- Q.A customer wants me to
install hickory flooring over radiant heat. Does
hickory present any unusual problems in this
application, compared to other species?
A.Bonnie Holmes, director
of education at the National Wood Flooring
Association, responds: Hickory, which is a
little more dimensionally stable than red oak, does
not present any unusual problems over radiant heat.
As with any installation of solid wood flooring
over radiant heat, the National Wood Flooring
Association recommends that only narrow boards (3
1/4 inches wide or less) be used. For additional
dimensional stability, it is preferable for the
wood to be quarter sawn or rift sawn.