really like the blonde/light woods so the Janka rating of this really caught my eye. Do you guys think I'm overdoing it or am I being reasonable for thinking Hickory is right for me? I live in Southeast Missouri so we do fluctuate on the humidity quite a bit. Am I way off track with this species for my needs/climate?

And lastly (for now ), my subfloor is a bit odd and I want a second opinion on this. The house was originally a full basement with 2X12 topped with 3/4" t&g plywood glued to it using liquid nails and ring shank nails holding it all together. Then came the fire... Thankfully not too much of the living quarters were damaged and only 5 2X12 had to be replaced. What used to be the garage is now a "great room". We didn't rip up the concrete, instead we went one block high and spanned it with 2X10 stretching perpendicular to the 2X12 so they only have to span across 10' instead of 15'. Anyway, the new "great room" is all covered with one layer of 3/4" Advantech, as is all the rest of the house. We found that trying to rip up the plywood was tearing up the 2X12 pretty bad because of the liquid nails. Anyway, I'd say my floor is pretty solid and I shouldn't have any moisture issues, even in the "great room" since it is vented underneath and it on top of a concrete pad. What do you guys think? Oh, I forgot... Everything is on 16" centers.

I plan on installing this with a Powernail 445 FS stapler that I just picked up for a reasonable price. I'm thinking with my thick floors I'll go with 2" staples.

Thanks in advance for any info, tips, or critiques.
Drake

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A solid hickory floor maybe very well what you want. Just know that hickory is below average in terms of stability. It tends to expand and contract more than oak does. Your subfloor "sounds" fine. As long as it is firm and solid (not bouncy or noisy) and it is flat and dry, you shouldn't have problems. You should know that all solid wood floors need acclimation (equalized to the environment) AND that there is a range of temperature and relative humidity that floors prefer and perform best under. The range is 60 to 80 degrees and 40 to 60 % relative humidity, with 70 degrees ideal and 45 to 50 % RH ideal as well. Your subfloor moisture content is what matters and should be within 2% of the wood flooring. Example: Wood floor is 8% MC. Subfloor is 10% MC. You're go to go. Avoid wood flooring at or below 6% MC. That is too low for your area and will split when attempting to nail. When purchasing the flooring, attempt to get a moisture content reading PRIOR to agreeing to buy. This may be difficult unless you're buying direct from a mill. Good luck.