Flagstone questions

[worms]

...there's olive oil and then there's olive oil. Why shouldn't the same be true of flax?

Holkhams is not cheap though.

Absolutely true, but there are also uses and uses - no point in frying with the most expensive organic virgin olive oil! The Holkhams product wouldn't be suitable as a horse feed supplement but is probably the very best available for treating wood.

The question to me here would be: "Is it worthwhile buying the very best, just to oil the floor with it?" I am still happy to use a horse-grade, vat-free linseed oil for most uses but would consider (very carefully) heating it to above 42C for a while to denature the protein content or thin it with white spirit.

 

[Alex]

Sorry I havent replied before to everyone but I went off for a couple of days. I will be living with the flagstones for quite some time as the gypsum and cement will have to come off the walls before the floor can be finished but it is really interesting to hear everyones opionions on wether to finish with linseed oil or not and the quality/price of the linseed oil to use. I just assumed that if I did finish with the oil then the flags would have some degree of protection from spills etc. As to cleaning the cement off, I have tried not doing more than an hour at a time but so far the novelty hasn't worn off and I keep thinking that I will just do 1 but time seems to disappear and its the only thing I have really done since last weekend. Will add a couple of photo's just to keep you updated as soon as I can borrow my daughters camera.

Thank you to everyone,

Alex

 

[JoceAndChris]

I love your flagstones Alex and have just returned from a very happy holiday in Wales - their colour is bringing back lots of lovely memories of beautiful Wales.

Absolutely right to expose them in my view. We don't have a single carpeted floor across 13 rooms/ areas, it's all flagstones and wooden floors. Like you I use some kind of rug on top and just wear lots of socks and slippers in winter.

More laborious, but a very good scrub with Liberon Stone Floor Cleaner, followed by lashings and lashings of Liberon Stone Floor Sealer ( which is basically oil) then an application with Liberon Stone floor wax, and then a buff, produces a very nice finish. I think you get away with a lot more on grey flagstones - mine are Georgian golden Ancaster stone and show every mark - hence the deep clean and seal with oil to stop things like wine splashes penetrating. The first page of this thread shows the progression I made with the hall floor a while back.
http://www.periodproperty.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=11123&hilit=Cleaning+flagstones

Having just returned from lovely Telford's tower in Portmeirion, though, I've got massive yearnings for carpet. The spiral staircase inside has a fitted carpet and is just so warm, I think at least we ought to cover up the stone spiral staircase here with limecrete (?) and carpet, it isn't pretty like the flagstones and it's dangerous. You can cope with uneven living rooms and kitchens but stairs are difficult.

 

[FamilyWiggs]

http://www.periodproperty.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=11123&hilit=Cleaning+flagstones.

That thread was a hilarious example of the immutable law that any PPUK thread will quickly meander off topic! :lol:

 

[FamilyWiggs]

I love your flagstones Alex and have just returned from a very happy holiday in Wales.

You sound surprised? I have been telling you for *ages* how great North Wales is...

I've just returned from our trip to Rome, and whilst it is true that the Italians beat us on architecture, art, climate, beautiful ladies (SWMBO excepted), cuisine, football, fashion, sunlight, and pretty much everything else, this country is just better overall. :wink:

That said, I'd move lock, stock and barrel to Italy tomorrow if I could. I'd be like Rebeccac of this parish... 8)

 

[Alex]

Joce wrote

their colour is bringing back lots of lovely memories of beautiful Wales.

What Joce means is "Your flagstones are the same colour as the Welsh summer sky....................... several shades of grey" :lol:
Joce, I hope you had a good holiday, I am ashamed to say that I have never been to Portmeirion. Thankyou for that link to your flagstone post (still trying to work out the connection between flagstones and tractors), I found it really interesting but I didn't realise that I would be able to use the Stone Floor Sealer, I now just assume that everything modern will just cause more damp. It was interesting to read that one of their products had a warning that it "may remove bitumen" which sounded ideal to me as I seem to have the black backing from that old lino cemented to the floor in several places. I have noticed that walking across the floor is making the cement break up a bit so what I really need is a team of Period Clog Dancers for a couple of days.

It will be a shame when FamilyWiggs emigrate to Italy. I don't think they will be there long, he will miss the long Welsh Summers, having to light his log burner in July to keep warm.

Thanks

Alex

 

[LadyArowana]

I have noticed that walking across the floor is making the cement break up a bit so what I really need is a team of Period Clog Dancers for a couple of days.

It will be a shame when FamilyWiggs emigrate to Italy. I don't think they will be there long, he will miss the long Welsh Summers, having to light his log burner in July to keep warm.

Thanks

Alex

How about some Morris dancers? We might be able to scare up some of those for you.

 

[Alex]

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Maybe some Tapdancers too.

 

[Feltwell]

See as how we've lots of talk at the moment of how beautiful Wales and Italy are.....

I love your flagstones Alex and have just returned from a very happy holiday in Wales - their colour is bringing back lots of lovely memories of beautiful Wales.

Having just returned from lovely Telford's tower in Portmeirion

Ahh yes, Wales, so beautiful, that's why you went to a replica Italian village there :wink: :lol:

I am of course only teasing, North Wales is one of my favourite parts of the UK - I love the landscape around Snowdonia, and all the industrial heritage.

Regarding your stairs Joce - I thought of you when I was on holiday down in Dorset (and not in an obsessive stalker kind of way I should add!) whilst going round Portland castle, as it's stone spiral stairs had clearly been repaired due to wear by new stone nosings being let in by a stonemason to the original steps - in fact on some you could see that another new nosing had been let into an earlier, now worn repair! I took some pictures as I thought you'd be interested in how this looked - I need to get out more really don't I?

This I would have thought is the best solution for dangerously worn stairs and is an "honest" and visible repair.

 

[JoceAndChris]

You are so kind Feltwell! Actually I also thought of you as we had an afternoon in Shrewsbury - don't know if it's near Feltwell Towers but what a glorious town. The county seems to have a lovely feel about it and loads of period properties. I particularly liked The Period House shop in Shrews, especially the staff in period costume!

And yes, we cycled to Caernarfon and back from Portmeirion (70k!!) and that scenery was just breathtaking. Even better than Italy.

Back to the repair though - I really like that, it's honest as you say and very sweet. I think my steps would be the same light colour as that - at the moment, though, they're black and red ( dirt and old paint) so it's hard to imagine them looking as beautiful as those and I think the splicing would be more extensive. It's a great idea though - the stonemason I had to look at them said new treads and risers to lie on top would be around £4,000 - I reckon a deep clean or Klingstrip and some splicing in would be a lot cheaper. Thanks for photographing and posting!

 

[Feltwell]

Actually I also thought of you as we had an afternoon in Shrewsbury - don't know if it's near Feltwell Towers but what a glorious town. The county seems to have a lovely feel about it and loads of period properties. I particularly liked The Period House shop in Shrews, especially the staff in period costume!

Feltwell Towers is about 15 miles from Shrewsbury - it would cost twice as much if it was there! Shrewsbury is lovely, and Shropshire in general is a very green and laid back sort of place. Period House shop is nice but expensive - good for ideas if nothing else. If you liked Shrewsbury then you must visit Much Wenlock and Ludlow - they're even nicer - and Bridgnorth is a charming town too. The Ironbridge Gorge is also a very pleasant place to spend at least a day - even if you're not into the industrial heritage, it's a lovely place and has museums dedicated to the local industries of decorative tile making and pottery as well as the iron founders.

Back to the repair though - I really like that, it's honest as you say and very sweet. I think my steps would be the same light colour as that - at the moment, though, they're black and red ( dirt and old paint) so it's hard to imagine them looking as beautiful as those and I think the splicing would be more extensive. It's a great idea though - the stonemason I had to look at them said new treads and risers to lie on top would be around £4,000 - I reckon a deep clean or Klingstrip and some splicing in would be a lot cheaper. Thanks for photographing and posting!

No problem. To completely cover your old stairs may be what many home owners would want, but to my mind some splicing in of new stone would be a much better solution. The fact the repair is visible but neat would just add to the story of the house.

 

[FamilyWiggs]

If you liked Shrewsbury then you must visit Much Wenlock and Ludlow - they're even nicer - and Bridgnorth is a charming town too.

Ludlow is delightful, absolutely delightful. The in laws moved there last year, so we're getting to know it well... Some great restaurants and the town itself has a real wealth of architectural gems.

As for Morris Dancers... Depends who's asking, but I might know a few.... Nudge, nudge, wink, wink.

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Joce - I thought of you when I was on holiday down in Dorset (and not in an obsessive stalker kind of way I should add!)

I'm reliably informed a certain photo set is kept in the left hand drawer of the bureau! :wink:

 

[JoceAndChris]

:lol: I moved them all to under the bed in the attic bedroom. :wink:

Right, must have a long weekend in Shropshire then, visiting Ludlow especially.

 

[eezageeza]

Shropshire is known as the graveyard of ambition - once you've lived here, you never want to go anywhere else!

Much Wenlock is tiny, but beautiful; definitely worth an hour stopover on the way to Ludlow. And Feltwell is right, the Ironbridge gorge has some intersting properties (an awful lot of them gently slipping down the side of the gorge!) and excellent museums, especially Blists Hill open air victorian town.

You really need more than a weekend!