Installing the White Oak Flooring

Project: Victorian Restoration, Episode 11, Part 3



Landscaping gets underway on the Victorian restoration project house property. Landscape architect Kristian Fenderson and Tom Strangfeld (from Weston Nurseries) talk Bob through the landscape design ideas they developed.

Down in the basement, Bob tours the home's mechanical and electrical systems, including the high-velocity air conditioning system and the zoned hot water heating system.

On the second floor, new Kahrs interlocking wood floors are being installed. In an effort to preserve some of the home's original wood detailing, Cole Stanton (from Fiberlock) is applying a lead encapsulating paint to the window trim.
Part 1: Discussing the Plantings on the Property
Part 2: Reviewing the Home's High-Velocity Mini-Duct HVAC System
Part 3: Installing the White Oak Flooring
Bob and Tim Colgan (from Kahrs) discuss the white oak flooring being installed in the bedroom. Earlier in the week, the carpenters put down the oriented strand board (OSB) underlayment with construction adhesive over the old boards.

A week later, the flooring installers put down their proprietary padding made of Airolin foam beads in between two layers of plastic. The padding provides sound and moisture resistance, and additional comfort. There are no nails or glue involved in the installation. The end seams are put together first.

Once the board is laid in, it's topped with a heavy plastic block. There is no need to hammer. The secret to the tightness of the installation is in the interlocking joint-- it's completely mechanical. However, some play is built in to accommodate environmental changes. The backside of the product is spruce and the inner core is finger-jointed pine with quarter sawn vertical graining. Because of this, all the expansion will be vertical and won't affect the wear layer of the floor.

As for durability, Kahrs guarantees two full professional sands of the product. The finish is an acrylic urethane, which is actually harder than polyurethane, and non-yellowing.

80% of the Kahrs line is natural colors, not stained, which eliminates the problem of the lighter natural color of a dark-stained wood showing through with scratches and wear.
Part 4: Installing the Medicine Cabinet
Part 5: Encapsulating Lead Paint
Located just five miles from downtown Boston, Bob's scouts discovered a Victorian-era house in a neighborhood of family homes on tree-lined streets that was past due for a full-scale renovation.

The home's new owners, a work-at-home family, have set goals to modernize the home's floor plan, update the building's mechanical and electrical systems, and add home office and work spaces for two busy professionals.

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