Hickory Hardwood Flooring

hauoli63

Has anyone used Hickory hardwood planks? Do they withstand high traffic and an exuberant lab? Where is a good place to buy it? I love the look of hickory!!

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~~ Lisa ~~

www.chantillyplumbing.com

housedocs

No experience with Hickory flooring, but for what it's worth, I would think it would do well in high traffic areas provided it was properly maintained. Did a google for hickory flooring out of curiousity and there are certainly alot of sources to buy it listed on the web. Good luck.

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"All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure". -Mark Twain

adams,b

yes its a popular floor here. They actually call it Hickory/Pecan. Owens offers a nice product. I like the rustic type of that species. As far as the durability of the wood, Well that really depends on the type of finish you apply to it. I recommend a high end water based finish. We like that Bona Eon 70. But there are a lot of good ones out there. I know Traffic is a good one too, also made by Bona.

Teetorbilt

I'm with housedocs, no experience. I do know its properties from the furniture industry and as firewood. In these applications it is preferable to oak, I would imagine that it would make excellent flooring.

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You can't solve you're problems with the same level of thinking that created the problems.

Albert Einstein

Floor Nazi

Hickory is beautiful and durable, but very unstable. I would suggest purchasing an engineered product unless you want to wait a while for the moisture content to acclimate in a sand and finish application.
Depending on where you live, ProSource is nation wide in most major cities and Artisan Hardwood out of Franklin, Tennessee ships nationwide. Both would offer a much better deal than retail outlets.

Teetorbilt

Floor Nazi, I would like to know your version of 'unstable'. The small projects that I have done say to me that it is quite stable, the demand from the furiniture industry would support this. I have lots of it in NC.

__________________
You can't solve you're problems with the same level of thinking that created the problems.

Albert Einstein

Marco

Hickory is listed as 11% less stable than oak, making it below average in that regard.

Google is your friend.

adams,b

Any wood needs to acclimate. How would it move if its in a controlled environment. Anyway the Owens wood is engineered but the top layer is about 1/4 inch thick, it goes all the way to the tounge so it will last as long as a solid wood.

adams,b

Red oak is not as hard as white, so are they both equal in stability?

Teetorbilt

Thanks Marco, that means that I planted a whole bunch of that stuff 25 yrs. ago for firewood. LOL

__________________
You can't solve you're problems with the same level of thinking that created the problems.

Albert Einstein

hauoli63

Dumb question ... does this product need to be finished, or does it come prefinished?

After seeing this floor, I am now rethinking have hickory cabinets with granite top ... would probably be too busy looking with the flooring and cabinets as hickory.

__________________
~~ Lisa ~~

www.chantillyplumbing.com

adams,b

Im sure you can get it both ways. I would reccomend getting the unfinished, having it installed right away and then, after everything else is finished, have it sanded and finished......Where did you see the floor?......I think it would be fine to have both cabinets and floor hickory/pecan. It might look too funny, even though I've seen it a million times, to have different woods because the grain patterns vary so much. Thats my opinion though. Let me know what you decide, and if I can help anymore, just let me know.

hauoli63

Thanks everyone! It may still be awhile before I completely make up my mind. We bought a 20 year old house one year ago and I thought by now I would know exactly what I want .... but the more I look into, the more options I find, the more pictures I see .... well, you know how it is when you have an abundance of choices ...

The whole interior of the house has been remodeled except for replacing the hardwood floors in the kitchen, dining, and living rooms ... the master bath, and the kitchen. All the major decisions now need to be made since it's time again for "winter projects"!!!

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~~ Lisa ~~

www.chantillyplumbing.com

Donedat

Hey, I wrote a whole page and just deleted it. This is because a lot of how I install my hardwood is proprietary information and some of my competition just so happens to surf this forum . But if you follow the instructions that comes with you bundles, you will have Zero problems. The only time you will have problems is if you have extreme climate issues, like moisture or heat. For instance, if you have leaky siding or a sun room that allows a lot of heat through...in those situations you will have warpage.

So, always read the instructions. There is usually a phone number you can call for technical assistance...you will find that number on the instructions. All reputable companies now have a web-site too.

Hickory is nice wood and can look very nice if installed properly. I have seen hickory cabinets on hickory floors and I have seen maple on hickory too. Both look nice.

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I admit...I don't know everything...but don't tell my kids I told you.

Marco

Thats an interesting statement. Aren't industry standards public information? Personally, I want the competition to be informed and educated so that when they talk to my potential customer, everybody is on the same page, practices are similar and prices consistant. If contractor A says do this and Contractor B says do that, you have a confused customer. This is not good for the industry and ultimatley for your business.

Donedat

Marco,

Some have no clue as to what the industry standards are...so, until they figure it out, it is still proprietary to those of us who are in the know. You'd be suprised how many people debate with me on the moisture issue and those who claim to acclimate the wood to the house for a week think it's o.k. to go ahead and install it with out verifying the moisture of the wood against the moisture in the subfloor. Drive me crazy on every job.

I still have contractors who want me to install wood flooring before they even have heat, outside doors and windows installed. But that's another thread.

__________________
I admit...I don't know everything...but don't tell my kids I told you.

Donedat

Oh, Marco, if contractor A has no idea what the industry standards are, I come out on top of the game because I do know and with that little extra edge I get the job.

__________________
I admit...I don't know everything...but don't tell my kids I told you.

Marco

Donedat
you've outlined the very problems that come from uneducated contractors. Why do you think that some generals are still requesting you to install with no windows, doors and heat? Because there are flooring guys telling them its ok to do so and doing it! It is not in your best interest to have guys out there doing things that give us all a black eye and cause confusion amongst our customers.
Don't you routinely come across distrust because of the abysmal reputation that some unscrupulous contractors have foisted on the trades? How hard do you have to work to overcome that distrust? Sometimes I have to spend a lot of energy do that. it is the same with bozos out there without a clue. They are hepling to drag down your reputation as well.
If you want an edge getting the job, stress your ability to perform on time, your finished quality and your advanced knowledge. Reveling about a low state of knowledge among your peers is not helping you long-term.

Teetorbilt

Hauoli, I wish you the best. Remember that our forebear's dealt with the hand that was dealt them.

Personally, I don't care for most of the woods touted for flooring. Do lots of homework.

I'm currently getting some really good looking wood samples from Indonesia, the importer lives there part time and is re-naming them for the American market. Some looks pretty impressive as flooring. Unfortunately, all that I have seen has been dark (think Walnut dark).

Stay in touch, I'm always looking for new stuff.

__________________
You can't solve you're problems with the same level of thinking that created the problems.

Albert Einstein

adams,b

Hook me up with some samples!!