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Yurt: 2X6 Tongue and Groove Flooring

Jafo

Jafo

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Staff member
You can see by the images of my finished yurt, that I went with pine flooring. To be specific, I went with 2X6 tongue and groove, which basically looks like this:

3doubletgv1[1].jpg

I actually used the other side of the the board since this side has a bevel by the tongue edge. The other side is completely flat when joined with another piece.

Since my yurt is in a very remote location, where you are bound to track in mud, dirt, etc., and is being used as a camp, I thought it would be better to use this than a hardwood alternative. I have to say that so far I am pretty happy with it. It was relatively cheap and easy to install. At some point I am going to try and finish it a bit nicer, once I am done moving stuff in and modifying the place. I basically just need to rent a floor sander and do one half at a time.
 
We went with the 2x6 T&G too, as per Pacific Yurts' platform specs. We got the lumber delivered, and I didn't think to look through the stuff first.
Of course the beveled side, the one most people buy the stuff for, looked great... The flat side, however, was imperfect on at least 20 of the boards, so I had to take them back and sort through the lumber pile for the ones I liked and everyone else would discard.
Maybe that's what owning a yurt is like, huh?
 
Personally, I like the imperfections as long as it isn't outright damage or gaping cracks. I think it adds character to the place. :) I carried each board about 400 feet through a muddy road in the spring, so I got personally involved with each one lol..
 
Yeah, "imperfect" by my standards is seriously imperfect, and was actually aided by my father in law who said "Woah. That's waaaay too deep for wood filler."
It's nice to finally have a space where my two-year-old can draw on anything he wants and only add to the charm.
 
That's how we do most of ours too. It makes sense cost-wise, as you can avoid the joists and then it's just a bit more in material costs and labor. Well worth it for the end result. Sand that floor down and apply 3 coats of Spar Varnish to gain the hardness you want for a floor. Voila! Great option!
 
I'm very new to the yurt community but have been in the flooring industry for a while. Any thoughts on using a standard plywood sub-floor with an engineered hardwood or laminate floor?
 
Some people will, do that, but doing a ply subfloor basically adds the extra step of having to then lay down additional flooring if you want it to be a nice, finished floor. So it adds cost and time. Using treated SPF t&g with girders spaced no more than 4' apart gives a solid floor that looks good and will stand up to wear with proper varnish, for a fraction of the time and cost.
 
Although it may not be the least expensive option, many people are using laminates and other "floating" floors in their yurts these days. When planning to do so it is best to incorporate a raised ring around the outer perimeter of the platform (usually 1x6 laid flat to create a polygon). The yurt itself will anchor onto the raised ring and the floating floor can be installed within that ring. The difference in height between the raised ring and the floating floor is perfect for installing quarter round molding to cover the expansion gap. People who are interested in more information about this can email us at [email protected].
 
Actually, that is a very good point. I have installed the floating floors before in parts of my home and they generally require a 1/8" - 1/4" gap for expansion.

I am sitting here thinking about what one could do to install the flooring after the yurt has been raised. I wonder if you cut strips of thin cardboard and laid them around the inside of the wall, on the face of the supports (or lattice if no supports) and make a giant temporary mould around the wall of the yurt (on the inside). The thickness of the cardboard would be in direct measurement to the expansion gap required by the floating floor manufacturer. After that, you could go ahead and lay the floor and once completed, remove the cardboard and put into place a flexible floor moulding and tack it to the supports, or lattice, or even toe nailed to the floor.
 
Pacific Yurts, that's a great tip. We have installed hardwood flooring after a yurt is up and it was definitely a chore. Especially with the wind kit, lattice wall and brackets to remove or work around.

The method you mention got me thinking... it could also be used to essentially create a stem wall or a small 'curb' (resulting in a perimeter lift of several inches even). With the straight angles, you'd save yourself a heck of a lot of hassle in avoiding the rounded cuts. If you go much higher than an inch, it would be a good idea at that point to ask for a longer wall, so that it can still extend past the curb and into the platform. Then it would cover any potential water catching seams in the wood.

In one of the yurts we did, the owners got creative and just left a gap between the hardwood flooring and the perimeter of the yurt. Then they filled the perimeter with lovely river rocks. It was a great effect!
 
HawaiiYurts said:
Some people will, do that, but doing a ply subfloor basically adds the extra step of having to then lay down additional flooring if you want it to be a nice, finished floor. So it adds cost and time. Using treated SPF t&g with girders spaced no more than 4' apart gives a solid floor that looks good and will stand up to wear with proper varnish, for a fraction of the time and cost.
Click to expand...
Great idea on the treated T&G. I like the idea of not having to put a sub-flooring down. What concerns me is the 'treated' part of the boards. I have children. Isn't that toxic in so many levels? Could we use non-treated boards over a tiny sheet of aspenite?
 
I used common 2x6 pine construction lumber from Lowe's for the floor in my 16'er. I butted the boards tight knowing they would shrink as they dried. TA couple months have passed since screwing down the decking, and air infiltation through the widening gaps has resulted in a cold drafty floor, and a yurt that hardly holds heat. The floor is uninsulated since it isn't a full time residence, and I'm cheap. :)

I caulked all the deck seams over the holiday. Took 7 tubes. The yurt is holding heat alot better with no drafts. I still need a larger wood stove though.

If you can afford it, T&G decking is the best way to go, for a rustic floor that takes a beating. It can be sanded to whatever degree of finish you prefer. I'd wait until it is thoroughly dry before doing so.
 
Oh yeah, I forgot to add I wouldn't have any natuarl flooring material treated for rot resistance exposed to where little kids can get to it. Also sanding out such a product would require a decent cartridge mask to avoid inhaling the debris, and a VERY thorough clean up of the resultant dust. I've been making sanding dust for thirty years and it gets EVERYWHERE. I don't care whether the MSDS book says it's OK or not. Don't use MDF either. Just my opinion. Good luck.
 
I am thinking that the cheaper option here in HI is to buy 2x6x20' boards and T&g them myself with a router table and T&G bit. Thoughts?
 
Pro mill shops use battleship grade machinery to make 2x6 t&g flooring. Making a yurts worth of 2x6-20 t&g flooring by a non pro simply isn't worth the hassle with the typical homeowner grade lightweight router table set up.

20' 2x6 stock is VERY unwieldy, and rarely dead straight. Infeed and outfeed support tables are absolutely necessary to keep the 2x in constant contact with the bit. With a typical infeed guide attached to the fence at the cutterhead to keep the stock in place, binding is going to happen with one man feeding 20' stock. Any bit/fence shift while forcing warped/twisted/bowed stock through the guide will throw the alignment off. Nah, I wouldn't suggest messing with a router table set up.
 
I never thought of that Bob, Thanks for the education before I did something stupid. :o I guess a hand held router might work. What are 2x6x20' t&g going for in the lower 48? 21.00 each here at home depot.
 
I'd buy the T&G. Have it dropped on site and you're ready to rock and roll, instead of messing around.

That said, if you have alot of free time on your hands, and I mean ALOT of free time, and are stubborn to boot, a 1/4" x 1/2" slot cutting bit (requires a heavy duty 1/2" router) would work, but getting everything sized properly is gonna be a trip. MANY repeated passes. Don't expect pretty cuts on the tongue side unless you clamp a guide where edge knots have popped out, or there is otherwise irregularity where the bearing passes.

Really, you are in for a heck of a lot of work. You're better off biting the bullet and just buying the flooring. Or, just install 2x6 butted tight. That's what I did on my 16' yurt. Then caulk it down the road. It's a yurt. :D BTW I've been a carpenter since 1973.

Have fun! lol
 
Bob, what about a router table and then running the board through that? Might that make it easier?
 
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