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Small Cabin Forum / Cabin Construction / Oak floor install question
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Ontario lakeside
Member
# Posted: 8 Dec 2014 20:21
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Hey All

I was lucky to receive enough t&g oak to do all my floors. It was on its way to the bin after being installed on a film set for 2 months. It was lightly nailed and came out with little damage. It is 3/4" X 4" select grade.

I will be installing it on a plywood floor that is currently uninsulated and supported on piers.

I know I need a vapor barrier my question is how can I secure it so it does not buckle with the seasons.

Thanks

Don_P
Member
# Posted: 8 Dec 2014 21:54
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Every wood floor that I've seen buckle had seen liquid water. With humidity changes I've seen them very tight to very loose. This time of year, in a perfect world, I like to get wood inside the heated building for as long as possible and then lay the wood at that lowest average in service moisture content.

bldginsp
Member
# Posted: 8 Dec 2014 21:56
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One of the most important things to prevent buckling is to be sure that the flooring moisture content has equalized with the ambient air in the room where it will be installed before it is installed. If you instal dry wood in a humid area, then the wood swells with the humidity, it will buckle. Let the wood sit in the space for months if possible and instal at the most humid time of year so the flooring will only shrink later. Leave 3/8" between the flooring and the walls where the grain is parallel to the wall. Cover with base molding. You can rent a flooring nailer to place nails easily at the tongue. And yes use a vapor barrier beneath. Sounds like you'll have a nice floor.

ShabinNo5
Member
# Posted: 9 Dec 2014 10:56
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We installed 3/4 reclaimed oak. The Shabin is built on piers a few miles inland from Lake Superior. The plywood subfloor is 3/4", with rigid 2" foam between the joists. We laid roofing felt over the plywood and ran chauk lines to mark the joists. The joists are on 16" centers and I nailed each plank every 8".

After two full seasons, no issues.

Note: The Shabin is only heated when we are visiting. In the last two years the temps have ranged from a low of -30 to over 90 a few days in the summer.

Good luck with your project.

Steve

Ontario lakeside
Member
# Posted: 9 Dec 2014 14:54
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Thanks For the feedback. Shabin why roofing felt over plastic vapor barrier?

ShabinNo5
Member
# Posted: 9 Dec 2014 20:50
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The roofing felt is an older method for reducing squeeks in the finished floor. The roofing felt slows moisture penetration but is not a total vabor barrier. In our instance I am not concerned about the vabor barrier. As mentioned the underside of the plywood has two inch foam between the joists. There is also a dry crawl space below the floor.

Steve

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