Cedar decking for indoors?

We've been remodelling the kitchen. We went to the building supply stores and looked at all the wood flooring. My wife thought it all looked a bit too sterile and characterless.

We were walking around brousing at stuff and she spotted the cedar deck planking (1x6) and said that what she likes...a more natural rustic look for the kitchen floor.

I have no opinion on decorating so the 'look' is not my concern. I've made cedar decks outside but have never heard of decking materials used indoors. I'm thinking I could stain the cedar and give it a couple coats of semi-gloss polyurethane. Worse comes to worse I could take the floor up on a couple of years and probably salvage the boards for an outside job.

Has anyone else ever heard of decking used as an indoor floor? Are there any serious drawbacks?

 

i can think of a few reasons this would not be a good idea in my opinion ... for one unless you had the boards milled like a regular nail down hardwood you will have problems with the boads cupping and other problems, hardwood is milled with toungues and grooves also if you look underneath the boards you will notice other grooves cut in the boards all these are important and would be costly to duplicate on the cedar boards.. also i would say that since theses are deck boards the are not kiln dried and the moisture variations in your home would effect the wood.....and you would have to think about the rougher finish of the deck boards and the many spliters in your feet .....there are many hardwood styles that are used in cabins if your looking for a more rustic look....but hey this is only my opinion .....if you want to try it .....go for it.....good luck

 

As indicated, decking materials tend not to be tongue and groove. Decking boards are installed at least a nail's width apart to allow for drainage so water does not get trapped between boards. Hardwood flooring is tongue and groove to assure interlocking of boards.

The grooves cut underneath hardwood flooring has nothing to do with dimensional stability of the hardwood flooring materials. The grooves are cut to reduce weight for shipping purposes. Shipping costs tend to be exorbitant, and every little bit that you can shave off adds pennies to the bottom line for the manufacturer as well as for wholesalers and retailers.

If you are looking for a rustic look, many retailers and wholesalers offer less than first quality grades of hardwood flooring that contain mineral streaks, knots, worm holes, and other defects. These products tend to produce a rustic look that many prefer. Shop around and ask about the availability in different wood species of Tavern Grade (random mix of lengths with mineral streaks and sound knots) & Cabin Grade (mostly short pieces but at a great price point and, despite what most consider defects, very rustic).

 

they cut grooves in the bottoms of hardwood to prevent warping and cupping

 

I am a distributor of hardwood flooring and that is how I make my living. The question of why the grooves were on the bottom of hardwood flooring boards was raised within recent weeks on this forum. I called my mill and was told that these grooves have nothing to do with dimensional stability or cupping or crowning which are moisture related issues. The grooves are to reduce the weight of the boards as stated in my previous post. It's the weight of the wood when we ship it that cuts into our bottom line.

Cupping and crowning of hardwood flooring are due to jobsite moisture conditions. These problems even occur in hardwood flooring with grooves cut on the bottom of boards. The only complaints I ever get are due to lack of acclimation and jobsite moisture conditions, despite my lectures on how to avoid these issues.

Wood should acclimate (be allowed to adjust) to temperature and humidity conditions within the home for several days before installation. If installing over a crawl space, there should be adequate ventilation with no dead air spaces and at least 8 mil polypropylene (plastic) ground cover as a vapor retarder and no moisture issues. If installing over a basement it should be dry. A 15# asphalt roofing felt is laid over subfloor as an additional vapor retarder over 3/4" plywood (preferred) or OSB (acceptable) subfloor before installation.

Temperature in the home should be maintained at or about 70 degrees. The only way to know the temperature is to check your thermometer.

Humidity levels should be within 30-55%. Below 30%, you need to humidify with a humidifier. Above 55%, you need to dehumidify with a dehumidifier. The only way to know the humidity levels within the home is to measure with a hygrometer.

Moisture levels in wood flooring and subfloor should be tested with a humidistat. Hardwood flooring is kiln dried to 8-12%. Moisture level needs to rise to that of your interior humidity level, thus the requirement for acclimation. A humidistat is used to test the moisture content of hardwood flooring and the subfloor. There should be no greater difference than 4% between 2 1/4" flooring and subfloor and no greater than 2% for plank floors, which are less dimensionally stable than strip floors.

While debate and disagreement are acceptable, put-downs and name calling are not acceptable. Your last post has been edited for reasons of professionalism and forum policy.