From Oct. 26 to 28, cottage dwellers and dreamers will descend on the International Centre in Toronto for the
Fall Cottage Life Show, an event that celebrates life at the lake with more than 200 exhibitors showcasing everything from furniture to architecture. Gaylord Hardwood Flooring (hall 5, aisle 600, booth 637) will have its mobile showroom on hand, where you’ll find two perfect products for your rural getaway: pre-finished pine and live sawn oak. Chances are your cottage doesn’t have the same humidity control you enjoy year-round at home. Wood floors and ceilings often don’t adjust well to the fluctuating conditions, which can lead to problems like
gapping and cupping.
Pre-Finished Pine for a Beautiful Ceiling
“Pre-finished pine is perfect for cathedral ceilings at the cottage,” said Greg Gaylord, sales manager at Gaylord Hardwood Flooring. “It’s less work, cuts waste, and looks 100 times better.” Gaylord explains that pre-finished pine offers several key benefits:
- It arrives at the cabin ready to install, with no staining needed. UV protection included in the finish protects the wood from turning yellow over time.
- Preshrunk through a kiln drying process, it’s unlikely that pre-finished pine will shrink excessively with seasonal humidity. In contrast, lumberyard pine often shrinks as it settles into place, exposing the white ‘tongues’ of pine between the boards.
- Lumberyard pine comes in random lengths, but pre-finished pine comes pre-cut to even lengths (up to 16 feet), which helps cut waste.
Live Sawn Oak for the Classic Cottage Floor
Using a traditional European method of cutting a log into planks,
live sawn oak reveals all the characteristics in the wood, from the inner heartwood to the outside sapwood. The result is a beautiful wide plank that’s both stable and attractive. “Live sawn oak has a really classic ‘cottage’ look to it,” described Gaylord. “More than that, however, because of the process it doesn’t shrink or expand as much. That makes it ideal for a cabin by the lake.” Humidity can ruin a hardwood floor, Gaylord noted. “You don’t want the rippled look that comes from cupping, when humidity causes the wood to expand at the edges of each plank. Typically, you’d need to install narrow boards to accomodate a more humid environment, but our live sawn oak is so stable that we cut it in 8-inch planks.”
Visit Greg at the Show
Greg will be at the Gaylord Hardwood Flooring booth all weekend to answer your wood-related questions. Visit the mobile showroom and see pre-finished pine and live sawn oak, along with samples of all Gaylord Hardwood Flooring’s floors; you can even pick up samples to take to the cottage so you can envision what it could look like. Are you going to be at the Fall Cottage Life Show? Say hello via Twitter,
@GaylordHardwood, or
connect to our Facebook page for the latest updates.
