help with hardwood floor

[Karl Card]

I am getting ready mill the wood for my flooring in my home office. I am using a mixture of wood containing brazilian walnut, australian jhara and some teak. I understand that brazilian walnut (ipe) is not sutiable for nailing and has to be drilled. My question is what is the best way to put down this type of wood. I have no problem drilling it but doing so will be cumbersome at least. Then I would have to hammer manually as I assume it would be rough to try and line up a floor nailer with the drilled holes.

I am going to tongue and groove the wood. I was thinking of cutting the stress cracks in the back of the pieces but not sure if this wood really moves much. It is thoroughly dry and ready for use.
I am also wondering what is the best finish to use on this wood floor.

Any comments, help etc would be appreciated.

You may ask why I am using this wood, well, I got about 350 bd ft for 64 bucks and it is pretty..

[Ryan Hellmer]

As for milling relief on the backs, it's up to you, there are lots of opinions regarding why it was/is done ranging from movement to moisture to uneven substrate etc. On hardwood that I recently milled, I did not do any relief on the back and it is doing pretty well after 2 years of pretty wild seasonal changes (In KS we go from -10 to 110 degrees and have equally wild swings in humidity).

For prenailing the Ipe, you could build a drilling jig that would be the same size/configuration as your nailer. Drill the hole where the nail shoots then mark the edge of the jig and allign the nailer to the mark. Still cumbersome, but doable.

For finish. I'm almost sure that nothing beats standard oil-based poly for a DIY environment. I have tried a number of different finishes on floors and have been most satisfied with oil-based poly. I wouldn't recommend water-based poly. It dries super hard which makes is VERY slick and fairly easy to scratch. Shellac is easy to repair, which is nice, because it also scratches easily. Oils provide virtually no protection, but bring out fantastic color/grain in the wood. The best combination for me was dewaxed shellac on the floor (really pops and seals the grain) followed by 3-4 coats of oil-based poly.

That's what's worked for me. Oh, and for some unsolicited advice, Home-Depot rents a 4 head orbital sander. Takes a little longer to level than the old drum sanders, but it's pretty much Ryan(idiot)-proof and the finish is fantastic. None of the speed-bumps from the drum or swirls from the non-orbital disc sanders. 40 grit is pretty aggressive no matter how it's applied.

Ryan

[Kevin Bourque]

My only concern would be the expansion/contraction issues when you butt 2 different species of wood together.

[Mel Fulks]

Ipe shrinks a lot .My deck surface is about ten years old and all of the 5 1/2 inch boards are an 1/8 th narrower or more than when they were new. It seems dry when you get it but it is air dried only .Never heard of it being used indoors, but good luck with it. Because it is so dense it takes a long time to dry.

[Karl Card]

Good information here. The wood I have has been dry for some time now. It came from a high end furniture factory in Michigan. This place made high end items and then most of it was sent to europe. Go figure. it is some pretty wood though. I may not use the teak I may just use the australian Jhara and the brazilian walnut.
Anybody ever worked with Kentucky coffee? I just found out that I got okayed on a deal where I am getting 400 bd ft of kentucky coffee and am wanting to use it for the floor in my living room.
I am also getting about 450 bd ft of hickory that I am going to face out my cabinets with in the kitchen. Any tips on working with these types of wood let me know please.
Then I got 200 bd ft of cherry that I dont know what I am going to do with yet.
I have to gloat a little bit, I got all this wood for $1240. It is all kiln dried and number 1 stuff.

[Dean Ousterhout]

For the finish you might want to look at Woca. We have done two houses with red oak and after 4 years they still look fabulous. Actually, unbelievable. In our main house we used a white lye (I think that is what it was) before using the master oil. The finish is not shiny and glossy, although I understand that it is possible to have that kind of finish with this product.

I highly recommend this product. It wears incredibly well and if/when it scratches it is very easy to apply a little more oil and "refresh" the area.

I do not have any affiliation with Woca and have no financial interest in how they do... but I sure love the product.