| FULL QUESTION: Help! We have moved back into the home I grew up in (built 1939) and am in the midst of renovations. The downstairs flooring is 2 1/4'' tongue and groove oak and we have had that refinished. My parents could not afford oak upstairs and so used pine in the same size and style (yellow pine, I believe; 2 1/4'' not counting the tongue). Unfortunately, some of the boards are damaged. I need to find a source for replacement pine, but everywhere I have called in the area have nothing in this width. Could you possibly help me out with a source? It would be much appreciated. I know it was still readily available in that width in the mid 50's because my father finished three storage areas that had been left unfinished. ANSWER: Lumber sizes were reduced by 1/8 inch in width and thickness during the 1970s, so the dimensions of pattern stock, such as flooring, cut from this lumber have also been reduced proportionally by 1/8th. Today, standard patterns of Southern Pine strip flooring (strip is anything under 4'') are cut in widths of 1 1/8, 2 1/8 or 3 1/8 inches on the face (less the tongue and groove). You may be able to find a mill capable of producing a custom run, but it may be costly. Furthermore, if the flooring is heart pine, which is likely considering the age of the home, you will probably need to find some antique heart pine flooring for a proper match, if a good match is possible. Again, more complication and cost. You will also need to specify flat grain or vertical grain. I do not want to discourage you, but you need to know this may take some detective work to get what you need. Search the product database at Traditional Building.com for a start. Another idea, which might be less expensive, and make matching easier would be to remove all termite eaten boards, take good boards out of the smallest room upstairs to replace flooring in larger rooms (solving the color match and sizing problem), then lay completely new 2 1/8 flooring (new or antique) in the smallest room (solving the sizing problem). We recommend a pro installer anyway you go.
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