Gaps in wooden floors

[Anonymous]

We have just sanded the Edwardian boards in 2 rooms in our house. There are some quite big gaps between the boards and we wonder how to solve this. We have had suggestions of mixing wood glue with the left over sawdust (which we have kept) or using thin pieces of balsa wood (which would then be an odd different colour?). One room is a bathroom so another suggestion was putting silicone in the gaps... Does anyone have any comments or better ideas? Thanks v much.

 

[Anonymous]

Take comfort from the fact that you're not alone with this problem, and that if you scroll down a bit (or better still, do a Search) you'll find lots and lots of interesting solutions, together with some v. good advice about what Not to do.

re The bathroom - could be tricky. If I remember rightly the general consensus was to give up the bare boards idea and lay something waterproof.

 

[Anonymous]

As Moo says, if you do a site search you'll find loads of threads on this subject.
But please don't put silicone in the gaps. You'll hate the end result and you'll never get it out again satisfactorily.

 

[Anonymous]

I still haven't satisfactorily solved my floorboard gap problem (currently i just live with the gaps and occassionaly lose pennies and hairgrips down them) wood fillets didn't really work as teh edges of teh boards are very wobbly and they're too wide for the glue + sawdust option to be really viable as i never sanded then so i don't have the sawdust to match, i pondered and abandoned the idea of melting and dyeing wax and pouring into the gaps (I have many candle ends) when someone pointed out how amazingly flammable that'd be, but someone else suggested linseed putty possibly the dyed brown stuff as maybe a good filler as it shouldn't be terrible for the wood and must have some flexibility if it works on wooden windows that will expand and contract.. I can't see any major flaws with this, tho i'm suppose I must be missing one otherwise someone else would have tried it.. what do people reckon? stupid? or worth a go?

cheers,

Becca

 

[Anonymous]

I'm getting ready to duck as Evelyn hurls missiles at me for heresy, but my solution to the problem was to (duck) lift the boards, relay them butted up nice and tight, and fill the gap with (duck) a matching board burgled from a bedroom that was due to be carpeted.

Cruelty to old buildings, I agree, but needs must - and it worked (duck). Ouch.

 

[Anonymous]

Only pennies and hairgrips, you lucky thing!
My three year old has been apparently having a great time playing postman with these gaps between our boards in their play room.
He has a new torch and pointed out to me the other day, 'Look whats down there mum, i did that' - he says prouldly.
I take a peek and what do see, a few pound coins (i wondered why my purse was so empty), several missing DVDs (i have been looking for these for ages), rulers, pencils and various other oddments.
I have no intention of lifting them, so they will lay in wait for some future generation to unearth a real treasure trove of 21st centuary items.
Now i really must get them gaps filled!!!!!

 

[Anonymous]

my floor has a plasterboard ceiling attached directly underneath it (ine reason why the boards would have been difficult to lift and relay, the other being they've been there about 400 years and got very settled and bent into shape, the floor slops in 2 different directions so i doubt even if i could get them up in 1 piece (unlikely) that thye'd lay as well put back down a couple of inches to the lsft or right.. <IMG SRC="http://www.periodproperty.co.uk/discussing/smileys/frown.gif" BORDER=0 ALT=""> ) so nowhere for bigger things to go, dvd's would certainly fit in the gaps but sit rather proudly out the top too.. pennies etc however drop in and then work there way under the boards so u can still see half of the coin but know yuo'd never manage to get it out, will leave as a cache of early 21 century coins and hair accessories
<IMG SRC="http://www.periodproperty.co.uk/discussing/smileys/wink.gif" BORDER=0 ALT="">

 

[Anonymous]

Has anybody tried caulking the gaps wth twisted wet rope, as they do to the gaps between boards on boats?

 

[Anonymous]

we sanded our bathroom floor and used sawdust and wood glue to fill the gaps, then waxed the floor boards. we didn't have any problem with water on the floor - we just used a bathmat when appropriate. We lived with this for ten years - sometimes I think it is easy to over worry about bathroom floors unless you want to treat them like a wet room!

 

[Anonymous]

Yes, I agree - if the boards are well oiled or waxed, and you dontn get them too wet, they should last.

I was thinking of the rope point generally as well - not just in the bathroom (despite the nautical references!)?

 

[Anonymous]

Is it just wet rope or rope soaked in something? think this was suggested before but I sort of had in my head it would need some gunge around it (tar on boats?) for waterproofing..? was I correct, if not this might be something I would try..

 

[Anonymous]

It was oakum, which is old rope that has been beaten and teased open to produce a fibrous mass. This was then driven home into the gap with a steel wedge and a large mallet to caulk the seam. It works so well on carvel-built boats because the joints usually taper - wide at the top and narrow at the bottom - and the planking is usually more than an inch thick. I couldn't swear to it, but I doubt that it would work so well on floorboards.

 

[Anonymous]

Caulking is a technique used to make the joints between the planks of boat hulls reasonably watertight. It involves twisting soft cotton yarn into a loose rope which is then forced into the gap between the planks using a caulking iron which is bit like a thin bolster chisel. The planks have a bevel planed on the edges to form a tapering gap to accept the caulking. Once the caulking is firmed up the remaining recess is filled with putty or modern equivalent to provide a surface which can be painted. The cotton swells when wet, so accomodating movement in the hull.
Given all that I don't think it's a technique which would work well on a floor. Maybe try one of the wood-coloured acrylic sealants which are sold for gap-filling in laminate floors. At least these are over-coatable with varnish / wax, and can be cleaned off with a damp cloth during installation, unlike silicone.

 

[Anonymous]

I have spent the best part of the weekend filling floorboard gaps with strips of wood. I can vouch that it is possible to fill gaps this way, even if the gaps are irregular, but I have to admit that it is jolly hard work.

It helps if you have some woodworking kit - ideally a table saw and/or the facility to plane thin strips of wood. Also a small block plane is helpful (one that can easily be held in one hand).

First saw (or plane) a strip slightly oversize but to a slight taper. Offer it up to the gap. See where it needs to be eased. Using the block plane, reduce the thickness in those parts. Repeat as often as needed to get a reasonable fit along the entire length. The strip should protrude above the surface of the board.

Glue one side of the strip only. Tap into place with a hammer/mallet. If there are bits where the strip is narrower than the gap, put a thin wedge into the gap to ensure that the glued side is in contact with the board.

When the glue is set, remove the wedges and plane down close to floor level. Use the same species of timber as the floorboards.