End grain flooring

[tahir]

Has anyone ever messed with end grain block flooring? I'm looking to create a floor out of various different fruit and nut species, I've been told that the finished blocks should be no more than 100x100x20mm and that they should be dried to 8% humidity. I think I can get hold of the necessary timber, and I know someone that'll saw them for me but I have no idea about shrinkage, the drying process etc. Have tried to find a mill that has a kiln but the only one that returned my call wasn't interested in such a fiddly project.

Appreciate any tips/contacts.

 

[dickm]

Never <seen> end grain block flooring. Not to say it's impossible, but you'd have some awful problems with movement, IMHO. Even if it started out at 8%, spillages etc., would be bound to take it up above that, so the floor would swell wildly in both directions.
But will be interested to hear others' comments.

 

[tahir]

They've been used in America for yonks:

http://www.kaswell.com/woodblock/end_grain.htm

It's sold there as an extremely durable floor, used in a lot of industrial floors

 

[DaveL]

Hi tahir,

Welcome to the forum.

Your link has been caught by our spam trap, this will stop when you have a few more posts to your name, here it is

http://www.kaswell.com/woodblock/end_grain.htm

I have seen end grain floors but cannot remember where, must be a sign of getting old? :wink:

 

[Digit]

I have seen them and would be very wary of doing it. Unless you are very lucky the ends wear at different rates and can soon look terrible.

Roy.

 

[pryally]

we have used it in our new office (architects) in the restaurant. the block sizes are aprox 35mm x 75mm - they come linked together and you lay a strip of about 9, bonded down to ply with special adhesive. then the joints are filled and sanded.
we have approx 300 sq mt of it - so it can be done! not sure if i like it on this scale though? think it would look great in a small area.
i will try and upload some photos tomorrow.

 

[mack9110000]

End grain flooring was (is) used a lot in UK factories and in dockyards.In fact they are a very durable surface for working and walking,inside and indeed outside.There are numerous North American companies who specialise in this type of flooring some even provide decorative end grain and very nice it looks too.

 

[John Brown]

I ate from an end grain table in a restuarant a couple of weeks ago. It had a lip or frame around it with mitred corners, and I wondered at the time how it coped with expansion and contraction across the grain. Looked very nice, though, and I thought about making one...

P.S. I did use a plate of course. I'm a civilised man...

 

[Digit]

I made one some time ago that the wife uses in the kitchen, expansion/contraction doesn't appear to be a problem at all.

Roy.

 

[Shrubby]

One of the big London museums has endgrain woodblock in its workshops,traditional and hardwearing.
For your fruitwood floor you might mill pieces oversize and dry them yourself.Clamp them up in stacks with thick packers.This will give you time to research adhesives (and save up for the industrial belt sander !)
regards Matt

 

[tahir]

Well, I found a man that does this, he says that you cut the blocks green oversize and then weight and dry them, he generally makes them 15mm deep (doesn't sound very deep to me) , apparently the deeper they are the more cracking occurs. Says he's made them up to 225x225 mm, the timbers he generally works in are alder, ash, sycamore and oak.

I'm in discussion with him over prices but I guess knowing nothing about the process (or woodworking) myself it'd be sensible to take the risk out.

This is his website, now that I've spoken to him I quite fancy the idea of the hexagonal blocks:

http://www.woodsofwales.co.uk/ExampleFloors.htm

(will that post OK?)

 

[tahir]

BTW thanks for all your input guys :wink: