My new home will be getting a hardwood floor. Your site is very informative and has answered many questions.

Here is a question I have not seen. For solid 1/2" or less (for glue down), why are there (apparently) so few unfinished choices. There are dozens of pre-finished products. Why wouldn't a manufacturer offer the same exact wood, just unfinished, at a reduced price? There is almost no added effort except keeping track of a different SKU and pulling it after milling and before finishing.

Hoping someone knows. The suspense is killing me.

Oh, and is anyone aware of unfinished solid glue down Brazilian Cherry?

Thanks in advance.

Small market would be my best guess. What I'm wondering tho is how many solid products are they recommending for gluedown? I only know of one, Firebird, now out of business and reborn as Pheonix(engineered).
You could always install the prefinished and have it refinished. What effect are you after they don't offer?

Anything is possible but it's more of a specialty thing that can take months to get and prices are way up there. Yes, Firebird did offer unfinished solids in 3/8" & 1/2" but they're not in business anymore as far as I know--and no it had nothing to do with you cannot glue solid hardwoods These types have been installed for years by guys that knew what they were doing--before hardwood flooring regained popularity in the mid 90's and everybodys brother suddenly became an expert.

So why do you think NWFA says it is NOT an accepted method? I consider them the consumate pros.

Logistically, how would you draw tight the warped boards. Cull them? I helped lay one of the largest floors in the country at Vallco Fashion Park, a 3/4" glue down, but it was all shorts(upstairs). No way to avoid all the cracks except copious amounts of filler. I would like to know...

BTW, 1/2" solid unfinished oak is still readily available from Memphis (Chickasaw).

Still in the wondering mode, what happens when the Brazilian Cheerry needs to expand like it wants to do in glue? Maybe there'd be less expansion with 1/2"?

Just questions, please fill us in...

I didn't know that. Anybody else care to chime in?



With that Firebird stuff it was milled pretty darned well--a few wedges here and there always helped.

So did you mean in your fist post that "professionals" glued all solid hardwoods before the mid-90s or just Firebird? Firebird wasn't around that long, sometime in the early 90s.

Firebird came very, very straight and most, if not all of their products were quartersawn. For those reasons, they were the only solid manufacturer (that I'm aware of) who recommended a glue or nail install on full length products.

I would like to know, I once lost a repeat architect customer because I wouldn't go against the book. I see nothing but a lot of problems with the technique. How will boards be drawn tight, how will every board be weighted while glue sets, what happens when wood expands, etc...

I am not an installer, but a consumer. At the following link, you can download the PDF that tells you how to install their solid product with glue.

http://www.br111.com/pages/install_fr.html

another link

http://www.armstrong.com/resbrucewoodna/article5006.asp

and of course Lumber Liquidators Bellawood (I already read the comments)

Whether or not you should I suppose is something you can debate.

To answer Marco's earlier question, with prefinished, there is always a bevel (microbevel). I really like the clean flat look, no gaps or seams, no catch points, and no places for dirt and dust to collect when you sweep.

I get the point about refinishing pre-finished, but why all the hassle. Why isn't it available by the manufacturer unfinished? Seams like they are purposely not providing it, and I am still curious. Almost like a conspiracy.

Are you hung up on the aspect of the floor being a solid? There are engineered alternatives, (like Owens Plank), which is square edge, and is a site finished product. As well as others.
It is easier to work with, more stable, ( 1% both directions at worst) Glue it nail it, what ever. Solid sawn face. How about that?

Hi SK Olsen.

My queestions on solid deal with availability. Why is it no offered? My hang up is, if you take away the moisture tolerance advantage, which is better, solid or engineered? In that race, I think solid wins. So if you do not have a moisture problem, what reason would there be to install engineered? In addition, the prices for engineered are generally higher.

For the uninformed (such as myself), when you talk with friends, the perception of engineered is that it is one step away from Pergo. Not the "real" thing. Similar to a veneer over particle board in furniture. Some say they can tell when they walk on it. Probable the same people that can hear the differences in speaker wire. (uh oh, not another thread).

I have been introduced to Owens by a potential installer (Sean H, please let me know if we can meet on Sat). I am sold on it, but everyone I call says it is 4-6 weeks....maybe. Not sure I am willing to take the chance on availability. Steve at Discount Hardwood can not even get an answer. He doesn't call me back, and he said it is because they don't call him back. Those are red flags in my book.

If you know where I can get 3" Braz Cherry shipped to Orlando by 4/20, with some kind of guarantee, let me know.

You probably get that response because many look in retail showrooms that offer only the basic Bruce and Hartco rotary peeled engineered hardwoods--yea they do look--well I wouldn't say like Pergo--but cheaper looking.

Dan:

It's all about availability with Owens. To be perfectly honest with you, we've only sold 200 square feet of it on this website. It's hit or miss. We get many calls on it. One out of 7 or 8 calls we get we can satisfy--we put the order on hold for them--then they're not interested. Owens will probably be dropped in the next website update(early May) The Brazilian cherry you're looking for I'm told it won't be available until mid May.

As far as unfinished hardwoods under 3/4" and availability, only a manufacturer could answer that one-- I don't know the answers. Have you considered the Kahrs Mega strip? Square edge with a decent wear layer--1/8"

Hey Ken. Thanks for the reply. Sorry I called you Steve. Never looked at my notes.

I would ask you to define moisture problem. Unless you live in an sealed, climate controled house, you will have fluctuations in the moisture level of your house. Which means youe wood floor is gonna move. Enginneered floors will move in both directions but less then a solid will. The usable wear layer of a floor isn't determined by how thick the floor is, but by how thick the area above the t&g is. So a good engineered product has nearly the same thickness face, but is more stable. Period.

Considering your choices and your location, I agree with JK. You are better served with a Kahrs product. The wear layer on a T&G 5/16 is not going to be much more than a Kahrs which does come with square edges. Can't find specs on the B111 but it looks they are bevel edge. I don't see them meeting you stated needs.
Given your Florida location, I'd be more at ease with a good engineered product. They will be more stable and you will get your square edge. They also provide a better finish than you'll get jobsite.