Guinness
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| posted on 27/11/06 at 10:38 AM |
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Floor boards
Floor boards.
Swimbo and I are re-decorating the living room and dining room. They have already been knocked through into one big room by the previous owners.
It's a victorian terrace. Things are getting a little out of hand! We have just had a new DPC put in and now we want bare timber floors
instead of carpet.
At the moment we have all the floor boards up, and are busy replacing all the joists below. We think we have enough good "old" boards to
do the dining room in reclaimed boards, but can only afford new boards for the living room.
Question is, if I buy new floorboards from a timber yard, will I need to sand them before I stain and varnish them?
Also we are planning on insulating under the floor, what's best insulation quilt or polystyrene?
Cheers
Mike
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DarrenW
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| posted on 27/11/06 at 10:50 AM |
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I assume you have already tried the reclamation yards like O'Briens in Boldon etc. i would be surprised if their reclaimed raw boards are much
more than new. if they are not too unusual ref width i wonder if there may be some in the burglars weekly (adtrader etc).
Ref insulation, with wooden floors in old houses - do you need good air circulation? Im no expert but would be concerned that any insulation cut
reduce the circulation. If drafts are coming up through the boards i wonder if you can lay a membrane on top of the joists but under the boards.
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Peteff
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| posted on 27/11/06 at 10:51 AM |
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I think you'd be better off putting a concrete sub floor in then a cosmetic float floor in using old floorboards or new ones aged. I would sand
them then use Briwax on them to give the colour or effect you want. Briwax is easier to use
than stains and varnishes as you can walk on the floor straight away and with a solid sub floor you will not get draughts through the joints and at
the sides where the skirtings join.
[Edited on 27/11/06 by Peteff]
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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Guinness
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| posted on 27/11/06 at 11:05 AM |
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Thanks.
Tried O'Briens, they wanted £35 sq m for boards. They don't have any old board in stock, but will make new ones from reclaimed timber for
me?!!?!
We have a 3 foot void beneath the house, which we are clearing of rubble, so we can maintain the airflow under the house, also installing air vents to
front and back walls. The idea of the insulation is to fit it between the joists, just beneath the boards.
Peteff, no way could we afford that cube of concrete and work!
Mike
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ecosse
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| posted on 27/11/06 at 11:10 AM |
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For insulation you can use the foil type quilt laid across the joists and pushed about 2" below the floor level (to create an air gap) you could
also put additional polystyrene level with the bottom of the joists (again leaving an air gap above).
Although I have to say that if it was me, I would lay a new timber floor on top on the existing floor and insulate between that and the old floor.
Getting a draught free floor using reclaimed timber will be a nightmare, and its a lot of work to sand it all flat and smooth  been there, done
that, wouldn't do it again
But good luck with whatever you choose to do 
Cheers
Alex
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Hellfire
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| posted on 27/11/06 at 04:07 PM |
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new floorboards are thinner... the tongue and groove is different also. My house is over 100 years old and getting anything to fit is a nightmare. We
are planning on using marine plywood to replace it. Regarding overlaying... I personally would not recommend that as your old boards (if they're
like mine) are kind of not exactly flat and would cause more problems than they solve. They may also have woodworm (as some of mine do) and you dont
want to give them new wood to chomp on!
My house could do with a total new DPC and I'd like it CWI but I don't have a cavity!
Good luck - Steve
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DarrenW
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| posted on 27/11/06 at 05:10 PM |
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ive seen some polystyrene stuff that you can insulate roof trusses with, its like a concertina pack that you squeeze and push in - i wonder if this
would work.
Other option may be to nail lats so far down the joists then lay jablite (lats to stop it falling through). After that all i can think of is some sort
of membrane on top of the joists before you lay the boards.
As before im no expert so may need to check up on this with a builder or perhaps the local building inspector (they are suprisingly helpfull if
approached inthe right manner which im sure you can do). When i did some building work our local inspector seemed to be only too pleased to offer help
and guidance - they do after all have an interest in making sure the job is done correctly.
There may even be some other local experts who can advise, im guessing its not old enough for English heritage but someone like that.
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Guinness
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| posted on 27/11/06 at 05:34 PM |
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Cheers lads.
Having considered the options I have found my local builders yard have 1200 x 2400 x 50mm polystyrene for £5 a sheet, so 6 of those laid on latts will
do the insulation. They also have new redwood floor boards the same thickness as the old ones for £1.35 lin m, so it looks like that's
what's going in.
Hmm completley new floor a month before crimbo!
Cheers
Mike
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lexi
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| posted on 27/11/06 at 06:49 PM |
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If you can get under floor after it`s finished a good alternative is Tyvek breathable paper membrane. It`s waterproof and is not a fire hazard like
polystyrene. Cut to oversize and fix with SS staple from a gun directly to underside of floorboards. If on a budget ordinary roofing felt could be and
was used in the past for this purpose. You only need to
eliminate the updraught through the tongue and groove etc for a nice warm floor.
Alex
Please Note :This user would like to know what you are talking about?
[Edited on 27/11/06 by lexi]
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JoelP
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| posted on 27/11/06 at 07:45 PM |
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b&q currently do a two for one offer on the space blanket stuff, for between joists. Its enclosed in foam and boils down to £7 a roll. I suspect
that this would be much more insulating than many other things, as its expands to about 4" thick!
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