Newbie looking for Tigerwood

[jordand]

Hullo all. [Relatively] new, and looking for some good quality 5in. tigerwood. I'll admit I know almost nothing about flooring, but this is intended to be my learning experience. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

[Jerry Thomas]

Welcome jordand, I'm assuming this will be a pre-finished floor. What are you fixing to do here?

Tigerwood comes in both a solid plank or an engineered plank so we need to know what your substrate is, also whether you intend to nail it down, glue it down or float it.

[jordand]

Correct on the pre-finished part.

I'm leaning towards solid, as I don't really have any intention of moving too soon. My understanding of solid planks is that the normal scuffs and scratches and things can be sanded out periodically, correct? I wouldn't be adverse to engineered, though it seems rather like the price-conscious choice compared to solid.

Subfloor is good ol' concrete.

And thanks.

[Peter Kodner]

Grade level of the concrete makes a huge difference in what you use. On grade: slab in contact with the earth; Below grade: slab below the surrounding ground; Suspended: not in contact with earth. Although there is a standard for gluing down solid wood, your species and width preclude even attempting that.

If you use a solid, you will need to either install plywood (with vapor barrier) or sleepers/screeds (again a vapor barrier will be required).

An engineered will allow you to glue directly to the slab or float the installation (depending on manufacturer!). Read the manufacturers' technical info before buying!!!

Regardless of how you install, moisture testing of your concrete must be properly performed. In a floating application, remediating a problem is the easiest, but can be readily accomplished for any type of installation.

Be aware exotics have some characteristics domestic woods don't that will affect your installation. Make sure your expectations are in line with the product you choose! I think you may find you will not be too happy after spot sanding damaged areas and trying to get the finish matched.

I have come full circle on wood since I have received a higher level of wood education and now believe a site finished nailed down solid is the best wood floor you can buy. Again, just IMHO.

[jordand]

What differences are there for different grades? Pretty sure I'm below grade. =x

I'm not too excited about gluing anything down. What are typical costs for putting in plywood for about 800sq feet?

On the vapor barrier: Wikipedia was nice enough to give a small list of barriers. Kraft paper had the listed lowest perm rating, but there were a few that didn't exactly have any. I figure preference through experience is valued higher than not. Suggestion?

Hm. Actual retailers, any ideas? [self-serving advertisment deleted by TFP Admin]. Thats about what I'm looking for, so far as coloring. With the plywood down, 3/4inch would be fine, correct?

[TFP Admin]

It seems our new member, jordand, would prefer to lead us down the primrose path, rather than to fess up to being a flooring professional. He seems to want to use our DIY board to sucker in customers, using a discussion about products he sells.

Well, jordand, that's why we have blocks on new guys posting links. That's why we have rules that you agreed to before registering an account here. It's really too bad that you chose to be sneaky and underhanded, because there is plenty of opportunity here for flooring professionals to bring traffic to their websites legitimately. I guess that's too much work for you.

Good luck to you,

T

[stullis]

I would recommend a floating type of installation with an engineered product.

Also I would recommend a professional installation done by Jerry. He can take you from start to finish doing things correctly to ensure a good looking long lasting installation.