I am a DIY never laid a floor in my life looking at 450 sf over plywood subfloor.
A discounter showed me a 3/8 hardwood pine 3” flooring for $3.99 sf On the sample they had assembled (6’x4’) a large peace of the finish had flaked off at the cutting edge. Should I be concerned? The salesman said this happens occasionally when cutting a board. Are there certain saw blades I need so this doe not happen?

thanks

dennis

Hi Dennis,



For one thing, pine is not a hardwood. While some antique all heart pine can be nearly as hard as oak, that still doesn't make it a hardwood. A hardwood is typically a deciduous tree while softwoods, like pine, fir, cedar and redwood, are coniferous. As for chipping the wood or finish at the point of cutting, use a 40 tooth carbide tipped blade on a typical 10" miter saw and make the cut at a slow to moderate speed. Damage comes from trying to cut too fast with a cheap blade.

Thanks I rechecked and the wood is oak. I thought a slow cut with the right blade may be the answer. Does it however indicate in any way that I may have flacking after installation?

Dennis

Cut edges can chip sometimes, but since theyare covered by baseboards, does it really matter? Good quality brands from reputable mills don't usually have finish issues, but as you said "discounter" it's hard to know waht it was you were looking at. Remember, you get what you pay for.
The easiest DIY install comes from using a quality product. Read thru the posts here... even the pro's have a tough time with cheap goods.

I have had that problem with one particular brand. The wood itself cut very clean but the finish on top would be ragged or chipped. Most times it would not matter but when the cuts are exposed like at a doorway header to carpet transition it looks bad. I used purple tape (you could use blue) over those cuts.