Oak flooring strips storage by retailer

[Bobharford]

Hi Going to buy Oak wooden flooring planks.( similar to laminated flooring planks but all oak) They are at a reclamation seller and have been stored in an outdoor shed with no doors. He says he has been supplied with them for a few years. As it is fairly exposed and uncontrolled temperature would there be a risk of them being warped ? The are fairly thick. Or maybe any other pit falls. Apparently they can be stained and sealed. Thanks for opinions

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Stored outdoors, stickered (to promote air circulation) and under cover the timber will probably have a moisture content (MC) of 14 to 16% after a year or more if it is properly stacked (has the vendor confirmed the MC?). By way of comparison, timber flooring going into a well insulated, centrally heated house is normally kilned to somewhere about 8% MC in the expectation that it will remain at that level or possibly drop a little. This means that before you install the flooring it will be necessary to store it, stickered, in the environment where it will subsequently be installed for a number of weeks, in order for the timber to reach equilibrium with its' surroundings. BTW, temperatute isn't the significant issue - it's MC which is the most important factor

If the timber has been stored in a pile with no stickering it will be riskier to take on as some pieces will likely be a lot drier than others. If installed without conditioning you'll likely find that the timbers with a higher MC are slightly wider than the drier pieces and that any pieces with an MC differential between front and rear faces will be prone to cupping (which is permanent). Installed too wet the timber will probably shrink,leading to gaps between boards

One thing I would budget for is a reasonable amount of wastage. If you need 8m2 you need to allow 1 to 2m2 over that to cover for damaged pieces (and there is always some damage unless you select every piece, and even then...)

I hope this makes sense!

 

[Bobharford]

Thanks for that very clear and helpful explanation! One thing what do you mean by stickering- is it referring to still in the retail packaging?
Thanks

 

[Deleted member 174758]

One thing what do you mean by stickering- is it referring to still in the retail packaging?

No. Stickering is a method of timber storage used for most species (the two exceptions I am aware of are sycamore and maple). At the bottom you start.with something like 4 x 4 or thicker softwood pieces (basically untreated fence posts) laid every 3 to 4 feet to ensure that the stack is held off the ground, a layer or sometimes two of timber is placed across these, so it is supported along its' length (to understand the orientation think sleepers and railway lines). Sticks (untreated 2 x 1in softwood or the like) are then placed at intervals along the timber, directly above the original fence posts (or equivalents) and a further layer or two of timber is laid atop the stickers, then more timber, then more stickers, etc. Hence stickering or "storing in stick".

This method off storage ensures all the stored timber has an even airflow around it allowing it to dry or even take on moisture from the surround atmosphere. If you just dump stuff in a pile it will pick up moisture from the ground/floor and the outside of the stack will always have a different MC to the inside - and that can lead to warping, twisting, gaps opening up between planks, etc

 

[Bobharford]

Thanks very clear and I have learnt a lot. The stock certainly isn't stickered I think Might give it a swerve there is too much margin for something to go wrong in future..