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.