In preliminary measurements of my new floor installation of 3 1/4" Bruce Hardwood floor, I will be needing to rip pieces along the wall to 2 1/4" would it make sense since the wall is 18' long to just purchase 2 1/2" flooring for this area. What would be the reason not to do this.

Thanks

I would suggest against it, you will need 18 ln feet (a little more for sure) so figure 20 Ln ft. that is about 3 long boards from a bundle of wood. thats roughly 5 sq ft. you would have to buy a full carton est 20 sqft. Plus that measurement may not work out exactly as you see it now. Sure the wood is 3 1/4, what if it works out to actually be 3 3/16, 3 5/32? Doesnt seem like much, but over an entire room it adds up quickly. and could easily wind up needing a 3 inch board for the final row.

All that and the color probobally wont match well (Im guessing prefinished)

its probally going to taper on one end anyway I rarely run into str8 walls.

My questions would be, why do it in the first place? The edge of the floor will be under shoe or baseboard, so what is the advantage in spending the extra money or taking the chance that you'll have to rip the flooring anyway with likely uneven walls?

Ok, I have to admit, I have never been asked that question before, and I hope I never get asked that question in the future.

Is this post a joke?? Rip a dang board for godsake!

I only know one profession, that over thinks things like that, to try to save labor. Are you an engineer by trade?

Hey, hey, hey now, I was an engineer by trade at one time and I don't think I overthought things like that!!

[quote="Floorguy"]Ok, I have to admit, I have never been asked that question before, and I hope I never get asked that question in the future.

Is this post a joke?? Rip a dang board for godsake!

I only know one profession, that over thinks things like that, to try to save labor. Are you an engineer by trade?[/quote]

No I am not an engineer, I am an individual with a question and thought forums like this was a place to ask question.

I always thought that the only dumb question is the one you don't ask. Maybe NOT!

BTW: It does not apply in my situation, but what if the person does not have a table saw.

Not having a table saw would be the only reson IMO to do so, But its still 20 sqft @ $3 +. and all the risks just make it not worth it, especially when you could buy a saw for 100ish if you are going to only be ripping 3 boards. You could even rent one if need be for less.

benwannabe,

To many pros, your question seems unusual but in one sense, it is a valid question. There are times when switching to a different width does make sense and I'll explain what I mean. Suppose one is installing a 2.25" width strip floor and gets to the wall and sees that they need 2.75" to make it to the wall, excluding any expansion space. Well, one could rip a 2.25" down to 1/2" and glue that last small rip to the course before it and that is acceptable and done all the time. But if the floor has bevels, it shows that the last piece is narrow and kinda doesn't look so great. So an option would be to switch to a wider board and rip it to 2.75", eliminating that last narrow piece. It's not worth buying an extra carton of wood to do this but it is a procedure I use when installing unfinished flooring, especially when fitting the last row under a cabinet toe kick.

if it was unfinished, and the situation was as gary described that would be the way to go, no one wants to install slivers of boards, just to have the seams of the boards make it appear as there is nothing under the trim. But prefinished its a bit tougher, as the lots of wood can vary greatly, and you cant exactly mix the wood seeeing as its a different size to get a color mix etc.

But in your case just rip it down, less expensive less headaches

Jay is correct in this situation because the wood is wider, 3.25". So it make the most sense to rip down the last course to fit to the wall. This is what is commonly done and the proper way to do it.

BTW, Bollinger suggests buying an extra box of oversize to avoid the sliver problem, if possible.

Also, I am an engineer and considering all possibilities and minute details is never referred to as "overthinking". That's what you're paid to do, but it is a trait that is not universally admired.