Yurt: 2X6 Tongue and Groove Flooring

[Jafo]

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:



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.

[Dan R-M]

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?

[Jafo]

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..

[Dan R-M]

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.

[HawaiiYurts]

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!

[alpine1]

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?

[HawaiiYurts]

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.

[Pacific Yurts]

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].

[Jafo]

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.

[HawaiiYurts]

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!