Floorboards - old and new!!

[Coles]

I think if the new ones look too new then by all means replace them with some reclaimed. I guess I was lucky and found some good matches that mix in just fine, good enough anyway. And I cheated a bit by moving them around so that I had a whole row of one type then a whole row of the other. That way the width could be off.... But I agree with the above, with the old boards, try giving them a wash or a light rub down, just not aggressively taking the whole top surface off necessarily.

Thank you.

I think I will clean and see how I get on. Now everything is up I have some new pics.

In some places the boards are chipped but only in a couple of places. I dont think they look too bad overall.

It's just the huge colour difference between the old and new.




There is some slight damage in a couple of places.

 

[Zebra]

Oh, and I also found that a colour matched filler could be made very easily and cheaply by mixing some fine-sieved sawdust from the same timber with PVA. It's a bit lumpy but I found it works well.

 

[Coles]

Oh, and I also found that a colour matched filler could be made very easily and cheaply by mixing some fine-sieved sawdust from the same timber with PVA. It's a bit lumpy but I found it works well.

What would they have used on these boards originally? Anything at all? There is bits of newspaper stuck to them as well from 1934, so seems they were just covered.

What would they have used to darken the edges that were on show?

Funny enough there is a rug in the attic that fits but sadly it's been sliced up in places.

 

[Coles]

Hi,

I started to wash the boards with the soda crystals.

I actually really like the colour before they dry. Would wax achieve this?

In the pic the top set of boards are still damp and then below them are cleaned and dry. The final few boards at the bottom of the pic have not been washed at all.

 

[Cubist]

I actually really like the colour before they dry. Would wax achieve this?

Yes. Start with a clear wax first though to see if you reach the desired tone, You can add further coats of a darker wax afterwards if its too light.

 

[Kearn]

Be careful with wax, can end up slippery…!

I’ve previously used Bona Mega on some boards which came up nice. It’s also water based. Wears with time, but in a natural way…

 

[Coles]

Before I continue I now need to sort out this issue.

I removed some trim from the under the doors hidden inderneath looks like rot.

Would this be a damp issue?

 

[Zebra]

Yes but it could be caused by condensation rather than water ingress given that that's a very cold area. You could think about making some sort of a sill for the door out of, I don't know, slate, brick, hardwood.....??

 

[Coles]

Yes but it could be caused by condensation rather than water ingress given that that's a very cold area. You could think about making some sort of a sill for the door out of, I don't know, slate, brick, hardwood.....??

Thank you. It is very drafty and cold in that area. The piece of wood above the floorboards has also gone rotten. I can see brick.

There are stone steps that come up to the doorway.
.it does look like there are some cracks. Could water seep through those?

 

[Zebra]

Hmm yes, I'd be looking to cut that away from the inside and do something else there. Unless you're listed. You're not listed, are you? I can't quite tell from your pictures, the first one looks like you've got quite a lot of height to play with beneath the door, and then the picture taken from above looks like there's really no height at all. If you have got some height to play with, can you cut away the timber beneath the sill, repair any damp ingress and even fit a bit of insulation..?... before building a small new internal sill beneath the existing one?

 

[Zebra]

.. but then again, the joist ends will be set in that wall won't they?... so if there is damp ingress it might be causing an issue that a sill alone won't solve...

 

[Coles]

.. but then again, the joist ends will be set in that wall won't they?... so if there is damp ingress it might be causing an issue that a sill alone won't solve...

Thank you. Maybe I should try pull them up and see what is going on.

Here are some pics which perhaps make it clearer in regards to the inside/outside height difference. The wood on the inside below the door sitting on the floor is also going rotten in the same places as the boards.

Sorry for the newbie question but what kind of trade person would I contact to look at this?

 

[Cubist]

Sorry to say it but whoever laid that slab directly against the door cill has caused all of these problems. It needs to go, and there should be at least a few inches of the houses brickwork visible beneath the wooden door frame. Theres now a very good chance that the door frames cill is thoroughly rotten and could also have damaged the floorboards and their associated joists indoors.

 

[Coles]

Sorry to say it but whoever laid that slab directly against the door cill has caused all of these problems. It needs to go, and there should be at least a few inches of the houses brickwork visible beneath the wooden door frame. Theres now a very good chance that the door frames cill is thoroughly rotten and could also have damaged the floorboards and their associated joists indoors.

Thank you. I had the impression it was always like that. I'm sure the neighbours is the same.

As you can see in this pic it's like a separate bit of the room as it's beyond the arch.

The original skirting is in it but not sure if it was always an arch.



Under that part (lean to) is a what was a coal cellar. But in the 80's they lowered the coal cellar ceiling. Above it they stuck loads of pipes and electric cables.
Then put the new floorboards on top.

This sounds like it could turn into a total nightmare..

 

[Coles]

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Here is another photo from the outside.

 

[Cubist]

This sounds like it could turn into a total nightmare..

Not necessarily. Seeing this last photo I suspect that driven rain from immediately above that top step is the cause and contact with the slab with the frame has perhaps trapped the water against it and/or allowed the water to bridge the drip rebate usually found beneath such cills. This also suggests that there would be no puddling on the slabs surface that might also have caused problems. As suggested before, get rid of or move those slabs if you can to prevent future problems. This will also help you to examine the condition of the cill from outdoors to compliment your investigation inside. If you have access to the space below the floor indoors you may also be able to investigate the condition of the cill, the floor and the floorboards from there.

 

[Coles]

I pulled up the rotten floorboard, well it more or less fell apart.

These joists don't look like rotten but I'm guessing they were replaced in the 1980s when the house eas turned into flats.

 

[Cubist]

It's hard to tell from these angles but thee does not appear to be a DPM/DPC of any kind under the door/window frame. There is also evidence of rainwater penetration through what may have been a mortar fillet beneath the cill which has in turn transferred to the joist ends. Seems likely you've caught this problem before it could cause greater damage but I would test the structural integrity of the cill using any sharp pointy thing to hand and trying to push it into the exposed surface of the wood nearest those stains and along its remaining length. If the pointy thing penetrates easily and the wood feels soft then closer examination will be needed to establish the true extent.

In your earlier photos I wasn't sure but thought I could see some evidence of woodworm exit holes. Did the piece of floorboard that broke up have worm tracks inside? If so, then it may be a good idea to treat the joists and any nearby floorboards just in case their is still a live presence.

 

[Coles]

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It's hard to tell from these angles but thee does not appear to be a DPM/DPC of any kind under the door/window frame. There is also evidence of rainwater penetration through what may have been a mortar fillet beneath the cill which has in turn transferred to the joist ends. Seems likely you've caught this problem before it could cause greater damage but I would test the structural integrity of the cill using any sharp pointy thing to hand and trying to push it into the exposed surface of the wood nearest those stains and along its remaining length. If the pointy thing penetrates easily and the wood feels soft then closer examination will be needed to establish the true extent.

In your earlier photos I wasn't sure but thought I could see some evidence of woodworm exit holes. Did the piece of floorboard that broke up have worm tracks inside? If so, then it may be a good idea to treat the joists and any nearby floorboards just in case their is still a live presence..

Thank you again.

There isn't any DPM from what I can see so that needs sorting.

When we moved in our neighbour was surprised our lean to was still standing as so.many rotted away.

I didn't notice any wood worm tracks but I do know that there were infestations of ants coming in that area.

That laminate was hiding it all, so I'm pleased I pulled it up.

The cill seems ok when sticking a screwdriver into it.

 

[Cubist]

The cill seems ok when sticking a screwdriver into it

Same method outdoors to be as sure as you can.