Brent, you’ve turned me into a big believer in the beauty of architecture and historical precedent. If you ever pass through South Carolina I’d love to get your ideas for my 1965 well built two story brick house. Love your channel. Thumbs up!

@BrentHull

2 жыл бұрын

Sounds great! Thanks

Amazing timing the house I’m building now the homeowner wants me to build all the flooring I had them cut 15k ft of quarter sawn white oak 5 quarter thick 24ft long random widths cut right off his land it will be at least a year and a half before I get to it but I’m looking forward to it thanks for the info!!

@BrentHull

2 жыл бұрын

Awesome. Good luck.

Outstanding video. We know of two excellent craftsmen that do custom floor installation. It's labod intense and a dusty process. There's no substitute that were aware of. They are absolutely gorgeous when completed. You're knowledge and explanation as well as craftsmanship is amazing. God bless 🙏

@BrentHull

3 ай бұрын

Thanks!!

I just got back from a vacation in Europe and it is true these floor patterns are all over the place. Every historic building I went into in London, France, and Italy had some type of unique flooring pattern. Very cool video. Thank you!

@BrentHull

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing! Sounds like a fun trip. Cheers

Never imagined that parquetry flooring was anything but tongue & groove. Amazing the craftsmanship that goes into them. I have a hutch benchtop job coming up that they want herringbone & figured I needed readymade pieces & glue them to ply but now I see the traditional way that’s much more impressive & will probably last longer. Plus I can make them any size to get the scale right👌🏼 Brent, your a legend!

@BrentHull

2 жыл бұрын

LOL, thanks for sharing, I'm glad it inspires for better.

That was great! Growing up in New Orleans, I was exposed to old, heart pine floors full of character. The first house I remodeled 15 years ago I botched, getting wide oak floors that cupped and really had none of the character of age. Moral is, the more you know about how it was done in the past, the better you'll do replicating the look today.

@BrentHull

Жыл бұрын

Amen. Well said.

Hello Brent, greetings from Germany. This is a very interesting video. It is amazing that the patterns, which are very complex to lay, are still installed in private houses today. This is known in our country only from castles or manor houses.

@BrentHull

2 жыл бұрын

Hello, thanks for watching from Germany. Cheers!

@flyingdogsoft

2 ай бұрын

As the owner of a German castle, I agree 🙂. We have several stunning inlaid parquet floors, which took a lot of time to restore due to the many intricate wood inlays. For new floors, I'm choosing solid oak parquet that's about 1-1.5 cm thick. These have similar patterns to the ones in the video, but they are glued on paper. You turn them over and glue them to the substructure, then sand them several times (which removes the paper). After that, you fill the gaps with a mixture of wood filler and sanding dust, then finish with fine sanding. It's not the same craftsmanship as in the video, but it's less expensive and still looks great.

Amazing dude.

@BrentHull

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks!

Brent, have you looked at Rubio Monocoat? It is an amazing wax-based finish that can be easily revived. I used it on my maple and walnut Roubo workbench, and it holds up amazing. It intended use is for floors though.

@BrentHull

3 ай бұрын

No but I'll check it out. Thanks!

This topic is so fascinating and important. Please make a whole series of videos about flooring. Flooring like this and all kinds of flooring. Old and new. Seriously, please. It is so needed today. Also, your knowledge and teaching style is captivating and entertaining at the same time. A very rare and very valuable skill for a teacher. Thank you Brent, you are awesome! Excellent work you are doing :D

@BrentHull

11 ай бұрын

Thanks so much. I appreciate the feedback.

Thanks about detailing the flooring

@BrentHull

2 жыл бұрын

Our pleasure!

Thanks!

@BrentHull

2 жыл бұрын

Welcome!

Love these videos. Just like a college class.

@BrentHull

2 жыл бұрын

Glad you like them! Thanks for watching

Very interesting video. Need to repair, sand and will love to leave it natural color but protected.

@BrentHull

2 жыл бұрын

Great. Thanks

I did not expect your positive comments about the engineered wood flooring based on your general disdain for many other modern building products. What you mentioned about the tongue and groove depth actually makes sense, assuming the veneer is that thick.

@BrentHull

Жыл бұрын

It is, and I think it helps stabilize the wide boards and is a good way to conserve good wood. Thanks

I watch a channel about Engels Wagon Shop; the purpose of those videos is to build a library of knowledge and techniques that will last and inform forever. Videos such as these should be collated to do the same. Short because of the medium, they give enough information to be able to go on and dig deeper. I used to fume oak (you can also fume chestnut as it too has high levels of tannin) but only in smaller sizes for smaller elements of furniture. Doing it exactly as Brent said in an enclosed booth made of wood and plastic sheeting. It had to go outside because the ammonia smell always leaked out. The issues for me were the potential health danger; the inconsistency of colour saturation (varied from an hour up to a day but I could never tell beforehand) and it’s depth saturation (by which I mean that if you wanted deep saturation of the colour change, that meant longer exposure and that meant a dark outside colour). I never did it for flooring but would be somewhat cautious about how the 3rd or 4th sanding might expose a in-fumed layer. I’ve just bought 115 square metres of engineered oak in a herring bone pattern to go on top of a new level sub floor under which is underfloor heating pipes. In making the choice, there were a number of factors; firstly, it was never going to be cheap but you do often pay for what you get; it had to be engineered (for the reasons that Brent described); the depth of the oak veneer and the thickness of the overall board (the thicker the better in simplistic terms); the plywood substrate had to be multi layers (the more layers, the better for stability); the colour and the grain pattern (they were personal choices and we went for a fumed look and prime boards) and the click system. I’m sure you have the click system over there but it is really an evolution of tongue and groove. The click locks each board into the next on all 4 sides. This means that you can build a floor without glueing and without nailing. I’ve seen well laid click floors that have been down 20 plus years and there is no sign of gaps or cups - I’d expect a high quality floor to last longer than that but I don’t think the click system has been around much longer than that. For timber, I can’t see the advantages of glueing - if it’s solid timber flooring then I would be very concerned that the timber will still move and shake; if it’s engineered to prevent movement, then glueing isn’t needed - I may well be wrong on these points but they are my semi-informed thoughts. For the patterns that Brent was showing; the vintage, mainly French designs, then you can’t buy those ready cut with the click system over here in the UK but you could certainly get or have made router bits that would put the male and female click elements on the ends of cut boards. That to me, would be a great advantage. The pegs then become an aesthetic feature. Off I wander again but we will be making soon some oak doors in the Arts and Crafts style. Probably a little more ornate than was present in the beginnings of the Arts and Crafts era (simple multi panelled doors) and with more than a nod to Greene and Greene. There, we will be using square oak pegs into round holes using a drawbore. You can get such tight joints with a drawbore that the little extra effort is well worth it. I’m told that G&G would use their square pegs as an aesthetic feature because underneath the ebony was a modern screw. Well, ours will have functioning pegs which, with modern glues, will be great for internal doors. The pegs will be oak that has been stained darker than the oak panels using the steel and vinegar method. Incidentally, the panels will be made from crown cut veneered oak plywood. I know that there will be gasps of heretic rather like an electric Bob Dylan from the purists but the stability and the ability to have wider panels has made me cross the Rubicon into excommunication.

@BrentHull

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing.

Great video as usual. I love the look of the fumed wood, but I'd be concerned about how long the wood off-gasses ammonia for after that. Those were all beautiful floors you showed, and I noticed in the book that the 'herring bone floor' was referred to as a Hungarian style, which I'd never heard before, how interesting!

@BrentHull

2 жыл бұрын

The ammonia smell goes away after a day or so, It has colored the wood already so it doesn't last long. Thanks.

I would love a video with more details about how to replicate the look of an old floor. Old floors even with their gaps and nail holes are incredibly beautiful and natural. Even if you use a quality solid wood to build a new floor today, they are typically so "perfect" that they are indistinguishable from a cheap fake wood floor. What are the defining details that make an old floor stand out as a hand made work of art and what products are available today to do it? Am I correct in thinking that the process would look something like 1) find tight grained quarter sawn wood, 2) face nail it with cut nails, 3) stain the floor very dark, 4) sand off all the stain so the face is raw wood but the nail holes and gaps are left dark, 5) then apply a low sheen wax product ?

@BrentHull

Жыл бұрын

Thanks and yes i can do more videos. 1. wood quality is key. You can also find antique wood, or salvaged wood that conveys an aged look. Salvaged wood with checks and knots may be the most important element. Face nail is not a universal detail but a good one. Dark stain is not a prerequisite. Wax finish is good, but we use a water based product that is low sheen. My 2 cents.

@jimmiedow

Жыл бұрын

@@BrentHull Awesome! Thanks for that info! What brand of water based finish do you use?

AWESOME TOPIC...!!! I can't really agree on the modern "engineered stuff" but that is just my take on it as I only design and build traditional floors...which are far superior to modern floors...in almost all ways. Nevertheless, I fully understand that few today understand nor have the skill sets to build with traditional floor systems let alone perform this task with "green wood" (a common vernacular practice pre-1860s and still common in folk class architecture.) I LOVED your outline of the parquet floors...This is my world and your team did a great job!!! Some, not common facts known by most modern floor experts these days are the "folk traditions" that are part of the parquet tradition and its origins...which began with green wood that was hand riven and was only hand jointed-fitted without any metal fasteners. There are countless other examples of this (i.e. parquet) approach to ancient traditional flooring systems that are either esoteric in nature and/or simply not practiced by many Westerns...One of my favorite examples (and what I practice most often) is the 청마루 (Cheongmaru ) systems found and perfected in Korea, yet have a commonality in other traditions as well... Here is a link (kzread.info/dash/bejne/mqqn2K-zl8zXZtY.html&ab_channel=Mr.Chickadee) to a fellow KZreadr who is a dear friend and someone I have mentored for about 10 years now building and installing an example of a 청마루 traditional floor...Hope you enjoy watching his work... I could not agree more with proper TRADITIONAL floor finishes which are still the easiest, most durable, and sustainable to use. Not to mention they can develop an actual patina that modern plastic finish never can... Thanks for posting another great video!!!

@BrentHull

2 жыл бұрын

Great info, thanks for sharing. I'll check it out.

Just finished laying oak on half of my 2nd floor. Can’t imagine the time of doing this.

@BrentHull

2 жыл бұрын

LOL, a lot of shop time but it goes down quickly once built.

Great video content! I noticed you mentioned a book as reference, if possible would you share the book's information (name, author, etc), please? Thank you.

@BrentHull

2 жыл бұрын

I will when I get back to the office later in the week.

How are you installing those large slabs of flooring? Glue down?

@BrentHull

2 жыл бұрын

We give them to the flooring installer. He nails down. Thanks.

I like point de hongrie (chevron) better than those 1 square meter parquet. My dream house is a maison bourgeoise with point de hongrie floor, slate roof, zinc flashing and a cast iron wood stove in the kitchen (the ivory enamel ones) with copper cookware. Louis XV and louis philippe waxed cherry or european walnut furniture. Cheers !

@BrentHull

2 жыл бұрын

Sounds great! Thanks!

Awesome video!

@BrentHull

2 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it

Great video. What is the name of the book in the video for flooring that you showed? Thanks for sharing

@BrentHull

2 жыл бұрын

Let me check, it is a French book, parquet I think.

@stefboulas

2 жыл бұрын

@@BrentHull Thank you I will look it up

I have a question when they would install flooring without subfloors back then did they treat the bottom side of the hardwood floors ?

@BrentHull

9 ай бұрын

Good question. I believe so. Tar as I remember.

Not all houses from the early 1800s had wide plank floors. My mother's house was built in 1810 and it has 3-1/4" wide maple flooring. The floor boards are 1-1/2 inches thick.

@BrentHull

2 жыл бұрын

Interesting. are you sure they are original? Most pre-industrial floors, except for the rich, were softwood floors. Let me know.

@zone4garlicfarm

2 жыл бұрын

@@BrentHull I'm pretty sure they are the original floors. Most of the original part of the house was built of hardwood. The timber frame is oak and chestnut. The subfloor is 1-1/2 inch thick random width chestnut and the interior door and window jambs and casings are maple. The exterior trim is hardwood but I don't remember what species. It has been several decades since I scraped and painted it. The house was built for a wealthy business man and when my parents bought it in 1970 it was the most expensive home purchase in the city's history.

Can herringbone be installed using same widths but random lengths. I start to install before realizing that inside my boxes of wood were 3 different lengths 6', 4', and 2'

@BrentHull

Жыл бұрын

Not generally, the historic precedent is that they all be the same. It could still work but it may also throw your eye off. Good luck.

How are you attaching the floor panels to the subfloor… is it just glue down?

@BrentHull

2 жыл бұрын

Pegged and nailed/screwed from the back.

What was the finish you used on the floors? Stain?

@BrentHull

2 жыл бұрын

Fumed. With a high grade Ammonia.

@carmencolon3520

2 жыл бұрын

@@BrentHull Research on the way. Thanks

Great content, but the editing is a bit nuts. Not every shot has to wiggle and pan.

@BrentHull

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the feedback.

notice... like the guilds of europe, his process is kept SECRET. WHAT A WASTE OF TIME LISTENING TO THIS FELLA. right?? ok?? ok?? right??? right?

@BrentHull

5 ай бұрын

ok

Brent, who are your customers? They must all be billionaires. The kind of stuff you do must cost a fortune.

@BrentHull

2 жыл бұрын

I have great clients, mostly they are nice people. They are looking for distinctive and unique construction methods. If you learn them you can find the same type of clients. Thanks

@jla3772

2 жыл бұрын

@@BrentHull Thanks a lot for the reply Brent. I'm a craftsman and think and work like you all be it on a much smaller scale. Your channel is inspiring, Hope to be able to find clients like yours. Thanks again.

@kurtvonfricken6829

Жыл бұрын

Not all people with money have good taste, not all people with good taste have money.

@jla3772

Жыл бұрын

@@kurtvonfricken6829 You don't get what Brent does without money and a lot of it

You’re using engineered flooring in a historic house? Oh no. Come on now.

@BrentHull

11 ай бұрын

We do it alot.

@ricardom.2687

11 ай бұрын

@@BrentHull Why? You’re not going to use finger jointed wood windows, doors, or siding on a historic house… or plywood cabinets right? So why then would you ever install engineered wood floors? A sub par fake modern product into a historic home? It’s like putting Subaru seats in a Model T Ford. There’s no viable reason to use engineered flooring whatsoever unless to ruin the value of a historic home on purpose. Real wood flooring has lasted for 100’s of years in these houses and will last 100’s more if reinstated again today as long as it’s quality wood. You have a lot of good info and advise but This makes no sense.

Brent!!! Please stop Finish Carpentry TV from painting his almost antique house! His wife wants it painted and the test colors looked hideous; it's going to look like section eight housing. Please counsel his wife so they don't end up with spinner rims on their cars with mariachi band music blaring out of their house at 2am on weekends. You must save that house sir!

@rubyoro0

2 жыл бұрын

“Mariachi band music” I feel offended.

@ld-hannover8186

2 жыл бұрын

Richard's wife is absolutely right. The front house and the back house have different shades, this looks better with a continuous color. I come from Germany, there it is not usual to paint a clinker facade either, but just yellow clinkers are painted over. This is a typical color from the 60s and 70s, it just doesn't look good anymore. He should just take a special paint for clinker that allows the stone to breathe, for example, silicate paint. His stone is very suitable for painting because it is not glazed. My grandmother's house (with a stone facade) has been painted since 1895, so it's not a problem at all.

@BrentHull

2 жыл бұрын

I'll pass it along. Thanks

@BrentHull

2 жыл бұрын

LOL

@heartwormskillcats8357

2 жыл бұрын

@@BrentHull You are the best, thanks a lot sir!

OK? ok? right?? right??? good grief

@BrentHull

5 ай бұрын

good grief is right.