Installing a floor is like assembling a huge jigsaw puzzle. Here the installer has rows of floorboards sized and ready to nail in.
Floor installation began Tuesday, February 23 and was substantially complete by the end of the day on Thursday. The floor material is rift sawn, white oak. Producing a highly regular, vertical grain pattern with no knots or blemishes, the rift cut is similar to quartersawn. (Quartersawn oak is also used in the organ case.)
The picture above shows the floor as it is being installed. The next tasks include staining the wood in a shade consistent with the pews, posts, and other wood elements in the nave. The floor should be completely finished by the end of the first week of March.
The new floor in the "parclose" chapel in the renovated south transept includes steps into the chancel.
