End Grain Wood Floors

If you liked that look I would use an epoxy over it to assure a good seal. Like Sam Maloof's raw red brick floor; cool but potentially troublesome to live with ;-)
 
I'm a fan of the theory of end grain wood floors, their implementation not so much. Traditionally end grain floors were popular in high traffic and wear applications like barns and machine shops, there are even a few surviving examples of them used for road surfacing. In those cases the pieces would have been cut out split to fit and wedged in quite tightly. It was also common to split out the pith.

There was a very nice example of this in an old cabin up river from my grandparents ranch, but some vandal tore it up and burned it in the late 80s. That was my first exposure and I've been somewhat fascinated with the idea even since.

http://www.pa.msu.edu/services/machine-shop/shopfloor.htm

http://kaswell.com/gallery/ has a bunch of nicer (IMHO) pictures of installations.
 
It looks like a lot of work, for something that may reduce rather than enhance the value of the home. Look closely where the sun shines, and see how uneven the floor really is.

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Note also the fine kitchen cabinets in the background of the second picture.
 
Have a friend that did something similar in the kitchen with cutoffs from several barn beams. The beams being rectangle helped to make it more look like a tile floor and a jig made all the cutoffs the same thickness. I think their's looks good...this one is a little random for me but to each there own! :thumb: You thinking of doing something similar with your kitchen remodel Vaughn? :dunno:
 
Nah Jeff, not planning on using this. ;) I saw a number of people on Facebook who loved it, but none of them were woodworkers. Figured I'd post it here just to see if I was the only woodworker who wasn't wowed by the idea.

My feelings were similar to what the rest of you have been saying. I don't mind the look, but it looks like a maintenance problem waiting to happen. I see the unevenness that Charlie pointed out. Also, seasonal movement of the wood would potentially cause grout failure, and the poly finish wouldn't stay crystal clear for long.
 
Also, seasonal movement of the wood would potentially cause grout failure, and the poly finish wouldn't stay crystal clear for long.

For machine shop floors they were often pretty heavily oiled (not always intentionally) to help with the seasonal movement issue. However if they got wet (roof leak, etc..) the expansion was reportedly rather dramatic. I guess I'd like to see it once in my life - on someone elses floor :D
 
I have never seen an end grain floor done with rounds cut from tree limbs etc. but I did see a floor in a machine shop surfaced with squares cut from 4X4's. It had been in use many years and was almost unrecognizable until you looked closely because of all the grit, grime and oil soaked into the surface.

I have no idea how it was secured to the concrete beneath it. The gentleman who owned the business said the floor was like that when he bought the building and he thinks it is more than 100 years old. Seems like a hard way to get a floor.
 
I have never seen an end grain floor done with rounds cut from tree limbs etc. but I did see a floor in a machine shop surfaced with squares cut from 4X4's. It had been in use many years and was almost unrecognizable until you looked closely because of all the grit, grime and oil soaked into the surface.

I have no idea how it was secured to the concrete beneath it. The gentleman who owned the business said the floor was like that when he bought the building and he thinks it is more than 100 years old. Seems like a hard way to get a floor.

My neighbor works at the General Motors (Cruze) plant, in "Skilled Labor" carpentry. He's told me about using the end cut wood chunks as flooring in the stamping area. Every time they move or install a stamping machine, they have to reconfigure the flooring. He says they 'special order the flooring in 6 X 6 X 16" 'chunks, and lay them vertically over 'compacted dirt.' He also says the 'chunks are perpetually on back order because only one place in North America makes them. (?)
 
When I graduated from college in '63 my first job was as a management trainee at an American Can factory in LA. Several hundred thousand sq. ft. old two story building. Nearly all manufacturing area with end grain wood floors. The old roof leaked every time it rained. When the floor got wet the wood would swell up and make giant blisters. I've seen them 20' long 6' wide and 10" high. The millwrights had job security.....when it rained.
 
The MacLachlan Woodworking Museum near Kingston Ontario has a similar floor in the entrance of the new wing. That one was made with a wide variety of wood species.
Anyone interested in hand tools should visit if they are in the vicinity.

The museum was started by a lumber yard owner who visited auctions on weekends and bought lots of old tools.

http://woodworkingmuseum.ca/
 
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