Posted by TDHofstetter on July 06, 19101 at 09:19:18:
In Reply to: Hardwood Flooring posted by George Cooper Jr. (Coupe) on July 06, 19101 at 05:48:26:
Hi, Coupe.
It's true - hardwood flooring should never be laid parallel to the joists. The subfloor, no matter how thick it is, will always flex - and that will cause the flooring to flex as well. That flexing action will tend to open and close the joints between your oak boards every time you walk across the floor. Best case - you'll end up with a chorus of squeaks everywhere you go. Worst case - you'll end up with large gaps between floorboards and your floor will look really bad.
Much better to cross the joists with the hardwood. That way, the flooring itself will help strengthen, and add rigidity to, the floor.
Make sure your oak is THOROUGHLY dry (like KILN dry) before you lay it, or it'll shrink and gaps will appear. Leave some room around the edges for the new flooring to expand into in response to humidity changes.
Especially in a place like a foyer, treat the oak to a HUGE number of coats of finish! A foyer is likely to be fairly humid if you track in rainwater, dew, mud, or snow.
Use hot-dipped galvanized nails wherever possible, because the tannin in oak causes iron to rust very badly if the floor sees any moisture. The resulting rust streaks & spots will drive you nuts.
Remember that oak is tough to nail because it's so hard. A good floor nailer will help out there - experiment with a few scraps in the middle of the floor until you get the feel of things.
Mostly, though, DO it - and you'll never regret it! Enjoy the smell of the oak being machined, enjoy the crispness of the cuts, enjoy the work of laying the floor, enjoy the fantastic appearance, enjoy the floor for the rest of your life!
-- Tim --