subject: Pine Wood Flooring: Use It For That Rustic Feel [print this page] Nothing gives a home that rustic, country feel like pine wood flooring. Other woods look great, but pine gives it that homey, woodsy feel that you don't get with others. It's also an easy way to do your home; pine is cheap and available everywhere.
Make a floor plan
The first step is to measure your room. Make a detailed floor plan. Be sure to get every inch of your floor so that your flooring will match. For areas that stick out, like the fireplace or a breakfast nook, measure it in different sections.
In other words, measure the areas to the right and left of the fireplace separately, and add them up to the whole. If you've got areas that are diagonal, measure them as if they were square. When buying wood, always get a little extra just in case you make mistakes.
Tongue And Groove
It is what is called "tongue and groove." This means that the wood is cut on the edges of each end. One end has a tongue, and the other has a groove that the tongue fits into. This helps minimize the effects of shrinkage and expansion that wood floors get.
You'll fit each tongue into the next board's groove, and then nail it down. Put the nails into the same spots where the previous boards' nails were in the floor joists.
About setting down the boards
All the pine flooring in your house should be parallel. Start by drawing chalk lines that are parallel to hallway boards and also to the sub-flooring. Stagger your boards, starting with different lengths. You can map this out when you draw your floor plan. Staggering the boards is mostly aesthetic, but it also helps even it out.
Start with the center line of the room. The boards in the center will all be the same size, but the ones at the edge of the room may have to be re-cut to fit. In general, you'll want to put the widest boards where there are obstructions like the fireplace. Also, be sure to leave about a quarter inch of space at all the edges of the floor against the walls.
Wash them
For this, most people don't sand the wood. It usually looks better and more rustic unsanded. However, you'll want to give them a serious cleaning once they're in place. You also might want to finish them, but use only what the manufacturer recommends. You want your pine wood flooring to look as natural as possible.
Pine flooring gives any house a cozy, country feeling. Pine is one of the cheapest and easiest to install of all the many woods available. Try doing it yourself and you'll have a wonderful floor to enjoy for years and years.
