The use of un-planed lumber for interior walls in vernacular construction 
was quite common throughout the U.S. and, in my experience, relates more to 
economics (planed lumber was significantly more expensive and provided no 
advantage over un-planed lumber for walls that were going to be covered 
anyway) than to ethnicity.  In no case that I've ever seen has it indicated 
re-use of salvaged flooring, but the cheaper un-planed planks were purposely 
selected for the original construction.

Bob Skiles

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From: "Steve Hanken" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, August 10, 2010 8:48 AM
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: rough sub-floor used on interior walls

> Working on flood damaged buildings that appear to be ones possibly 
> constructed by Bohemian carpenters, we discovered interior walls covered 
> floor to ceiling with lapped siding or rough flooring boards. Later they 
> are covered in plaster and lath. We are wondering if this was something of 
> a immigrant technique to create a quick interior wall for less money, or 
> if this was something brought from Europe? Often they are covered in wall 
> paper, so it appears it was sometime before they were lathed. Whatever the 
> case, these homes and businesses withstood a considerable amount of 
> distructive force without collapse. We had one building that floated away 
> folded over a twelve inch diameter tree and ran head long into the side of 
> one two story comercial building and it didn't even budge! All these 
> buldings were built in the 1890's any thoughts?