Wood Behaving Badly - Understanding and Dealing with Wood Movement

Hubby and I installed the kitchen sink and faucet over the weekend (photos Wednesday).  Maybe it's because I spent a couple of days inhaling the cloud of sawdust generated by cutting a giant hole for the sink, but I've been thinking a lot about wood.  In fact, a lot of woodsy things have caught my eye recently:

This streamlined credenza I'm confident we could build (welded legs and all):

This striking front door:

These mod bathroom vanities (which are a lot like what I'm planning for our phase II bathroom reno):

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This nature-inspired table (as tacky as it sounds, I'd like to make a knock-off version for the dining room):

This impossibly chic kitchen:

This painstaking wood plank ceiling:

This inventive take on the DIY tree stump table:

This agate-topped solid wood table I can't stop thinking about:

Wood Movement

We actually have quite a few woodsy projects on the horizon, and while I was huffing sawdust I dreamed up a few more.  The tricky thing about wood, though, is that you can't just slap it together.  Wood expands and contracts (primarily across the grain - width wise) and it can't be forced to stay put.  It sometimes has a mind of its own, which needs to be accounted for during construction.  It was once a living thing, after all, and the cells that held onto moisture for its survival still move moisture, so in humid conditions wood can expand as it sucks in moisture while in dry conditions it can shrink as wood cells release moisture.  Plus, if it hasn't been properly seasoned, even if construction allows for wood movement, wood can still crack or split or warp.  (Of course, this is a simplistic account from a simple DIYer).  Last week I spotted a couple examples of W.B.B. (wood behaving badly, my term for the more accepted "wood movement"). 

Although they rebuilt it, Scott and Kim found that their farmhouse table split along the grain:

Jenny made wood floors from plywood planks (what a neat idea!) but in an instagram shot it looks like one board might have split (to the left of Evelyn) . . . although I might be seeing things because plywood doesn't behave the same as solid wood.  It should be more resistant to W.B.B.

Edit: After posting, I spotted Daniel's DIY kitchen counters, which had sadly warped and developed gaps.

I don't even need to go online to see W.B.B. - our hardwood floors have gaps!

Tongue and groove hardwood flooring, which is seemingly straightforward to install, also experiences wood movement.  When Hubs replaced the hardwood flooring in the closet, he realized the flooring in the lakehouse had been improperly installed.  Typically, hardwood flooring is installed so that there is expansion room around the edge grain.  The baseboard hides any gaps, and the quarter round attaches to the floor, so as the wood swells and shrinks the quarter round moves with it (no gaps!).  In our case, the edges of the hardwood planks were shaved down on an angle to facilitate wedging them tightly against the wall - the drywall was even dented from the force with which the hardwood was pushed down.  We're lucky we don't have any buckling that should accompany this kind of mistake (drywall is soft-ish, so it's likely smooshing to accept the swell of the wood).  Instead, we have gaps, which is kind of the opposite problem we expected. 

Yay.

The gaps might have occurred because the wood wasn't allowed to acclimatize in the house prior to installation.  Maybe it was installed during a humid spell and our dry winter sucked the moisture out of the wood.  Luckily the gaps aren't really prominent, and hopefully they will disappear come summer.  But after the incredible effort Hubby and his Dad put into installing the townhouse hardwood floors, which looked perfect and never behaved badly, I'm crabby about inheriting gaps.

The townhouse floors, I miss you!

These musings on wood movement are relevant to our counter project because wood movement made planning our DIY wood kitchen counters tricky.  On a surface that butts up to a wall, like a counter, it could cause major problems.  If the wood isn't given room to expand, it could push against the walls and cause the cabinet to buckle.  If a wood counter is installed close to the wall in humid conditions, it could shrink and cause gaps between the counter and backsplash in dryer months.  When Hubby shares the how-to of our wood counters, we'll explain how we accounted for wood movement and what our solutions were.

I am by no means knowledgeable about wood, but I've learned enough from Hubs to know what wood movement is, and to be wary of it.  In the meantime, for anyone planning a wood project, here are some tips and, more importantly, resources to prevent W.B.B.

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• Bottom line: you can't stop wood from moving (glue and nails can only do so much)
• Opt for joinery that allows for wood movement, like elongated screw holes
• Allow wood to acclimatize to its environment before use
• Ideally, construct a wood project in an environment with the same kind of humidity level as where it will be positioned once completed
• Factor in the species, the way it was cut from the log, and the humidity, which all impact wood movement (this widget might help, talking with the pros at the lumber yard will too)

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• Realize that the smaller the panel, the less it will move overall
• Research any project to get advice from the pros (not necessarily fellow DIYers), about how to address wood movement for your project's particular circumstances
• Consider plywood (and other manufactured panels), which are more stable than solid wood and are better for beginner projects 

How you deal with wood movement varies from project to project, so it's difficult to provide more troubleshooting tips.  Click here for a great article about why wood moves and how to estimate wood movement.  This article is even more in depth with great photos to illustrate wood movement.  Finally, this article lists which kinds of wood experience more, or less, movement.  There are a LOT of woodsy DIY tutorials out there, but not all of them account for wood movement so I thought I'd chat about it a bit today. 

Worst case scenario, there's always the option to just work with a split and make something totally bad-ass:

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How to Replace Damaged Hardwood Floorboards

Handy Hubby is taking over today!  He deserves a round of applause for the crummy, frustrating job that was replacing some of the floorboards in our closet (which you saw on Monday had been installed around the closet organizer).  Here's his explanation of how he did it:



We lucked out because the previous owner had left a box of flooring from the original job.  This saved us having to colour match or try to track down the original brand.  We brought it in the house the day before to acclimatize. More time is usually better though.  Some companies will stipulate a week for the best results.  This ensures the boards don't gap the day after installation.

I first removed the closet baseboard with a flat pry bar. Some of the paper from the drywall stuck to it from being painted, so it's a good idea to cut the edge with a knife first.  I was not too worried about keeping the baseboard, as we knew we could replace it with new stuff.  However, if you go slowly you can usually get it off with minimal damage.

After I got the baseboard off I noticed a roadblock.  The hardwood was installed right to the drywall, actually pushing it in slightly.  For those of you that don't know, wood expands and contracts across its grain as humidity levels change.  For this reason, hardwood floors should be installed with a gap around the sides.  This gap is covered by the baseboard (attached to the wall) and quarter round (attached to the floor).

 
As can be seen from the photos, there is a square of flooring that was located under the old closet fitting.  This was relatively easy to pry up, as it was not pressed into the wall very much and I could pry from each end.  It was also nailed down with smaller nails, as a flooring nailer probably would not fit under the closet fitting.

The rest was a bit harder.  This floor had no gap around the walls, defeating my plan of inserting a pry bar into the wall gap to lift the first board.  I tried for awhile, but began to destroy the drywall.  I was actually carving out the drywall in order to raise the board closest to the wall.  This was not going to work.  There was no room for the board to rise vertically.

On to plan B, which is the way I have typically seen it done.  This can also be used for removing boards in the middle of a floor.  I took a circular saw (also referred to as a Skil saw) and set the blade depth to 3/4", the thickness of the floor board.  I then ran the saw along the length of all the boards, as close to the wall as I could, next to the seam on the board.  This basically created a 1/8" gap and cut the tongue off so the boards were not connected.

Once this was done I was able to start to pry the board from the exposed end where the square was.  Because the board was no longer attached to the one next to it, it was much easier.  I used a flat pry bar and a hammer.

 
Once the first row, next to the wall, was out, the remainder was much easier.  Unfortunately I was not able to save all the boards, but I was not counting on it.  This is where making sure I had enough to do the whole closet beforehand adds to the peace of mind.

Once all the board rows were out I swept the sub floor and removed any nails so the surface was clean.  Using a rubber mallet (to snug the boards into place) and a 12 gauge air nailer I installed the new boards to complete the floor.  I made sure to leave about a 1/4" - 3/8" gap between the floor boards and the wall to account for swelling, and the next person who wants to take up the floor.  We found nearly identical baseboard, painted it orange, cut it, and installed it once the walls were painted.

Isn't Hubby handy?!? 

The discovery about the flooring being installed improperly by the former owner, who wedged them tight against the walls, has me worried that we could see problems down the road.  It has me thinking that, in a few years time, when we totally gut the kitchen and re-do the floors in there (and the adjacent laundry room and half bath), maybe we should just install new flooring everywhere in the house so it's all uniform (save for the entryway and main bathroom, where I'd love a dark grey slate tile).  I'd love to go with something light, maybe a pale grey-tinged bleached oak, with wide planks.  The idea has me lingering in the flooring section of the hardware stores these days.

Via

Via

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A Closet Makeover

I have to show you what our master bedroom closet looks like right now, because it totally makes me smile:

It's a sneaky place to add colour, and I'm loving it.  Originally I was going to leave the bedroom closet completely untouched until we saved up a little cash for new doors and a new closet organizer, but when we took possession of the lakehouse I noticed the mirrored sliding door was cracked - something I'm not sure was cracked during home inspection.

We removed the doors right away because I was paranoid about the crack expanding, shattering and showering me with shards of glass while I slept.  Unrealistic?  Likely.  But enough for me to break out the tools and banish the doors.  But then I was left looking at this:

We figured we might as well go ahead and replace the closet organizer and paint, even if we haven't even begun to look at new doors yet.  But it wasn't as simple as that, because when we removed the shelving system our worst fears were confirmed: the hardwood flooring had been installed around them.  This was already pretty evident, but a small part of me hoped I was just looking at it wrong.  I think I just couldn't wrap my brain around it, because it took more work to do the fitment fussing than it would have to just remove the closet organizer (which was half hanging out of the wall anyway), install the floors properly and hang the shelves back up. 

Luckily, the previous owner left a box of unused hardwood flooring in the garage, so Handy Hubby pried out the offending boards and installed new pieces - see this post for his tutorial on that. 

For all his efforts, the closet colour choice was his: Fiesta Orange, by Glidden. 

I rolled on three coats of CIL paint and primer in one and, because the trim has all been painted out white to match the walls, I thought it would be fun to paint the closet trim orange to match the walls as well, instead of having a skinny white border running above the floor.



I'd like to hang my vintage Hungarian posters in the bedroom, and I think the orange Hubby picked is an exact match to one.  Fun!  Now I'm shopping for a closet organizer.  And then new closet doors.  Oh, and a light fixture for inside the closet because blech:

Szuka is team-orange too, seeing as her favorite toy is the same hue.

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How to Install Vinyl Sheet Flooring

The other day I watched a renovation program about a couple who won a weekend kitchen makeover and the pros installed the new flooring on top of ratty vinyl flooring.  The host said they were using the old flooring in lieu of installing a new vapor barrier.  I'm no pro, so the following is based on my limited experience and irrational bias: installing new flooring over existing vinyl grosses me out.

While I was thinking about vinyl flooring, I realized not a lot of people talk about it.  People tend to blog about installing marble or intricate tile.  So, here are my reasons for loving vinyl flooring in our bathroom and some installation tips that might make life easier, should you try this at home.

Why I heart our vinyl floors:

• Super affordable
• Super easy to install and fit
• Super durable and kid friendly (ceramic tile & stone can chip - trust me)
• Embarrassingly easy to clean, partly because there's no grout!
• Ours is textured so its no-slip
• All in all, a great choice for our bathroom

How to install:

Step 1:

Remove old flooring, but if the old flooring was glued down then wait to remove until you're ready to install.  My grandpa tried to remove the old flooring early in the game but the floor was sticky, so we halted removal until the tub and tiling was done and we were ready for flooring.  Tip: we tossed on some saw dust and then swept it away - it helped deal with the tackiness.

Before

The removal process

Step 2:

Make sure the floor is level, even and clear of debris.  Any lumps and bumps will be felt through the flooring.  We found it easiest to install when the tub was in, but the other elements were not.  Be sure to remove your baseboards & toilet at least. 

My grandpa, hard at work removing the old flooring

Step 3:

 

Dry fit and cut flooring to size - marking and cutting holes for the toilet drain, etc.

Step 4:

Working in sections, apply the contact cement (designed for vinyl flooring, talk to store rep from where you bought your flooring for a recommendation on the right kind) with a toothed trowel.  Wait as per instructions for adhesive to get tacky.

Step 5:

Lay down half your flooring and roll out bubbles, working from the middle out.

Step 6:

Repeat for other remaining section.  Roll out again - you want a nice smooth surface.

Step 7:

After waiting the appropriate dry time (as per manufacturer's instructions), you can install your baseboards and transitions. 

All installed, with the baseboards, vanity & toilet in place

After

Make sure you get the right transition.  There are different kinds of transitions, for different applications.  We accidentally bought a reducer, when what we needed was a threshold.  Back to the store we went . . .



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Ah, the right transition . . .

So, that's how we installed our floors.  If you don't like vinyl, there is also more natural linoleum.  Linoleum is made from linseed oil & flax seeds and can last 50 yrs., while vinyl flooring is a petroleum oil product.  We chose vinyl because I picked a look I liked and it happened to be vinyl.  In my opinion, with vinyl or linoleum flooring, it is best not to pick something only because it is trendy or looks almost like something else.  Pick it because you like the pattern. 

P.S. Click here & here for more bathroom pictures.

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We're Floored

Awhile ago, I blogged about our DIY hardwood floors (see here).

When we (truthfully: my hubby and father-in-law, I technically installed three floorboards.  I can show you which ones, if you like) installed hardwood on the upstairs level, dark hardwood floors were more in style but we picked light maple floors.  First and foremost, we picked maple to match the existing maple on the mainfloor.  But equally important to us: because its a townhouse, our house doesn't have that many windows and the light floors and walls we have bounce more light around, making the space feel larger and brighter.  We don't "do" area rugs except in the front hall because I hate them.  I have allergies and apparently don't lift my feet when I walk (I'm a shuffler), so between the sneezing and the tripping, rugs and I aren't friends. 

Well, guess what?  We're in style now!  Canadian House & Home listed their reno trends for 2011 and this is what they had to say about flooring:

Floors go blond
"Wood flooring continues to lighten up, but without last year's grey tones.  Now, we're seeing pale yellow floors that, when left uncovered, make rooms feel bigger and brighter" p. 52 (January 2011)

Hells ya.

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Master Bedroom: "Before & In Progress"

Come on in!  See how this nursery became our bedroom . . .  

"Before"

Process:
After removing the wallpaper border (thanks mom & dad!), painting everything a crisp white and installing hardwood floors (see the process here) we have a clean & bright canvas to work with. 

In progress . . .

My mom, hard at work!

Hello floors!

TA DA!
This room needs some shaking up.  I love our headboard and side tables which were designed by my mom and I, but built by my grandfather.  The wall to wall curtains my grandmother sewed for us are gorgeous.  The lamps are new—we love how crisp they look and the tiny bulb in the base is great for when we want just a bit of light.  But its a bit . . . blah.  Scroll down for my plans so far.  The rusty cogs in my brain are turning as I plan how to liven up this room . . .
 

  

My mom & I designed the headboard & side tables
which were handmade by my grandpa

 

 

     

This room has the biggest window in the house,
emphasized by the wall-to-wall curtains my grandmother sewed for us

My plans:
Artwork and new bedding should do the trick.  I am ogling a few duvet sets right now, but the Dwell Studio duvet cover below has really caught my eye.  That set would look gorgeous with a jumble of differently coloured silk pillows (I have some burnt organge silk that never made itself into the scarf I planned).  I plan on painting a large triptych for the empty wall across from the headboard, but this plan is hinged on my feeling creative enough . . .

This great bedding by Dwell Studio (Draper Stripe Ash) has won my heart

If you also love this Dwell Studio bedding, you can find it here.  My mom has the Chinoiserie set and I am sooooo jealous.   Although . . . I am tempted to go for the white bedding look I have in the guest room (see here).  Decisions, decisions, decisions.  Anyone else like so many different styles and looks that it can be hard to commit to something???

I painted this, but my mom made a sad face until I gave the painting to her. 
But I bought three GIANT canvases, so hopefully inspiration will strike again
and I can paint a tryptich for the room-maybe with brighter colours

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