end grain wood floor

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Does anyone have information about making and installing and end grain wood floor? The wood (which can be 2 x 4, or whatever) is sawed crossways, across the grain, creating pieces that are somehow cemented to the subfloor. I was told that they are then grouted, sanded, and polished.

Need more detailed info.

Thanks

-- Rose (open_rose@hotmail.com), December 19, 2001

Answers

Gee that sounds like a heck of a lot of work--to cover any amount of area. And an awful lot of sealer because of the open end grain-depending on the wood of choice! Why not just lay the 2/4 down in a normal fashion?

-- Jim-mi (hartalteng@voyager.net), December 19, 2001.

The end grain is much tougher that any other surface of wood, and is harder to place but lasts almost forever. Butcher blocks are end grain, how many do you see in landfills?

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), December 19, 2001.

Streets of some cities, including the one where I live, were once paved in wood blocks mounted end grain up.

-- john hill (john@cnd.co.nz), December 19, 2001.

Ya know Rose there is a flooring product that are slices of pine (round end grain)in different sizes laid down and I believe they were grouted with a mixture of sawdust and polyurathane. I saw it on a building show on T.V. and boy was it incredibly beautiful.....Kirk

-- Kirk Davis (kirkay@yahoo.com), December 20, 2001.

I am a woodworker and have built some wonderful end grain butcher blocks. A regular hardwood floor, Oak for example, would be still harder than endgrain pine. So it wouldn't be worth the trouble if you use pine. You are probably looking for larger pieces, say 4" x 6" or larger? Well first it would be hard to find that large size of wood that is dry(for a reasonable price). And if it is still green the wood will shrink and cause gaps and possible cracks in your wood. BUT!!! I would look into some old salvaged wood beams from a barn or whatever that are dry , usually a hardwood, and would look wonderful with the old rustic, aged patina that antique wood has. Now as for laying it, you would need a good solid subfloor to start with. Than you would need a good clamping setup, to keep the pieces good and tight while they dry(the glue dries). The pieces should all be the same thickness so that there are no gaps when the next row is applied. And finally, you must (if you want) rent one of those big floor sanders to smooth it all out. Trust me, end grain is very hard to sand. Very hard, but that is why you want it in the first place, right? If you are doing it for looks great, if your doing it for durability, just lay a hardwood floor instead. It isn't worth the time and aggrivation. OAK

-- OAK (StrugglingOak@aol.com), December 20, 2001.


Rose: Several years ago Bob Villa did a show installing an end grain floor. I wrote down the recipe for the grout which is a mixture of epoxy and sawdust. I will see if a can find the recipe. Meanwhile, you can search Bob Villa's site. I think the house was in Chicago. Just to let you know, the floor was stunning (that's why I wrote down the grout recipe). Good Luck. Tim

-- Tim Price (thprice60@hotmail.com), December 20, 2001.

I believe you are referring to cobblewood flooring. It can be done yourself or you can buy it from a company called Birger Juell - have a look at this link:

http://www.birgerjuell.com/images/cobblewood.pdf

I used to frequent a bulletin board at the Bob Vila website and every second day someone would post a question about this type of flooring.

I would think that if you had some well-seasoned timber, a good chop saw with an appropriate jig and plenty of sealer, you can make a beautiful and unique floor. (Just look at the ones at the above link).

Sean

-- Sean (seand@mail.gov.nf.ca), December 20, 2001.


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