# Ponderosa Pine Stock Board as flooring?



## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

Has anyone used this as flooring? (link below) I know it's a soft wood and it will dent and scratch, but my wife and I both like the old rustic pine floors and figure this will eventually get nice and rustic.. 

If you have used it, do you have a picture of it? If you haven't used it, would you try it if you are looking for a pine floor?

http://www.lowes.com/pd_183094-99899-1034605_0__


----------



## copperkid3 (Mar 18, 2005)

White pine is way too soft for 'normal' wear-n-tear to floors.

If you are lookin for a "pine look", my suggestion would be

to invest in southern yellow pine. Much more durable.

If you're going to make the investment in in time and materials,

then only do it once and be done with it. Otherwise, I believe you'll regret it.


----------



## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

I was thinking that, but I've read the Ponderosa is harder than the yellow pine so that's what got me to asking.. Especially since I see Eastern White pine is often used for flooring, although a soft wood..


----------



## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

O)K.. lemme take back what I read about it being harder.. appears that it's the beetle damaged trees that have a blue color to the wood, and that stuff ain't cheap.. 

SO, been looking around at the yellow pine costs.. not bad.. .


----------



## copperkid3 (Mar 18, 2005)

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janka_hardness_test

Check out the hardness testing on the various woods.


----------



## copperkid3 (Mar 18, 2005)

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janka_hardness_test

Check out the hardness testing on the various woods. 

Unfortunately, ponderosa pine isn't listed in this group.


----------



## vicker (Jul 11, 2003)

I have a friend who's family built a large clubhouse for their hunting club, parties and such. They made the floors of white pine. After just a couple of years, and a few parties with dancing, the entire floor was dimpled by the heels of women's high heels. It looks kind of cool, but that is how soft it was.


----------



## po boy (Jul 12, 2010)

Depends on the look you want. Had a friend that put down tongue and grove pine flooring and attacked it with a chain before staining..


----------



## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

LOL.. Well I don't want chain saw rustic, but we don't mind dents and scratches and gouges... We used to go to some bars that had soft pine floors and we loved that kind of rustic..


----------



## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

My BIL has put down 6 floors with pine, regular 1"x6", 1"x8" and 1"x10" boards. It is very soft and it shrunk, leaving cracks. I used the Ponderosa pine on a living room floor and a bed room floor. Living room floor was stained an med oak color and the bed room was stained a dark cherry, both were beautiful. Both were varethaned with2 coats of good floor finish in Satin. They have a few marks but look beautiful today, 12 years later. This flooring was 1"x8" tongue and groove flooring with the reliefs in the back. 

I have seen the lumber you show, we used it on the walls of DSs cabin, it is thinner than what we used on the floor. I would not have a problem using it for flooring bit it has a V groove. I know they make it without the groove edge. It is just regular tongue and groove....James


----------



## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

Yeah ,using regular board that isn't dry enough will have a problem shrinking, but this stuff is supposedly dried to something like 6%... At first I thought the V groove on top would be an issue, but then I thought it might be better since it wouldn't have sharp edges to splinter, but would also trap dirt more.. but it would also mean I wouldn't need to worry about sanding down to get even edges.. 

The stuff I was looking at was 3/4" thick.. Typical 1" board measurement.. I would like true inch though.. but for the price is my biggest reason I am looking at using it... a buck a foot of running board... that works out to be pretty cheap for a square foot of flooring.


----------



## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

Bet it's not 6%....probably in the 15-18% range. Stick a meter on it, you'll see.


----------



## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

I'd bet you're right.. I bet it's usually sat out in the rain.. 

It wouldn't be a problem for me really though.. my house is so sinkin wet anyway.. Nothing in my house would ever get under 50% I bet..


----------



## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

Just set it in the house and build a fire or run heat 60 degrees or so will do. The trick is to have the flooring the same as the room, when installed. I wouldn't like the groove, too deep. will you have any area rugs? Check on the ponderosa flooring, I don't think it was more than that. We have mills close though. We only used a palm sander on a few of the joints, I couldn't believe how smooth it came out. The reliefs in the back keep it from warping. Ponderosa is fairly hard. DSs doors are made from it, light oak stain over a conditioner....James


----------



## po boy (Jul 12, 2010)

simi-steading said:


> LOL.. Well I don't want chain saw rustic, but we don't mind dents and scratches and gouges... We used to go to some bars that had soft pine floors and we loved that kind of rustic..


 No chain saw, just a large chain like this to give it "character"


----------



## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

aahhh.. chains.. I misread... I already took out a bunch of trim an owner years ago had distressed with knives, axes, hammers and who knows what else.. it looked really bad it was so over done.

Yes, what ever I use will be well acclimated to the room before I put it down... Sadly there's not really any more mills left out in the area of the farm, and if there was, there really wouldn't be any Ponderosa..


----------



## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

Ponderosa flooring in our Cabin Loft



The underside of the loft



We took rough cut 2X and planed one side smooth.

WWW


----------



## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

Thank you for posting those pictures.. That looks fantastic.. That's the look we're hoping for... I think that made up my mind.. it's gonna happen..


----------



## John_Canada (Aug 17, 2013)

Can also use australian cypress (harder than white oak even!). Bit more durable and more character to it but likely more than pine. Used to be cheapest wood out there till they over forested it in the south US. Pine is not as soft as say cedar. They also used to use doug fir flooring that is still in some old places in southern ontario but it tends to split a bit with slight age. VERY nice colour to it tho especially over time where pine yellows, doug fir slightly darkens.


----------



## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

I imagine it would also depend on how tight the growth rings are... a tight grained wood would be harder than a wide grained one.

I've had a southern yellow pine floor upstairs now for close to 20 years... it's got some scuff marks here and there... I see it as 'character'... It 'was' dry when I put it in, but it 'shrank' even more, giving some hearty gaps here and there. Original thought was to mix up sawdust and glue and place it in... just never got around to it.


----------



## MushCreek (Jan 7, 2008)

I grew up in a 200 y/o house in CT. The floorboards were very wide- up to 14" There were, of course, huge gaps in between, but someone along the way 'caulked' them with rope. Since the owner/builder was a whaling captain, it makes sense that they would use what they had available. It made for an interesting floor.

As for durability, you have to realize that many woods ain't what they used to be, especially softwoods. Southern yellow pine from the old days could have a really tight grain, especially heart wood, and that stuff gets harder with age. Those old-growth trees are long gone, and managed forests grow much faster (and weaker) than the old-growth stuff. SYP has actually been downgraded recently for structural spans.


----------



## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

Thanks everyone.. I"m taking it all in.. 

I think what I might do is get a couple of these boards and put them down outside the kitchen door.. where the floor gets the most traffic and let them lay for a while and see how they wear... I can't afford to put flooring down for a year or two anyway.. so I got time to check the wear of it... 

We like dents and dings and rusticness, but I also don't want something that will wear through in a few years..


----------



## Bellyman (Jul 6, 2013)

I think I'd rather go with something like a maple and stain it towards the color I was looking for. But that's me... I worked with a lot of maple in piano work so have gotten to be pretty partial to it.


----------



## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

I'd love to have maple, or walnut or similar, but it's not in the budget... For now we're gonna live on treated ply until the funds are there, and other things are fixed..


----------



## rw7810 (Sep 10, 2013)

Just recently used SYP in East Texas new construction... pics of before and after stain. Floor folks will be back to morrow to finish with wax.
View attachment 15962

View attachment 15963

View attachment 15964

View attachment 15965

View attachment 15966

View attachment 15967


----------



## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

That's some great looking floor.. thanks for the pictures... My wife really likes that and I think we're sold on pine..


----------



## copperkid3 (Mar 18, 2005)

Love it rw7810 & congrats on your 1st posting!


----------



## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

Mine didn't have as big of knots but the livingroom floor looks much the same. I still have reservations about the V-groove but I looked the last time I was at the lumber yard and they have it in tongue and groove but without the V-groove....James


----------



## rw7810 (Sep 10, 2013)

if I'm not mistaken, the v-groove style is meant more for walls and ceilings.


----------



## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

Yeah.. I've thought about that V groove, and I don't relish the idea of keeping the dirt out of it..


----------



## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

rw7810 said:


> if I'm not mistaken, the v-groove style is meant more for walls and ceilings.


It is but they make the same board without that V-groove. My independent lumber yard has it, same price as the V-groove. It is still tongue and groove, just made for floors


Also check on the price of regular ponderosa pine flooring. I got mine at the lumber yard and it was cheaper than what this board is. It has the planed out areas in the back so it does not warp and is better quality....James


----------



## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

The original stuff I asked about is planed out on the back too.. so that's why I was king of liking it... I know it's more for wall, but it's thick enough to use on the floor.. it was just that V collecting dirt that kind of bothered me, but my wife liked the look of the V for the floor.. Something different..


----------



## Steve in PA (Nov 25, 2011)

My house was built in the early 1870's with Southern Yellow Pine flooring. It was beautiful but sadly neglected. Lots of cuts/patches new holes since new and I regrettably had to cover it. That stuff was so hard that I went through lots of drill its and saw blades when I was wiring my house.

Every time I have to cut into it still smells fantastic almost 150 years later.


----------



## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

I keep wishing I could find an old barn with pine boards I would take down.. I know it would be ungodly amounts of work, but I know that old wood would be pretty sweet looking on a floor..


----------



## KMA1 (Dec 9, 2006)

My upstairs is 2x6 T&G spruce. It has been down 20 years with no problems. It is bedrooms and office. It has gotten harder over time, but it does have a few dings where thing have been dropped.


----------

