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Oak Flooring and the Retailer 



A great deal has been written about the care and handlinj; ul' 

 oak flooring after it leaves the retail yards, but very little has 

 been said to educate the retail dealer in the proper storing and 

 handling. In a great many yards oak flooring is handled very much 

 like dressed rough lumber, stored in sheds that are ojieu at both 

 ends, thereby exposing the flooring to such an extent that it absorbs 

 moisture from both ends, thus swelling the face anywhere from a 

 thirty-second of an inch to one-sixteenth. When the floor layers 

 receive flooring in this condition, it readily can be seen what an 

 imperfect floor it will make. The floor layer and the dealer are 

 always prone to blame the poor condition of the floor on the manu- 

 facturer. They seem to overlook the fact that all hardwood flooring 

 will absorb moisture, and oak flooring is no exception. 



In Kansas City a short time ago, 2500 feet of oak flooring was 

 laid in a beautiful home and after the job was completed there 

 appeared quite a number of unsightly cracks, mostly toward the 

 ends. The dealer and the contractor blamed this condition upon 

 the manufacturer of the flooring. He and a chief inspector trav- 

 elled 500 miles to investigate this case. After spending a little 

 time at the dealer's yard, they found the oak flooring stored within 

 a few feet of a large opening in the warehouse and upon meas- 

 uring many of the pieces, it proved that they were swelled about 

 one-sixteenth of an inch from the original manufacture. The period 

 was during the winter season and practically the only protection 

 that this flooring had was an ordinary' roof and the rear iboarded. 

 The contractor, instead of keeping this flooring in a dry place in 

 the house where it was to be used, for at least ten days, immediately 

 laid it with the aforesaid results. After explanation to the archi- 

 tect, who was a broad-minded man, he agreed with the manufacturer 

 that the direct trouble was in the abuse of the flooring by the 

 improper housing given it by the retailer. 



The above case is cited to point out the fact that the retail dealers 

 should have better accommodations for the storing of oak flooring. 

 The most modern retaU yards have a certain portion of their ware- 

 houses divided oft", double boarded and steam heated. Steam heat 

 is very essential in the middle and northern climates during the win- 

 ter season to keep the flooring in normal condition. The expense of 

 this additional care is very trivial compared with the benefits derived. 

 Floor layers and contractors will invariably trade with a yard that 

 keeps the flooring in a good condition during the winter season. 

 The modern retailer should be in a position to give advice to con- 

 tractors and floor layers when it is necessary. 



In Ithaca, N. Y., some time ago an eight-inch brick wall was 

 bulged out to the extent of two inches. After investigation, it 

 proved that it was done by the oak flooring, which was abused by 

 too much water being used in scrubbing the floor. Usually in a case 

 of this kind, the floor will bulge upward about in the middle, but 

 in this particular case it was found that nails were used very gen- 

 erously on an oak sub-floor. 



Not long ago the writer was called upon to look at a beautiful 

 oak floor that was very badly abused by the contractor who laid 

 the sub-floor with apparently green stock, which shrank to such a 

 degree that it opened up unsightly cracks in the top flooring. This 

 was revealed by measuring the sub-floor from the under side in the 

 cellar. The sub-floor should be reasonably dry and laid diagonally. 

 Boards of about six inches wide are preferred and should not be 

 put down too closely — at least an eighth of an inch should be 

 between each board. All thicknesses of oak flooring should have a 

 sub-floor. Many jobs are- badly damaged by improper sub-floors, 

 especially where three-eighth-ineh oak flooring is used. 



Atmospheric conditions peculiarly affect oak flooring throughout 

 the season, and with this in mind, it surely would pay the retail 

 dealer to give it more care, so that when the contractor calls for it 

 for laying it will be in the proper condition for use. 



The modern dealer in catering to the consuming oak flooring trade, 

 would find it more profitable and advantageous to purchase in 

 straight carlots. The cost is much less, besides assuring the arrival 



—32— 



uf the flooring in better condition, it is just as important these 

 days to carry a good stock of the various grades, faces and thick- 

 nesses in oak flooring as it is in yellow pine or sash and doors. 

 The dealer who keeps a good supply of hardwood flooring of the 

 various kinds on hand will find it to his interest to get more trade 

 and is in a much better position to serve his customers than the old- 

 fashioned dealer who buys two or three thousand feet at a time. 



There are many dealers neglecting hardwood flooring by not car- 

 rying a sufficient quantity for their prospective customers and not 

 pushing it by way of newspaper advertising in their respective towns, 

 or by talking it to architects and contractors. W. L. Clafpey. 



Reducing the "Working" of Wood by 

 Kiln-Drying 



A great source of annoyance to all woodworkers and users is the 

 tendency of the material to shrink and swell with changes in 

 atmospheric conditions. This is due to the fact that wood sub-' 

 stance is hygroscopic — that is, it attracts or absorbs moisture from 

 the air. Increase in the moisture content of fairly dry wood 

 causes it to swell, and drying out causes it to shrink. This prop- 

 erty of wood can be reduced, but not entirely eliminated, by sub- 

 jecting wood to boiling, steaming, prolonged soaking, or exposure 

 to high temperature. 



To determine just what effect kiln-drying has on the subsequent 

 moisture condition of wood as compared with simple air-seasoning, 

 a number of tests were conducted by the Forest Service in co-oper- 

 ation with the Yale Forest School. The test specimens were of two 

 sizes, 2x2x6 inches and 2xliAx30 inches. Three sets of seven pieces 

 each were taken for each of three species, and for each of the dif- 

 ferent temperatures used. One set was simply air-dried and used 

 as a check (C) with which to compare the other two sets of that 

 series. Another set (A) was first air-dried for about a year, then 

 kiln-dried, and finally placed aside with the check specimens to air 

 for a year or more. The third set (B) of the series was soaked 

 from the green condition for the same length of time that the 

 other sets were air-dried, was then kiln-dried with the second set 

 and placed in the air with the others. The airing took place in the 

 open under a shed on the north side of a building where they were 

 protected from sun and rain. The comparative tests were all made 

 at the same time which adds to the reliability of the results. 



A comparison of the water content of the pieces that were kiln- 

 dried first with that of the pieces that were only air-dried showed 

 that in no case did the kiln-dried material absorb as much moisture 

 as the other. 



For example, air-dried and water-soaked red oak blocks were 

 kiln-dried at maximum temperatures of 145°, 170°, 212°, and 274°. 

 They were then exposed to the air for a year or more and their 

 avorage moisture content at the end of that time determined. The 

 results were as follows: At 145°, previously air-dried (A), 7.6 

 per cent; previously soaked (B), 9.6 per cent; check specimen, air- 

 dried only (C), 12.4 per cent. Similarly for the other tempera- 

 tures the figures were: At 170°, (A) 10.6, (B) 10.6, (C) 12.4; at 

 212°, (A) 9.4, (B) 9.5, (C) 12.0; at 274°, (A) 8.9, (B) 9.9, (C) 12.6. 

 From these figures, each of which is an average of seven tests, the 

 reduction in hygroscopieity due to kiln-drying appears to be a per- 

 manent change by some fundamental change in the wood sub- 

 stance. 



The degree of dryness attained, when strength is of prime import- 

 ance, should not exceed that at which the wood is likely to remain 

 in use, but where reduction of the hygroscopic properties of wood 

 are of first consideration it should be carried to as great a degree 

 as possible and subsequently brought back to the condition under 

 which the wood is to be used by exposure to the air for some time 

 before the lumber is manufactured. 



• The wise lumber buyer looks not at price alone or too much, but 

 also at how the stock offered will fit his needs. 



