Replacing bedroom floor

[Carol]

We are intending to remove the saggy chipboard flooring laid in our main bedroom during the 70's by Bodgem and Scrappit and replace with 'a decent wooden floor' Builder has suggested new pine boards, but will this look dreadful? Our only old wood floor is elm, rest are flags or chipboard. Our neighbour said elm was exorbitant! And what sort of skirting to choose? Current is 70's plank. Would there have been skirting originally?

 

[NT]

Pine look dreadful? hardly. It will be white when first laid, but will soon colour up by itself. Always avoid tinted varnishes etc, they make a mess of it in time.

NT

 

[Lime]

You don't say how old your house is.

Pine will be far better to look at in a few years time after it has mellowed but it won't rival elm in appearance.
I suggest a couple of thin coats of clear varnish to seal the surface of the new wood so that it won't pick up so much dirt (even if under fitted carpet).

Almost certainly your house would have had a contemporary skirting board throughout, becoming less grand (usually) as it approached the servants' quarters or the attic.

 

[Penners]

As Lime says, the age of your house is relevant. However if it has an original elm floor, then this suggests it's a good age.

I don't know what your budget is, but you can find elm boards for £25 - £35 per sq m. They are unlikely to be to be very long or very wide at this price, but they would still look wonderful, and give your house so much more character than softwood.

Have a look at http://www.btfltd.co.uk/elm.php for example.

 

[Carol]

Hmm, the age of the house! This is probably the nub of our dilemma! This part was originally/probably a double height single storey part of a clothiers house and this bedroom didn't exist until the late 17th C when a floor and ceiling was inserted. We have an interesting and very cracked deep coved ceiling, with a 'cut out' for a four poster (which we don't have but I covet) a vile 1930's fireplace which will be going, LBC permitting and this horrid chipboard floor. The previous CO thought room had been created by someone who had money and had 'ideas above his station' as the ceiling and windows are totally OTT for a town house of this size! Somehow reclaimed pine boards don't seem right but I'm at a loss to work out what would be better.

 

[Penners]

In a listed 17th century/earlier house, I'm not sure that a CO would allow you to put in reclaimed pine boards. Today's policy seems to be to avoid introducing "false" historic fabric into a listed building.

New pine may be permitted. New oak or elm would probably earn you a warm smile from the CO!

 

[middi]

I agree with Penners.

 

[Mark]

I saw an advert today for elm boards, rustic elm floorboards £22/m2
waney edged prime boards £20/m2


found it!

http://www.henryvenables.com/henry-venables-specials-i-17.html

 

[NT]

Theres a seller on ebay selling large lots of oak for £225 +vat / 100 cu metres delivered. Just an option to think about.

NT

 

[Carol]

My lovely oak floor is now laid and polished with 'black bison' and looks (and smells) lovely! Design and Access statements, slothlike Conservation officers and the local preservation group have all faded into the lovely warm glow of the wood. Thanks to all who gave me strength to go on!

Two more questions, how regularly will the 'black bison' need to be redone, annually perhaps ? And how many coats should it have ?

 

[glayzell]

even old houses were new once, new pine would have looked new in a victorian house 100 years ago.....

it is a matter of taste,

 

[Penners]

even old houses were new once, new pine would have looked new in a victorian house 100 years ago

Well, that's a moot point. The Victorians weren't keen on bare softwood - they thought it looked "peasant". So the floor would almost certainly have been carpeted, and the area of bare boards around the edge of the carpet would probably have been painted or stained.