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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Original poster

Ohhhh I have just found stripped, stained floorboards under my carpet!

64 replies

pecka · 06/07/2006 16:10

I have been getting more and more sick of the carpet in the living room for ages now - its manky from the heavy traffic (messy me, messy kids and am a childminder too) so in some places it is really stained and drives me mad.

Anyway, was thinking about replacing with laminate (cant afford real wood sob) but cant really afford to stretch even to laminate.

Anyway, had a neighbour round for a cuppa today and I mentioned about the carpet and she said oh XXXX when she lived there had it all stripped and stained but then put a carpet over it.

AHA Imagine my excitement when I pulled back the carpet to find lovely smooth floorboards.

I cant decide whether to go with it. Not sure I like the "look" of stripped floorboards but the wipe cleanable aspect of it appeals.

Anyone else got them? Do you like them?

I was thinking big rug in the middle to soften it up a bit.

They are stained quite a dark colour.

OP posts:
misdee · 06/07/2006 16:11

oh how wonderful! it'll be so much easier to sweep and clean. do it!!

fairydust · 06/07/2006 16:11

don't you have browns and creams in your living room?

I think they'll look really nice with a nice rug in the middle.

cupcakes · 06/07/2006 16:11

I think it sounds great. You could always sand them if the colour is too dark for you.

Kenneth · 06/07/2006 16:12

Oh definitely. No contest with carpets.

Original poster
pecka · 06/07/2006 16:14

Would sanding and restaining not be a HELL of a job?

I think they will need revarnishing anyway as they are slightly scratched in some places.

Also, will they be ok underneath where the gripperrods are now?

The walls at the moment are cream, with brown leather sofa, brown leather mirrors etc and cream/browny/goldy curtains

OP posts:
mazzystar · 06/07/2006 16:14

We have have original stripped wooden floors, a lovely honey kind of colour - they are gorgeous. I wouldn't choose anything else myself. It can get a bit breezy in the winter though, so I think a rug or two is essential, and insulate your underfloor if you can.

Pruni · 06/07/2006 16:15

Message withdrawn

flutterbee · 06/07/2006 16:17

God I would die for stripped and stained floorboards in the house we have just bought.

You must pull the carpet up.

mazzystar · 06/07/2006 16:17

I think the sanding is a bit of a hot and dusty job ( we got a man in, i was 9 mo pg at the time), but its not expensive to hire the stuff.

Original poster
pecka · 06/07/2006 16:19

OOOOooooooooooooo Im getting excited now and thinking it is the way to go!

They are stained a chocolatey colour the same as our sofas.

I think a rug essential but anything is better than this carpet with attractive spills, pens, lipstick etc all over

OP posts:
Alan · 06/07/2006 16:19

I think they look nice a little worn tbh

sugarfree · 06/07/2006 16:21

Mazzy you lightweight! I did ds3's bedrrom floor,the hall and the dining room when I was 8.5 months!!
A dr friend did take dh aside and suggest I be stopped but I was off on one and it "needed doing fgs!"
I did get a man in to do the lounge though.
It is a bastard of a job.

fredly · 06/07/2006 16:21

go for it, much more hygienic than carpet, and so much nicer. Do you know if it's soft or had wood ? if soft it will dent easily. But i'd still go for it

Twiglett · 06/07/2006 16:22

we're at the manky carpet stage .. amd dreading pulling it up because I know we do want real wood floorboards .. and if there's nothing there (which I'm sure there isn't as I can see a bit of chipboard jutting out) then it'll cost a f'kin' fortune

you don't know how lucky you are

mazzystar · 06/07/2006 16:22

LOL sugarfree!

I went into labour the day they started. Nesting by proxy I think.

Original poster
pecka · 06/07/2006 16:24

Are all floor boards good or could these be shite ?

they are about 15cm wide each length?

how do i tell if hard or soft

OP posts:
Waswondering · 06/07/2006 16:27

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Alan · 06/07/2006 16:28

they are usually softwood. they are good if they look ok

Original poster
pecka · 06/07/2006 16:33

How inexpensive is inexpensive?

OP posts:
honeyflower · 06/07/2006 16:53

I'm just about to have my living-room, dining-room and hall done for £750 - and they are BIG rooms (living room is probably about 18ft by 14, hall is 6ft wide). Probably depends a bit where you live though.

Waswondering · 06/07/2006 17:10

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

JanH · 06/07/2006 17:17

We did ours once, pecka, it is a filthy job but they did look lovely (apart from all the nailholes and crumbly bits, being very cheap Victorian which had been knocked about a lot).

As yours is a modern house, if they have never been lifted they should fit really closely (T&G shouldn't have any gaps unless they've been forced up) and only need maybe a light sanding in a few places and one coat of varnish

They are a bit noisy and draughty though - laminate would be quieter and warmer but not as nice.

JanH · 06/07/2006 17:19

They will be softwood btw (pine/deal/whitewood) - only posh old houses have hardwood boards afaik.

Alan · 06/07/2006 17:21

oh come on janh, you know pecka is a posh old bird with a posh old house

Original poster
pecka · 06/07/2006 20:20

can we have a vote? shall i rip it up before dh comes in or not?

OP posts: