Greetings,
I'm the new owner of a 1920s barn, which we are converting into a residence for my mother. The floors are made of 7/8 longleaf pine -- from about 4 inches to 14 inches thick -- and I hope to square them and plane them to reuse as flooring.
Never having done this before, I'm in the dark about a lot of things. For one, whether it's even worth the effort to salvage all the material. The wood is exceedingly dry and easily cracks when removed. It's possible to get it up without destroying the boards entirely -- using foot-long wedges and a patient hammer -- but I'm lucky if I save 40% of the wood.
If anybody can give any recommendations in terms of how I might preserve this wood, that would be great. I wonder about somehow increasing the moisture content so it is less brutal when removed.
Below you can see an example of a small piece that I cut with the tablesaw and planed on one side. The kind of cracks you can see will be pretty widespread throughout the stock,
I would love to hear peoples thoughts on whether this project is even worth it, and any tips you might have in terms of how to do it.
I'm also trying to figure out how best to install the flooring once it's finished.
Thanks in advance.