Solid Hardwood, Engineered and Laminate Flooring - Using Barn Boards as flooring

We would like to use the floorboards from our barn as the flooring for another building that we are renovating. The floor that we want to install the barn boards on is cement, and I know we have to seal it and use a vapor barrier before putting down the planks. A few questions to any one who has done this before:

Since the barn boards have no tongue and groove on them, what is the best way to fasten them to each other or to the subfloor?

Part of the reason we'd like to use them is the look that comes from the irregularities of the wood, but we'd also like the floor to be safe - should we round the edges if individual planks stick up?

I'm assuming that, after planing, the planks should be treated on all six sides -am I wrong about this?

Thanks for any help.

All I can say to this one is Good Luck. Both me and my wife like to use Barn Boards for craft projects....and its tough doing that sometime. I would have to say this. If you are going to attempt this....I would only do this in a room that might not get walked on alot.....Maybe I am wrong here, but when you say "Barn Board" that usually means "OLD" wood. I do however think a room done with it would look Awesome......Good Luck and post pictures when its done.

I'd think the wood would need to be treated against insects before you bring it into the house. Are the boards thick enough to have a tongue and groove cut into them?

I found this on the "Improvement Net" website (for what its worth):

"Woods: The ideal way to put down a wood floor over concrete that is subject to dampness is to first put down pressure 2-by-4 inch "sleepers," or lengths of wood, on the floor that are spaced 16 inches apart on center. Cover the sleepers with 6-millimeter plastic and then lay down 5/8-inch plywood. Cover the plywood with 15-pound roofing felt, and then install the floor. Wood floors may be nailed or glued to the plywood subfloor. Laminate floors, which may be tongue and groove or snap-together, are "floating" floors and not attached to the subfloor. If the concrete subfloor is always dry, however, engineered and laminate floors can be placed directly on the slab."

If you do face nail, you'll want to drill a pilot hole first so that the wood doesn't split and then use a nailset once you get close to avoid hammer divets in the floor.

You might want to let the boards sit in the house, if you have space, for a while prior to installation so they can adjust to the temp., humidity, etc.

I love the idea of reclaimed wood floorings. I had some friends take a dilapidated roller skating rink floor and put it in their house. How lovely that your barn will be saved!

My mom laid wooden planks in the basement and all she did to fasten them was to nail them down you can see the nails but I think it adds character. I know when she prepped the floor however she laid a subfloor and vapour barrier. She did this for the first time 7 years ago and when she got flooded a few years ago - she lives on the Shubenacadie river in Nova Scotia - she got the contractor to redo the floor the same way.

Hello hhhissjunior!

My sideline job is making flooring out of old barnwood/antique lumber.

What we do is run it through a moulder which planes the top, bottom, and puts a tongue and groove on the sides. You don't need to treat any of it if it is insect-free. If not, you'll need to kiln dry it at a temp of 130 degrees to be sure all bugs and eggs are dead. It makes a beautiful floor. Good luck!

ps: You can get this moulding work done at some sawmills, cabinet shops, and millworks. You'll need to run it on a metal detector to be sure all metal is removed. Moulder knives are very expensive and it only takes one nail to mess them up.