Can You Use Hemlock For Flooring

This species sands fairly well but does mar somewhat easily under heavy traffic.

Can you use hemlock for flooring. We think wood floors are best for toy barns. Nailing can be difficult as splitting occassionally occurs in the process. I m not sure if that would make any difference. Western hemlock with its straight grain and finer texture sands to a silky reflective smoothness.

In crosscutting however expect some tearout. You can work hemlock easily with hand or power tools. Actually there are 14 species of hemlock native to north america. Hemlock has a straight tight grain and should not require the use of a grain filler.

For the deck i plan to use pressure treated lumber for the posts but was hoping to use the hemlock for the flooring of the deck. He doesn t want to use hemlock because he heard it can splinter while i really like the look and the price difference. The wood grips screws and accepts all glues without a problem. I ve also heard that if i build with it still green i run the risk of it twisting.

We ve debated between pine and hemlock floors and can t seem to agree. Glue holds well with hemlock flooring. Hemlock is somewhat difficult to saw properly. Most other barn flooring options are porous.

My husband and i are remodeling our house and we re looking for a rustic feel. If you decide to use wood be sure it s strong enough to support the horse s weight and use plenty of bedding for comfort and make sure the gaps between planks stay small or you ll have a mouse problem on top of your traction concerns. Hemlock sands well and accepts wood stain but as a softwood it requires special care to ward off blotchiness. We don t plan on using poly for the floors either just 100 tung oil.

If you are finishing a hemlock floor use a floor sander in place of a vibrating sander for major floor surfaces. Eastern hemlock tsuga canadensis is a magnificent tree that was abundant in our eastern forest hundreds of years ago. Western hemlock also is harder stronger straighter grained and resin free. Hemlock s uses include flooring accents framing pulpwood and roofing shingles.