Alder for floorboards

[Squaredy]

24 minutes ago, Mr. Ed said:

Hi Paul

 

Did you do this in the end, and did it work out - I have a similar plan for bedroom flooring in our rebuild. I'm unclear also about how persistent the orange colour will be - I have cut one stem which has been down for only a couple of months but the ones I'm proposing have probably been down for some time (a year or two?) - I've only seem them from fresh cut ends, which don't seem overly punky but do promise some wild colouring. If they're not rotten but turn out to be too wild we can always just paint them.

 

And it's known as Irish mahogany here, not Scotch! 

 

E

I fitted Alder floorboards in my bathroom about 7 years ago, and they are fine.  The initial orange colour planes off totally when the boards are fully dried.  But I would experiment with different finishes.  I tried a sample years ago with Danish oil and it went pink.  Here is a photo of it after I sanded it back and re-finished it with a spirit based varnish.

 

My bathroom floorboards are treated with a water based floor varnish which keeps the nice light colour.  Unfortunately the brand I used to re-do this about two years ago turns out not to be water resistant, so I will re-do this soon with a better one.

 

I have a clock made of Alder hanging in my office which is waxed, and that has made it go a nice subtle chestnut colour.

 

My kitchen cupboard doors are also Alder, and they are finished with Woodoc, and they have gone a bit orange, but in a nice way which I am very happy with....but some people might not like the colour.

 

I have also seen mirror frames, sconses, cupboards, chalkboards and countless other things made using Alder, as one of my regular customers buys a fair bit from me and makes all of the above.  In fact one of the first Coyote Ugly bar tops in the UK was made from Alder - I think this was a mistake though as dancing with stilettoes three or four nights a week was always going to ruin the surface.

 

My advice is they would be great for floorboards for a bedroom, just experiment with finishes so you know what to expect.

[Mr. Ed]

5 minutes ago, Squaredy said:

I fitted Alder floorboards in my bathroom about 7 years ago, and they are fine.  The initial orange colour planes off totally when the boards are fully dried.  But I would experiment with different finishes.  I tried a sample years ago with Danish oil and it went pink.  Here is a photo of it after I sanded it back and re-finished it with a spirit based varnish.

 

My bathroom floorboards are treated with a water based floor varnish which keeps the nice light colour.  Unfortunately the brand I used to re-do this about two years ago turns out not to be water resistant, so I will re-do this soon with a better one.

 

I have a clock made of Alder hanging in my office which is waxed, and that has made it go a nice subtle chestnut colour.

 

My kitchen cupboard doors are also Alder, and they are finished with Woodoc, and they have gone a bit orange, but in a nice way which I am very happy with....but some people might not like the colour.

 

I have also seen mirror frames, sconses, cupboards, chalkboards and countless other things made using Alder, as one of my regular customers buys a fair bit from me and makes all of the above.  In fact one of the first Coyote Ugly bar tops in the UK was made from Alder - I think this was a mistake though as dancing with stilettoes three or four nights a week was always going to ruin the surface.

 

My advice is they would be great for floorboards for a bedroom, just experiment with finishes so you know what to expect.

Oo, that is nice. I'm going to enjoy this. I see you're not bothered about knots. May I ask how dry you got it before fitting? And did you tongue and groove it?

[Mr. Ed]

7 minutes ago, Squaredy said:

I fitted Alder floorboards in my bathroom about 7 years ago, and they are fine.  The initial orange colour planes off totally when the boards are fully dried.  But I would experiment with different finishes.  I tried a sample years ago with Danish oil and it went pink.  Here is a photo of it after I sanded it back and re-finished it with a spirit based varnish.

 

My bathroom floorboards are treated with a water based floor varnish which keeps the nice light colour.  Unfortunately the brand I used to re-do this about two years ago turns out not to be water resistant, so I will re-do this soon with a better one.

 

I have a clock made of Alder hanging in my office which is waxed, and that has made it go a nice subtle chestnut colour.

 

My kitchen cupboard doors are also Alder, and they are finished with Woodoc, and they have gone a bit orange, but in a nice way which I am very happy with....but some people might not like the colour.

 

I have also seen mirror frames, sconses, cupboards, chalkboards and countless other things made using Alder, as one of my regular customers buys a fair bit from me and makes all of the above.  In fact one of the first Coyote Ugly bar tops in the UK was made from Alder - I think this was a mistake though as dancing with stilettoes three or four nights a week was always going to ruin the surface.

 

My advice is they would be great for floorboards for a bedroom, just experiment with finishes so you know what to expect.

Oo, that is nice. I'm going to enjoy this. I see you're not bothered about knots. May I ask how dry you got it before fitting? And did you tongue and groove it?

 

I was hoping we'd get something a bit wilder out of them, along these lines, but maybe I should be careful what I wish for.

 

[Squaredy]

1 minute ago, Mr. Ed said:

Oo, that is nice. I'm going to enjoy this. I see you're not bothered about knots. May I ask how dry you got it before fitting? And did you tongue and groove it?

If you try and avoid knots you are always going to be up against it.  They are a lovely feature are they knot?

 

I simply dried it in the usual way in the air under cover with spacers, and I probably finished it off in a heated room with a de-humidifier.  Certainly the wood will move plenty, just like Oak and Elm and all the other hardwoods, so you have to allow for this and try and get it as close to the moisture content you need as possible.  Unlike Oak it dries quite readily though.

 

I did TG&V the boards because mine are not fixed down at all.  I would always avoid this if you can as it is a nightmare when you want to lift one, so you need to think through your fixing methods.  Mine is simply a floating TG&V floor and it creaks a lot as you walk on it because it is not fixed down.

[Squaredy]

4 minutes ago, Mr. Ed said:

Oo, that is nice. I'm going to enjoy this. I see you're not bothered about knots. May I ask how dry you got it before fitting? And did you tongue and groove it?

 

I was hoping we'd get something a bit wilder out of them, along these lines, but maybe I should be careful what I wish for.

 

Now that is super-nice.  I have milled quite a few logs with amazing colours like that, but it is the exception rather than the rule.  Also the lovely colours do seem much less clear when the timber has dried thoroughly.

[Mr. Ed]

Ah, thanks for that. I'm not doing the carpentering myself so will take advice - the only such project I've been involved with was using reclaimed pitchpine, where they were secret nailed as well as T&Gd to avoid cupping and suchlike

[Mr. Ed]

Oh, and agreed about the knots 100%. 

 

[Paul in the woods]

1 hour ago, Mr. Ed said:

Did you do this in the end, and did it work out - I have a similar plan for bedroom flooring in our rebuild.

 

I've not got round to doing it yet, I've got the saws sorted but not felled much of the alder (ash dieback has taken priority).

 

I've done a little alder, and cut some for firewood, and the spalted alder does go soft quickly. The stuff I've got is much softer than the spalted beach.

 

@Squaredy lovely floor. Must try and mill a few test pieces this winter.

[gobbypunk]

Nice floor ,and that butt being milled is totally cool ,I have never had any Alder might have to look out for some am I right in thinking that some woodsmen will not fell it as its bad luck

[Squaredy]

38 minutes ago, gobbypunk said:

Nice floor ,and that butt being milled is totally cool ,I have never had any Alder might have to look out for some am I right in thinking that some woodsmen will not fell it as its bad luck

The usual problem is the woodsmen simply sell it for firewood as they all assume it is no good for timber.  Same with Birch.