reclaimed wooden floors

[sunglasses]

We have a Victorian house with original floorboards that are in pretty good condition apart from the fact they have been cut across the whole length of the room in several places ( essentially chopping up the original length of each board into smaller sections) it hasn't been done particularly carefully and looks a bit of a mess. No idea who did this or why!!! So we want to replace the whole floor in two adjoining rooms with reclaimed floor boards. Has anyone done this? Where did you get the floorboards from and who laid them for you? Was it really expensive?
I am based in London so if anyone has any personal recommendations to make I would be most grateful. Or indeed any advice in general about such a job.
Thanks

[Pannacotta]

It might be worth getting someone to price up renovating the existing boards, it would probably be cheaper.
It is quite possible to take them all up and relay them/move them around which woudl make it much less obvious that they have been cut.
If you then stain them a dark colour or paint them with matt floor paint this would also help to hide any blips.
This is what I have done with the floorboards in our last two houses.

Look up floor sanding companies and ask them to price up both options, ire renovating and replacing. They will know where to source reclaimed boards.

There are plen ty to choose from
[http://www.google.co.uk/#hl=en&sclient=psy-ab&q=reclaimed+floorboards+london&oq=reclaimed+floorboards+london&gs_l=hp.3...283.5354.0.5556.28.21.0.4.4.2.2015.6151.0j3j3j2j1j8-1j1.11.0.les%3B..0.0...1c.1.D9vkMain5vM&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=2484ab4e877cef36&bpcl=37643589&biw=1821&bih=857]]

[Pannacotta]

www.google.co.uk/#hl=en&sclient=psy-ab&q=reclaimed+floorboards+london&oq=reclaimed+floorboards+london&gs_l=hp.3...283.5354.0.5556.28.21.0.4.4.2.2015.6151.0j3j3j2j1j8-1j1.11.0.les%3B..0.0...1c.1.D9vkMain5vM&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=2484ab4e877cef36&bpcl=37643589&biw=1821&bih=857

[sunglasses]

Thanks Pannacotta. We have thought about renovating them and moving them as you described. It is something we are still considering. I have already googled as you have suggested in your link and I even have a quote already for both options but always looking for good recommendations from personal experience so I can make an informed choice. Who did you use to renovate yours and would you recommend them?

[Pannacotta]

Oh we live in Norfolk so I cant recommend anyone to do the work sorry.

But I agree its always good to get recommendations. See what they all say and then its easier to make an informed decision.

But if you do choose to lay reclaimed flooring, do try and match up really well with what you have, in terms of the wood, the size/width of boards and the way they are laid - I am presuming you have floorboards in other room you are keeping, if you arent then it doesnt matter so much.

[sunglasses]

We do have boards in other rooms but all upstairs. This is basically the two living rooms and hallway downstairs. Such a shame that someone did this to them. They are also stained and varnished hideously and look a lovely mega shiny orangey yellow colour! Not helping with our opinion of them We want a floor we are in love with. Just waiting for our restored fires to be put back in so slowly (and expensively!) restoring it to its former glory.

[Pannacotta]

What a shame.
That said, its easy enough to get rid of the colour, it will go as soon as they are sanded.
I do think pine boards (presuming they are pine since they are orange?) look much better stained a dark colour which softens the grain and takes away the orange tint which is ugly I agree.
If you wax rather than varnish them or use a matt finish they also look better, much softer.

[betterwhenthesunshines]

We bought some from a local reclaim yard ( twas a long time and 2 houses ago!!) but just google and see who is near you and call and ask - they will usually ask for board thickness and width. There are a couple in Willesden / Park Royal and you could try Lassco ( but they tend to be more high end and expensive).

One thing you should consider is some form of insulation underneath. We had netting stapled onto the joists and then fibreglass wadding laid, but as I say it was a while ago and there may be better products around now.

For our cold granite house on Dartmoor I'm going to lay thermafoil even under the carpets. I don't see why you couldn't fit it under floorboards, but google and ask them. It will be cold and draughty with nothing.