THE USES OF WOOD 



FLOORS MADE OF WOOD 



BY HU MAXWELL 



Editor's Note:— This is the fourteenth story in a series of important and very valuable articles by Mr. Maxwell on wood and its 

 uses. The series will thoroughly cover the various phases of the subject, from the beginnings in the forest through the processes 

 of logging, lumbering, transportation and milling, considering In detail the whole field of the utilization and manufacture of wood. 



IN some resjiects and for some 

 has no equal. It is attractive 

 able to the touch, contains low 

 erties, is nearly 

 impervious to 

 water, and the 

 degree of hard- 

 ness or soft- 

 ness desired 

 may be secured 

 in a measure 

 by careful se- 

 lection of the 

 wood. Wide 

 choice of color 

 is possible. The 

 material is easy 

 to cut and 

 work, is fairly 

 light, strong 

 enough to meet 

 most of the de- 

 mands likely to 

 be made upon 

 it, sufficiently 

 hard to offer 

 necessary r e - 

 sistance, and 

 i t s cheapness 

 places it with- 

 in tlie means 

 of those who 

 need floors. 



The range of 

 choice as to 

 cost, figure, 

 hardness, col- 

 or, and dura- 

 bility is exten- 

 sive. When all 

 of these fac- 

 tors are con- 

 sidered, wood 

 is found to 

 head the list of 

 floor materials 

 in this country. 

 If it does not 

 occupy that 

 position in 



The most important fli 

 does not measure with 

 is so abundant that it 

 to eastern states. 



kinds of floors wood some other countries, it is due to scarcity there. Wher- 

 in appearance, agree- ever wood can be had at a reasonable cost, and in 

 heat-conducting prop- adequate quantity, and of suitable kinds, it holds first 



place as stock 

 of which floors 

 are made. The 

 principal argu- 

 ment against it 

 is its tendency 

 to burn readi- 

 ly. Its use is 

 somewhat lim- 

 i t e d by fire 

 laws in towns 

 and cities. 



It has been 

 many times 

 demonstrated 

 that properly 

 laid wooden 

 block floors re- 

 sist fire in a re- 

 markable man- 

 n e r . In t h e 

 Baltimore fire, 

 pavement of 

 such blocks, 

 exactly similar 

 to those laid in 

 floors, passed 

 with little in- 

 j u r y through 

 the conflagra- 

 tion. It has 

 been noted, 

 likewise, that 

 t h e overturn- 

 i n g of caul- 

 drons of molt- 

 en metal in 

 foundries, 

 where floors 

 of such blocks 

 are in use, do 

 less injury to 

 the floors than 

 would be ex- 

 pected. The 

 blocks, under 

 such circum- 



DOUGLAS FIR FOR FLOORING 



coring material in the region west of the Rocky Mountains is Douglas fir. It 

 some of the eastern flooring woods in hardness, but it is moderately hard and it 

 has no rival in the western part of the United States, and it also finds its way 



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