I want to buy an engineered wood floor that uses plywood in the middle and a
veneer of American Cherry on the surface. I have been warned by everyone
that the American Cherry is very soft and will not take hard use by kids or
animals, or the occasional dropped object. Is there any clear finish we can
have someone paint or spray on the floor that would greatly strengthen the
surface and protect the wood?
--
W
On Fri, 11 Mar 2016 22:54:40 -0800, "W" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>"Doug Miller" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> "W" <[email protected]> wrote in news:2PqdnYNfjfzgE37LnZ2dnUU7-
>> [email protected]:
>>
>> > I want to buy an engineered wood floor that uses plywood in the middle
>and a
>> > veneer of American Cherry on the surface. I have been warned by
>everyone
>> > that the American Cherry is very soft and will not take hard use by kids
>or
>> > animals, or the occasional dropped object.
>>
>> IMHO you shouldn't even be thinking about using veneered plywood for
>flooring. One of the
>> great advantages of hardwood floors is that when they become dented,
>scratched, or worn --
>> and all wooden floors will, regardless of species -- they can be sanded
>smooth and
>> refinished.
>>
>> You can't do that with veneered plywood.
>>
>> And this has absolutely nothing to do with how hard the surface veneer is.
>It's a function solely
>> of how thick it is.
>
>If I go with American Cherry whole wood planks, how does this change my
>question in any way? American Cherry is a soft wood. If children play on
>it, or dogs jump on it, or I drop a heavy object on it, there will be
>permanent marks. The fact that I could someday refinish it does not change
>the fact that I have to live with that damage until I refinish it.
>
>The point of my question is to find if there is a way to provide extra
>hardening on the surface of a soft wood.
The factory applied aluminum oxide fortified ultra-violet cured
finish is about as hard and tough as you are going to get - as far as
protection goes. It will not prevent "denting" of the surface although
it WILL reduce it somewhat. If you want something truly hard and
durable - and very dent resistant - go with a carmelized bamboo. It is
EXTREMELY hard - up to 10 times as hard as oak or maple. There are a
few exotic hardwoods that approach the hardness of bambee - but they
are not cheap.
Your other alternative is to put a thick layer of tempered glass over
the cherry. It lets the grain show through better than the previously
recommended concrete - - - -
On Sun, 13 Mar 2016 16:12:26 -0000 (UTC), John McCoy
<[email protected]> wrote:
>"W" <[email protected]> wrote in
>news:[email protected]:
>
>> Well, that's sad, because I simply dropped some car keys onto planks
>> of very high quality 1/2" thick engineered planks with thick american
>> cherry veneer, and the planks dinged.
>
>Sorry, but I don't beleive that. Cherry is one of my favorite
>cabinet woods, I've worked many board feet of it, and while it
>isn't as hard as maple or oak there's no way it's soft enough
>to "ding" from something as light as a set of car keys.
>
>My guess is your "very high quality" vendor is feeding you a
>line on both the quality and the material of the planks you're
>looking at.
>
>John
Either that or he has a HUGE set of keys - - -
On Fri, 11 Mar 2016 19:59:21 -0800, "W" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>"Doug Miller" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> "W" <[email protected]> wrote in news:2PqdnYNfjfzgE37LnZ2dnUU7-
>> [email protected]:
>>
>> > I want to buy an engineered wood floor that uses plywood in the middle
>and a
>> > veneer of American Cherry on the surface. I have been warned by
>everyone
>> > that the American Cherry is very soft and will not take hard use by kids
>or
>> > animals, or the occasional dropped object.
>>
>> IMHO you shouldn't even be thinking about using veneered plywood for
>flooring. One of the
>> great advantages of hardwood floors is that when they become dented,
>scratched, or worn --
>> and all wooden floors will, regardless of species -- they can be sanded
>smooth and
>> refinished.
>>
>> You can't do that with veneered plywood.
>>
>> And this has absolutely nothing to do with how hard the surface veneer is.
>It's a function solely
>> of how thick it is.
>
>So there are pluses and minuses to solid wood flooring. The plus is you can
>refinish it many times. The negatives are that it will tend to warp over
>time and might warp faster after a water spill. Engineered wood tends to
>lie flatter and will take water spills better. A thicker veneer on an
>engineered plywood can be refinished about three times as well.
A water "spill" isn't going to affect hardwood. Anything that will
affect hardwood will completely destroy anything engineered.
>
>In any case, this thread was supposed to be about hardening the surface of
>whatever product you do install, and more generally about the suitability of
>American Cherry for any kind of hardwood flooring.
There isn't anything that can be done to make it "harder" against
dents, and such. The finishes that are typically used on higher end
pre-finished flooring products are "hardened" in the scratch
resistance sense. You won't put it on with a brush, though (the
finish is generally UV hardened).
On Sun, 13 Mar 2016 00:23:59 -0500, [email protected] wrote:
>On Sat, 12 Mar 2016 17:49:21 -0500, krw <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>>
>>I've had bamboo floors in two houses now. I just wanted to point out
>>that there is a big difference between styles and "finishes". We had
>>"carbonized medium" (I assume that's what you meant by "caramelized")
>>with vertically laminated the first time. The stuff was great. I'd
>>do that in a heartbeat. The last house, however, was "natural" and
>>was laminated horizontally. That stuff really sucked. It scratched
>>*really* easily and dented pretty badly, too. The differences in
>>finish and lamination direction *really* matters.
>
>"strand woven" is supposed to be the best as far as hardness and
>durability - and it looks like wood. And I was wrong - the
>"carbonized" is softer than the natural finish.
I've never seen "strand woven". I'll have to look for it. I really
liked the bamboo in my VT house (not so much in the AL house).
My experience is otherwise but it isn't universal, either.
>As with hardwood, the aluminum oxide enhanced finish is superior to a
>polyurethane varnish finish.
+1
Of course, AlO2 is for scratch resistance. It doesn't affect dent
resistance at all.
The only way you are going to get a very hard, abrasion resistant finish is=
to apply it yourself. NO finishes are made to be applied over the factory=
finish. Factory finishes are very specialized (and usually proprietary) a=
nd engineered to prevent things from sticking to them or penetrating them. =
That rules out a top coat.
American cherry is a poor choice for flooring. There is a reason you see o=
ak, hickory, ash, and certainly a plethora of South American hardwoods on f=
loors. They are hard woods to begin with (as opposed to the softness of ch=
erry) and their grainy surfaces hold finish well. American cherry is soft a=
nd tight grained and does not hold heavy, "engineered for flooring" finishe=
s well.
How soft is cherry compared to most white oaks? IIRC, the Janka scale show=
s oak to be anywhere from half again to almost twice as hard. That should =
be easy enough to look up, along with any other woods you are interested in=
using for flooring.
Robert
On 3/12/2016 8:39 AM, Doug Miller wrote:
> "W" <[email protected]> wrote in news:pqudnWKW1PWtIH7LnZ2dnUU7-
> [email protected]:
>
>> If I go with American Cherry whole wood planks, how does this change my
>> question in any way? American Cherry is a soft wood.
>
> No, it is not. Who told you that?
>
> It's not as hard as hard maple or oak, no, but by no means is it a soft wood.
>
>> If children play on
>> it, or dogs jump on it, or I drop a heavy object on it, there will be
>> permanent marks. The fact that I could someday refinish it does not change
>> the fact that I have to live with that damage until I refinish it.
>
> This is true of *all* hardwood floors, regardless of species.
>>
>> The point of my question is to find if there is a way to provide extra
>> hardening on the surface of a soft wood.
>
> This isn't really relevant, since cherry isn't a soft wood, but ... no, not really. Varnish is only a
> few mils thick, and won't provide any significant protection from impact. I suppose you could
> coat it with epoxy...
>
Epoxy won't prevent the damage. There's really nothing I know of that
would prevent damage. It's all a thin coating. It's really the wood
that is resistant.
Even steel would show wear, so what is being asked is not really
available. See if you can get a force field made :-)
--
Jeff
On 3/11/2016 10:35 PM, W wrote:
> I want to buy an engineered wood floor that uses plywood in the middle and a
> veneer of American Cherry on the surface. I have been warned by everyone
> that the American Cherry is very soft and will not take hard use by kids or
> animals, or the occasional dropped object. Is there any clear finish we can
> have someone paint or spray on the floor that would greatly strengthen the
> surface and protect the wood?
>
If it is quality engineered hardwood it will be as hard as it will ever
get. They use very hard, durable finishes. I put some in the family
room over a slab. After 10+ years there is only one barely noticeable
ding.
The only coating that will help is a couple of inches of concrete, but
the finish does not show as well.
In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
>
> I want to buy an engineered wood floor that uses plywood in the middle and a
> veneer of American Cherry on the surface. I have been warned by everyone
> that the American Cherry is very soft and will not take hard use by kids or
> animals, or the occasional dropped object. Is there any clear finish we can
> have someone paint or spray on the floor that would greatly strengthen the
> surface and protect the wood?
If it's an "engineered wood" floor and needs any kind of special
treatment in order to stand up to normal use, then get a different brand
of engineered wood floor because the one you're looking at is crap.
In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
>
> I want to buy an engineered wood floor that uses plywood in the middle and a
> veneer of American Cherry on the surface. I have been warned by everyone
> that the American Cherry is very soft and will not take hard use by kids or
> animals, or the occasional dropped object. Is there any clear finish we can
> have someone paint or spray on the floor that would greatly strengthen the
> surface and protect the wood?
By the way, if you want something that won't ding or dent (but will chip
if you work hard enough at it) and looks like cherry, take a look at
woodgrain ceramic tile.
In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
>
> "J. Clarke" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > In article <[email protected]>,
> > [email protected] says...
> > >
> > > I want to buy an engineered wood floor that uses plywood in the middle
> and a
> > > veneer of American Cherry on the surface. I have been warned by
> everyone
> > > that the American Cherry is very soft and will not take hard use by kids
> or
> > > animals, or the occasional dropped object. Is there any clear finish we
> can
> > > have someone paint or spray on the floor that would greatly strengthen
> the
> > > surface and protect the wood?
> >
> > By the way, if you want something that won't ding or dent (but will chip
> > if you work hard enough at it) and looks like cherry, take a look at
> > woodgrain ceramic tile.
>
> Those are really nice products and thanks for mentioning that. Are these
> designed to only work on a concrete subfloor? I believe in my case all of
> my subfloors are plywood, above a crawl space under the home.
Far as I know they go down like any other ceramic tile. Plywood per se
isn't an issue, however it has to be flat, level, and stiff and you'll
have to do some prep on top of it.
In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] says...
>
> "J. Clarke" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > In article <[email protected]>,
> > [email protected] says...
> > >
> > > "J. Clarke" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > > news:[email protected]...
> > > > In article <[email protected]>,
> > > > [email protected] says...
> > > > >
> > > > > I want to buy an engineered wood floor that uses plywood in the
> middle
> > > and a
> > > > > veneer of American Cherry on the surface. I have been warned by
> > > everyone
> > > > > that the American Cherry is very soft and will not take hard use by
> kids
> > > or
> > > > > animals, or the occasional dropped object. Is there any clear
> finish we
> > > can
> > > > > have someone paint or spray on the floor that would greatly
> strengthen
> > > the
> > > > > surface and protect the wood?
> > > >
> > > > By the way, if you want something that won't ding or dent (but will
> chip
> > > > if you work hard enough at it) and looks like cherry, take a look at
> > > > woodgrain ceramic tile.
> > >
> > > Those are really nice products and thanks for mentioning that. Are
> these
> > > designed to only work on a concrete subfloor? I believe in my case all
> of
> > > my subfloors are plywood, above a crawl space under the home.
> >
> > Far as I know they go down like any other ceramic tile. Plywood per se
> > isn't an issue, however it has to be flat, level, and stiff and you'll
> > have to do some prep on top of it.
>
> Great, thanks.
>
> Ceramic tile made to look like wood or building patterns that are wood-like
> would be great for high traffic areas, and then save real wood flooring for
> rooms that need to look more elegant like a living room or formal dining
> room.
For what it's worth, I had not seen the woodgrain ceramic until I got a
new job where there was a newly remodelled conference area with a
woodgrain ceramic floor (this is in the world headquarters of the 98th
largest corporation in the world by the way).
"Doug Miller" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "W" <[email protected]> wrote in news:2PqdnYNfjfzgE37LnZ2dnUU7-
> [email protected]:
>
> > I want to buy an engineered wood floor that uses plywood in the middle
and a
> > veneer of American Cherry on the surface. I have been warned by
everyone
> > that the American Cherry is very soft and will not take hard use by kids
or
> > animals, or the occasional dropped object.
>
> IMHO you shouldn't even be thinking about using veneered plywood for
flooring. One of the
> great advantages of hardwood floors is that when they become dented,
scratched, or worn --
> and all wooden floors will, regardless of species -- they can be sanded
smooth and
> refinished.
>
> You can't do that with veneered plywood.
>
> And this has absolutely nothing to do with how hard the surface veneer is.
It's a function solely
> of how thick it is.
So there are pluses and minuses to solid wood flooring. The plus is you can
refinish it many times. The negatives are that it will tend to warp over
time and might warp faster after a water spill. Engineered wood tends to
lie flatter and will take water spills better. A thicker veneer on an
engineered plywood can be refinished about three times as well.
In any case, this thread was supposed to be about hardening the surface of
whatever product you do install, and more generally about the suitability of
American Cherry for any kind of hardwood flooring.
--
W
"Ed Pawlowski" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On 3/11/2016 10:35 PM, W wrote:
> > I want to buy an engineered wood floor that uses plywood in the middle
and a
> > veneer of American Cherry on the surface. I have been warned by
everyone
> > that the American Cherry is very soft and will not take hard use by kids
or
> > animals, or the occasional dropped object. Is there any clear finish we
can
> > have someone paint or spray on the floor that would greatly strengthen
the
> > surface and protect the wood?
> >
>
> If it is quality engineered hardwood it will be as hard as it will ever
> get. They use very hard, durable finishes. I put some in the family
> room over a slab. After 10+ years there is only one barely noticeable
> ding.
>
> The only coating that will help is a couple of inches of concrete, but
> the finish does not show as well.
Well, that's sad, because I simply dropped some car keys onto planks of very
high quality 1/2" thick engineered planks with thick american cherry veneer,
and the planks dinged. You would think that someone would come up with a
way to put a hard polymer coating on top of the wood that could protect the
wood better.
--
W
"W" <[email protected]> wrote in news:2PqdnYNfjfzgE37LnZ2dnUU7-
[email protected]:
> I want to buy an engineered wood floor that uses plywood in the middle and a
> veneer of American Cherry on the surface. I have been warned by everyone
> that the American Cherry is very soft and will not take hard use by kids or
> animals, or the occasional dropped object.
IMHO you shouldn't even be thinking about using veneered plywood for flooring. One of the
great advantages of hardwood floors is that when they become dented, scratched, or worn --
and all wooden floors will, regardless of species -- they can be sanded smooth and
refinished.
You can't do that with veneered plywood.
And this has absolutely nothing to do with how hard the surface veneer is. It's a function solely
of how thick it is.
"W" <[email protected]> wrote in news:PNmdnRWce9aHCX7LnZ2dnUU7-
[email protected]:
> So there are pluses and minuses to solid wood flooring. The plus is you can
> refinish it many times. The negatives are that it will tend to warp over
> time
Not true. My home was built in 1955, and the hardwood floors are not warped. My parents'
home is even older, some time in the early 1920s, and the hardwood floors are still nice and
even. In fact, I don't recall *ever* seeing a home with warped hardwood floors that had not
experienced some sort of *major* water problem.
> and might warp faster after a water spill.
Do you own a mop?
> Engineered wood tends to
> lie flatter and will take water spills better. A thicker veneer on an
> engineered plywood can be refinished about three times as well.
How many times can solid wood be refinished?
>
> In any case, this thread was supposed to be about hardening the surface of
> whatever product you do install,
Pointless. *All* hardwood floors, regardless of species, will be scratched by pet claws,
abraded by dirt stuck to the soles of your shoes, and dented by dropped objects if hard
and heavy enough.
Veneered plywood will dent much more easily than solid wood.
> and more generally about the suitability of
> American Cherry for any kind of hardwood flooring.
*Solid* cherry is fine for hardwood flooring. Among commonly used flooring woods, it's not
as hard as hickory, hard maple, or any of the oaks, but it's a lot harder than pine.
"W" <[email protected]> wrote in news:pqudnWKW1PWtIH7LnZ2dnUU7-
[email protected]:
> If I go with American Cherry whole wood planks, how does this change my
> question in any way? American Cherry is a soft wood.
No, it is not. Who told you that?
It's not as hard as hard maple or oak, no, but by no means is it a soft wood.
> If children play on
> it, or dogs jump on it, or I drop a heavy object on it, there will be
> permanent marks. The fact that I could someday refinish it does not change
> the fact that I have to live with that damage until I refinish it.
This is true of *all* hardwood floors, regardless of species.
>
> The point of my question is to find if there is a way to provide extra
> hardening on the surface of a soft wood.
This isn't really relevant, since cherry isn't a soft wood, but ... no, not really. Varnish is only a
few mils thick, and won't provide any significant protection from impact. I suppose you could
coat it with epoxy...
"W" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:[email protected]:
> Well, that's sad, because I simply dropped some car keys onto planks
> of very high quality 1/2" thick engineered planks with thick american
> cherry veneer, and the planks dinged.
Sorry, but I don't beleive that. Cherry is one of my favorite
cabinet woods, I've worked many board feet of it, and while it
isn't as hard as maple or oak there's no way it's soft enough
to "ding" from something as light as a set of car keys.
My guess is your "very high quality" vendor is feeding you a
line on both the quality and the material of the planks you're
looking at.
John
"J. Clarke" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>,
> [email protected] says...
> >
> > I want to buy an engineered wood floor that uses plywood in the middle
and a
> > veneer of American Cherry on the surface. I have been warned by
everyone
> > that the American Cherry is very soft and will not take hard use by kids
or
> > animals, or the occasional dropped object. Is there any clear finish we
can
> > have someone paint or spray on the floor that would greatly strengthen
the
> > surface and protect the wood?
>
> By the way, if you want something that won't ding or dent (but will chip
> if you work hard enough at it) and looks like cherry, take a look at
> woodgrain ceramic tile.
Those are really nice products and thanks for mentioning that. Are these
designed to only work on a concrete subfloor? I believe in my case all of
my subfloors are plywood, above a crawl space under the home.
--
W
On Sat, 12 Mar 2016 17:49:21 -0500, krw <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>I've had bamboo floors in two houses now. I just wanted to point out
>that there is a big difference between styles and "finishes". We had
>"carbonized medium" (I assume that's what you meant by "caramelized")
>with vertically laminated the first time. The stuff was great. I'd
>do that in a heartbeat. The last house, however, was "natural" and
>was laminated horizontally. That stuff really sucked. It scratched
>*really* easily and dented pretty badly, too. The differences in
>finish and lamination direction *really* matters.
"strand woven" is supposed to be the best as far as hardness and
durability - and it looks like wood. And I was wrong - the
"carbonized" is softer than the natural finish.
As with hardwood, the aluminum oxide enhanced finish is superior to a
polyurethane varnish finish.
>>
>>Your other alternative is to put a thick layer of tempered glass over
>>the cherry. It lets the grain show through better than the previously
>>recommended concrete - - - -
>
>How about having a spare floor, to show off to the neighbors? After
>all, that's what Madison Square Garden does. You can do anything
>with an unlimited budget!
On Sat, 12 Mar 2016 13:37:03 -0000 (UTC), Doug Miller
<[email protected]> wrote:
>"W" <[email protected]> wrote in news:PNmdnRWce9aHCX7LnZ2dnUU7-
>[email protected]:
>
>> So there are pluses and minuses to solid wood flooring. The plus is you can
>> refinish it many times. The negatives are that it will tend to warp over
>> time
>
>Not true. My home was built in 1955, and the hardwood floors are not warped. My parents'
>home is even older, some time in the early 1920s, and the hardwood floors are still nice and
>even. In fact, I don't recall *ever* seeing a home with warped hardwood floors that had not
>experienced some sort of *major* water problem.
>
>> and might warp faster after a water spill.
>
>Do you own a mop?
>
>> Engineered wood tends to
>> lie flatter and will take water spills better. A thicker veneer on an
>> engineered plywood can be refinished about three times as well.
>
>How many times can solid wood be refinished?
>>
>> In any case, this thread was supposed to be about hardening the surface of
>> whatever product you do install,
>
>Pointless. *All* hardwood floors, regardless of species, will be scratched by pet claws,
>abraded by dirt stuck to the soles of your shoes, and dented by dropped objects if hard
>and heavy enough.
>
>Veneered plywood will dent much more easily than solid wood.
>
>> and more generally about the suitability of
>> American Cherry for any kind of hardwood flooring.
>
>*Solid* cherry is fine for hardwood flooring. Among commonly used flooring woods, it's not
>as hard as hickory, hard maple, or any of the oaks, but it's a lot harder than pine.
...and there is a *lot* of SYP flooring around.
On Fri, 11 Mar 2016 22:54:40 -0800, "W" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>If I go with American Cherry whole wood planks, how does this change my
>question in any way? American Cherry is a soft wood. If children play on
>it, or dogs jump on it, or I drop a heavy object on it, there will be
>permanent marks. The fact that I could someday refinish it does not change
>the fact that I have to live with that damage until I refinish it.
>
>The point of my question is to find if there is a way to provide extra
>hardening on the surface of a soft wood.
The manufacturing process of the engineered flooring lessens the
softness, ( compressed in a huge press with tons of pressure ). If you
are really concerned do some actual research on the product and
manufacturer.
On Sat, 12 Mar 2016 14:58:21 -0500, [email protected] wrote:
>On Fri, 11 Mar 2016 22:54:40 -0800, "W" <[email protected]>
>wrote:
>
>>"Doug Miller" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>news:[email protected]...
>>> "W" <[email protected]> wrote in news:2PqdnYNfjfzgE37LnZ2dnUU7-
>>> [email protected]:
>>>
>>> > I want to buy an engineered wood floor that uses plywood in the middle
>>and a
>>> > veneer of American Cherry on the surface. I have been warned by
>>everyone
>>> > that the American Cherry is very soft and will not take hard use by kids
>>or
>>> > animals, or the occasional dropped object.
>>>
>>> IMHO you shouldn't even be thinking about using veneered plywood for
>>flooring. One of the
>>> great advantages of hardwood floors is that when they become dented,
>>scratched, or worn --
>>> and all wooden floors will, regardless of species -- they can be sanded
>>smooth and
>>> refinished.
>>>
>>> You can't do that with veneered plywood.
>>>
>>> And this has absolutely nothing to do with how hard the surface veneer is.
>>It's a function solely
>>> of how thick it is.
>>
>>If I go with American Cherry whole wood planks, how does this change my
>>question in any way? American Cherry is a soft wood. If children play on
>>it, or dogs jump on it, or I drop a heavy object on it, there will be
>>permanent marks. The fact that I could someday refinish it does not change
>>the fact that I have to live with that damage until I refinish it.
>>
>>The point of my question is to find if there is a way to provide extra
>>hardening on the surface of a soft wood.
> The factory applied aluminum oxide fortified ultra-violet cured
>finish is about as hard and tough as you are going to get - as far as
>protection goes. It will not prevent "denting" of the surface although
>it WILL reduce it somewhat. If you want something truly hard and
>durable - and very dent resistant - go with a carmelized bamboo. It is
>EXTREMELY hard - up to 10 times as hard as oak or maple. There are a
>few exotic hardwoods that approach the hardness of bambee - but they
>are not cheap.
I've had bamboo floors in two houses now. I just wanted to point out
that there is a big difference between styles and "finishes". We had
"carbonized medium" (I assume that's what you meant by "caramelized")
with vertically laminated the first time. The stuff was great. I'd
do that in a heartbeat. The last house, however, was "natural" and
was laminated horizontally. That stuff really sucked. It scratched
*really* easily and dented pretty badly, too. The differences in
finish and lamination direction *really* matters.
>
>Your other alternative is to put a thick layer of tempered glass over
>the cherry. It lets the grain show through better than the previously
>recommended concrete - - - -
How about having a spare floor, to show off to the neighbors? After
all, that's what Madison Square Garden does. You can do anything
with an unlimited budget!
On 03/12/2016 12:54 AM, W wrote:
...
> If I go with American Cherry whole wood planks, how does this change my
> question in any way? American Cherry is a soft wood. If children play on
> it, or dogs jump on it, or I drop a heavy object on it, there will be
> permanent marks. The fact that I could someday refinish it does not change
> the fact that I have to live with that damage until I refinish it.
>
> The point of my question is to find if there is a way to provide extra
> hardening on the surface of a soft wood.
...
Well, cherry isn't _terribly_ soft but it is on the softer end of most
hardwood flooring, yes...
As others have said, there's really no magic film that can be put over
the surface to stop denting from a hard, heavy object being dropped on
the floor; the manufactured floorings use very good finishes for
abrasion and scratching albeit again there are levels of quality there
depending on the price point and manufacturer of course.
If you're really concerned and are selecting flooring, the obvious
answer is to go with a species on the harder end of the scale or perhaps
you'd be happier in the long run with another material than wood entirely.
<http://www.hoskinghardwood.com/Department/Hardwood-Floors/Wood-Hardness-Chart.aspx?dId=7&pageId=12>
<http://tinytimbers.com/janka.htm>
The latter shows a wider variety that places cherry more in the overall
scale of woods rather than on the more restricted scale of the previous.
--
On Fri, 11 Mar 2016 19:35:24 -0800
"W" <[email protected]> wrote:
> warned by everyone that the American Cherry is very soft and will not
> take hard use by kids or animals, or the occasional dropped object.
if you do not like how wood floors wear than you really want a different
floor
wood floors tend to take on character as they age from use
that is why people pay a premium for repurposed barn wood for floors
go with grade a solid oak
it will outlive you
On Sat, 12 Mar 2016 11:43:27 -0500, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
> On 3/12/2016 10:17 AM, krw wrote:
>
>
>> ...and there is a *lot* of SYP flooring around.
>>
>>
> Yes, but it does not hold up well. My son's house has it, built in
> 1750, and the wear in spots is visible. Out of warranty too.
LOL!
--
When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and
carrying a cross.
On 3/11/2016 10:59 PM, W wrote:
> "Doug Miller" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> "W" <[email protected]> wrote in news:2PqdnYNfjfzgE37LnZ2dnUU7-
>> [email protected]:
>>
>>> I want to buy an engineered wood floor that uses plywood in the middle
> and a
>>> veneer of American Cherry on the surface. I have been warned by
> everyone
>>> that the American Cherry is very soft and will not take hard use by kids
> or
>>> animals, or the occasional dropped object.
>>
>> IMHO you shouldn't even be thinking about using veneered plywood for
> flooring. One of the
>> great advantages of hardwood floors is that when they become dented,
> scratched, or worn --
>> and all wooden floors will, regardless of species -- they can be sanded
> smooth and
>> refinished.
>>
>> You can't do that with veneered plywood.
>>
>> And this has absolutely nothing to do with how hard the surface veneer is.
> It's a function solely
>> of how thick it is.
>
> So there are pluses and minuses to solid wood flooring. The plus is you can
> refinish it many times. The negatives are that it will tend to warp over
> time and might warp faster after a water spill. Engineered wood tends to
> lie flatter and will take water spills better. A thicker veneer on an
> engineered plywood can be refinished about three times as well.
>
> In any case, this thread was supposed to be about hardening the surface of
> whatever product you do install, and more generally about the suitability of
> American Cherry for any kind of hardwood flooring.
>
> --
> W
>
>
It does not tend to warp over time. My floor is not warped.
You are warped.
--
Jeff
"Doug Miller" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "W" <[email protected]> wrote in news:2PqdnYNfjfzgE37LnZ2dnUU7-
> [email protected]:
>
> > I want to buy an engineered wood floor that uses plywood in the middle
and a
> > veneer of American Cherry on the surface. I have been warned by
everyone
> > that the American Cherry is very soft and will not take hard use by kids
or
> > animals, or the occasional dropped object.
>
> IMHO you shouldn't even be thinking about using veneered plywood for
flooring. One of the
> great advantages of hardwood floors is that when they become dented,
scratched, or worn --
> and all wooden floors will, regardless of species -- they can be sanded
smooth and
> refinished.
>
> You can't do that with veneered plywood.
>
> And this has absolutely nothing to do with how hard the surface veneer is.
It's a function solely
> of how thick it is.
If I go with American Cherry whole wood planks, how does this change my
question in any way? American Cherry is a soft wood. If children play on
it, or dogs jump on it, or I drop a heavy object on it, there will be
permanent marks. The fact that I could someday refinish it does not change
the fact that I have to live with that damage until I refinish it.
The point of my question is to find if there is a way to provide extra
hardening on the surface of a soft wood.
--
W
On 3/12/2016 2:52 AM, [email protected] wrote:
> The only way you are going to get a very hard, abrasion resistant finish is to apply it yourself. NO finishes are made to be applied over the factory finish. Factory finishes are very specialized (and usually proprietary) and engineered to prevent things from sticking to them or penetrating them. That rules out a top coat.
>
> American cherry is a poor choice for flooring. There is a reason you see oak, hickory, ash, and certainly a plethora of South American hardwoods on floors. They are hard woods to begin with (as opposed to the softness of cherry) and their grainy surfaces hold finish well. American cherry is soft and tight grained and does not hold heavy, "engineered for flooring" finishes well.
>
> How soft is cherry compared to most white oaks? IIRC, the Janka scale shows oak to be anywhere from half again to almost twice as hard. That should be easy enough to look up, along with any other woods you are interested in using for flooring.
>
> Robert
>
Did you receive my e-mail?
"J. Clarke" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>,
> [email protected] says...
> >
> > "J. Clarke" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > news:[email protected]...
> > > In article <[email protected]>,
> > > [email protected] says...
> > > >
> > > > I want to buy an engineered wood floor that uses plywood in the
middle
> > and a
> > > > veneer of American Cherry on the surface. I have been warned by
> > everyone
> > > > that the American Cherry is very soft and will not take hard use by
kids
> > or
> > > > animals, or the occasional dropped object. Is there any clear
finish we
> > can
> > > > have someone paint or spray on the floor that would greatly
strengthen
> > the
> > > > surface and protect the wood?
> > >
> > > By the way, if you want something that won't ding or dent (but will
chip
> > > if you work hard enough at it) and looks like cherry, take a look at
> > > woodgrain ceramic tile.
> >
> > Those are really nice products and thanks for mentioning that. Are
these
> > designed to only work on a concrete subfloor? I believe in my case all
of
> > my subfloors are plywood, above a crawl space under the home.
>
> Far as I know they go down like any other ceramic tile. Plywood per se
> isn't an issue, however it has to be flat, level, and stiff and you'll
> have to do some prep on top of it.
Great, thanks.
Ceramic tile made to look like wood or building patterns that are wood-like
would be great for high traffic areas, and then save real wood flooring for
rooms that need to look more elegant like a living room or formal dining
room.
--
W
On Sat, 12 Mar 2016 11:43:27 -0500, Ed Pawlowski <[email protected]> wrote:
>On 3/12/2016 10:17 AM, krw wrote:
>
>>
>> ...and there is a *lot* of SYP flooring around.
>>
>
>Yes, but it does not hold up well. My son's house has it, built in
>1750, and the wear in spots is visible. Out of warranty too.
;-)
The wear is a feature.
On Fri, 11 Mar 2016 22:59:12 -0800, "W" <[email protected]>
wrote:
>"Ed Pawlowski" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> On 3/11/2016 10:35 PM, W wrote:
>> > I want to buy an engineered wood floor that uses plywood in the middle
>and a
>> > veneer of American Cherry on the surface. I have been warned by
>everyone
>> > that the American Cherry is very soft and will not take hard use by kids
>or
>> > animals, or the occasional dropped object. Is there any clear finish we
>can
>> > have someone paint or spray on the floor that would greatly strengthen
>the
>> > surface and protect the wood?
>> >
>>
>> If it is quality engineered hardwood it will be as hard as it will ever
>> get. They use very hard, durable finishes. I put some in the family
>> room over a slab. After 10+ years there is only one barely noticeable
>> ding.
>>
>> The only coating that will help is a couple of inches of concrete, but
>> the finish does not show as well.
>
>Well, that's sad, because I simply dropped some car keys onto planks of very
>high quality 1/2" thick engineered planks with thick american cherry veneer,
>and the planks dinged. You would think that someone would come up with a
>way to put a hard polymer coating on top of the wood that could protect the
>wood better.
If it dinged from car keys I'd avoid it. I'd also question the quality
of it. My engineered floors have had many a drop like that an no
marks at all. They use some sort of aluminum oxide finish that is
very durable.