Victorian Pine Flooring Restoration

[J_Ashley]

I’m looking for a bit of advice on restoring Victorian pine flooring in a house we have recently moved in to. We’re trying to get the property up to a nice standard of finish whilst preserving as much of the period materials and features as possible.

Downstairs the floor has been an exposed wood floor for a long time and looks to have been previously treated (natural light pine colour), although it could do with some reconditioning. Upstairs the majority of the floors upstairs have been under carpet (darker/dirty appearance, with some boards painted, after raising carpets) and many are loose and have been cut etc., so more work is necessary here.

Unfortunately, the gaps between boards downstairs have been filled with some horrid silicone type filler, whilst the upstairs floorboards gaps are either empty, filled with dirt, or a brittle substance. Presently I’m just trying to scrape this out with hand tools.

Since several boards are likely going to have to be replaced with reclaimed stock, and other works to the house (e.g. electrics) could possibly damage a few more, I’m wondering what the best way forward is. Do I want to:

- Leave as much down as possible without disturbing, and then sand/treat etc.
- Or use this as an opportunity to ultimately raise the boards, remove rusted nails and condition the boards better, and then re-lay the floor. If this option is better, would it also be advisable to slightly reposition the boards to close or the gaps or just try to preserve the existing layout?

We’re going to pull a few floorboards up and have the joists checked out too before committing to the flooring, as I guess that could alter the course of action.

We’d like to tackle as much as possible ourselves as it’s a good way to learn the skills to keep the house I order, but obviously don’t want to dig ourselves into an increasingly bigger hole.

 

[plasticpigeon]

Hello. I have found it pretty much impossible to lift the boards without ruining them, hence where they have been lifted to fit services they are not in good shape. The least amount of work would be to keep as much down as possible and try and sand/refinish in situ with as little replacement as possible.

 

[Cubist]

Hi Ashley and Welcome to the Forum,

PP is right about the the best option. Lifting the boards will inevitably lead to damage, and particularly if they are hidden nailed tongue and groove boards, butt fitted can be as bad and finding reclaimed boards of suitable dimensions can be a bit challenging.

It would be best in my view to repair and restore in situ and is much less disruptive to the household. After you have had the joists checked I suggest you consider any other repairs or restoration work needed in each room to determine whether any modifications will be needed to accommodate say central heating or electrical work. If such is needed and you are not going to do that work yourself make sure that you work closely with the contractor to plan the work and to make sure its done properly - you'll find all sorts of horror stories here and elsewhere about dangerous cuts into joists, etc.. The that work is done would be the best time to tackle the floor in each room.

Regarding the 'silicon(?)' filler used between the boards. Its likely this was done to stop draughts and keep the rooms warmer or is a build up of wax and polishes over time. Its good to root this stuff out but you may want to consider, in the case of draughts, whether you would want to replace it. My personal approach, and one I have seen used elsewhere, is to fill the joints to just below the surface with Caulking Cotton, several strands twisted together may be needed for wider gaps, hammered into each joint - but being careful not to hammer it all the way through. Be aware though that you need to make sure you have a tight fit between the cotton and the boards to prevent it simply falling through into any cavity.

Caulking Cotton is white and, depending on the final finish you want for the floor you may need to paint the cotton so that it blends to the surrounding colour - in my place I've used a breathable chocolate brown to match the surrounding oak.

Hope this helps and good luck - keeping these old places up to spec is fun.

Cheers,
Cubist

 

[vulcanspotter]

Hi did the chalking cotton work to cut down drafts? I have used Stopgap as the gaps are not a constant size. But the room still feels cold and I can feel a draft.

 

[Cubist]

Hi did the chalking cotton work to cut down drafts? I have used Stopgap as the gaps are not a constant size. But the room still feels cold and I can feel a draft.

Hi There,

I've been using Caulking Cotton to pack gaps produced by timber shrinkage in our 16thC timber frame house, internally and externally and have also used it to pack joints between floorboards. It can do a first class job in most instances because you can increase the diameter by twisting two or more strands together to form a thicker rope before pressing it into the gap. With regard to floorboards; if the joints between the boards open onto a void below you have to make sure that you make the rope thick enough so that you must force it between the boards - I try to make the ropes thick enough that I have to hammer them gently into place with a dull Bolster Chisel. When the rope is in place you can then use a heavy wax to go over the boards and fill the gap above the surface of the rope. If you do not want to wax the floor you can also use a breathable paint to colour the rope to match the floor.

This will significantly reduce any draught caused by cold air being pulled into the room from below the floor, caused by any heat sources in the house, but it's unlikely to stop them entirely.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,
Cubist

 

[Cubist]

Hi did the chalking cotton work to cut down drafts? I have used Stopgap as the gaps are not a constant size. But the room still feels cold and I can feel a draft.

Hi There,

I've been using Caulking Cotton to pack gaps produced by timber shrinkage in our 16thC timber frame house, internally and externally and have also used it to pack joints between floorboards. It can do a first class job in most instances because you can increase the diameter by twisting two or more strands together to form a thicker rope before pressing it into the gap. With regard to floorboards; if the joints between the boards open onto a void below you have to make sure that you make the rope thick enough so that you must force it between the boards - I try to make the ropes thick enough that I have to hammer them gently into place with a dull Bolster Chisel. When the rope is in place you can then use a heavy wax to go over the boards and fill the gap above the surface of the rope. If you do not want to wax the floor you can also use a breathable paint to colour the rope to match the floor.

This will significantly reduce any draught caused by cold air being pulled into the room from below the floor, caused by any heat sources in the house, but it's unlikely to stop them entirely.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,
Cubist