Question:
how do i make a wood blockfloor like the cobblewood floors that birgen jewell makes?
he cuts 2x4s into small blocks and glues them down what i need to know is how thick do i cut the blocks,how large can the blocks be 2×6,2×8 ?
an what can of glue would you use ?
Answer:
Dear Robert
You are not the first one to ask me this, and I finally tracked down Biger Juell’s web site, with his wonderful pictures and limited information. He cuts this wood from old growth pine and hardwood species, taken from salvaged beams from barns, bridges etc. And that’s the key. Even old growth pine ( and I suspect he will only use Southern Yellow Pine) is dense enough to be cut on the end of it’s grain, and not crack in half once it’s installed.
So that all said, no, you shouldn’t bother going out to buy 2 by 4 softwood store lumber, and expect to saw bits off this and make it into cobblewood flooring. This plantation grown softwood, will be cracked in no time, and will absorb moisture and be very unstable. Instead try this. And this is only a suggestion, not a proven method. See if you can purchase some AIR DRIED (to 12-14%) white or red oak. Buy this directly to the saw mill , (good luck, they have most of their production spoken for) and try to get 2″ thick material, in any length. Their cut offs would be fine. Store this in a dry heated indoor environment for at least 6 months until it acclimatizes to your indoor wood EMC that is normal for your region.
Use a jig to chop saw this into precise blocks, and then vibrate sand and hand sand tops smooth and with beveled edges. All the same exact depth about 3/4″. Then apply several coats of your favorite floor finish on it (oil based). And then install the floor with a rubber based mastic. Grout the joints with floor machine edger dust mixed with whiting, and universal color tint and a really good high solids oil based sealer, or OMU. Rub off all excess before it dries, and keep rubbing with burlap bags and a little solvent so none of the grout is on th surface. Then buff with steel wool on a floor maintenance machine when it dry. The drying should take several days to a week depending on the finish you used in the grout. You can now add more finish to the floor, and let it cure before waxing. (30 days) Oh, do this floor only on well cured level, flat, dry and moisture tested concrete.
And by now you can understand why this company can charge 30 bucks per square foot, for this long and costly method. I wouldn’t do it. If you found this information helpful, please explore the Wood Floor Doctor.com by visiting the rest of our website.
As always your Most humble servant, Joseph, the Wood Floor Doctor.