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

[pecka]

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.

yes, we got it from next...hang on I try to find it.....

(BTW it's not red)

I was going to say, don't suggest a red rug, I'm in debt so can't get one of those ;)

It's not on the Next site now but if you look here at the 3 chenile throws at the bottom of the page.
Similar colours are in stripes in the centre of the rug, with a plain dark brown/sandy mottled edge.

really hard to discribe actually....but looks FAB.

and what colour be your walls?

We got it in the sale half price and AFAIK the new sale will be starting soon.

Creamy, very pale yellow.

Ok, who can tell me how long it will take DH to sand a small living room floor with a hired sander?

it would take my dh over a year....
6 months to think about it...
another month to say he is going to hire the sander tomorrow
another month to lose the phone number....

you get the idea

no to long - an hour maybe 2 at most if a particularly dark stain as you might have to do some stubborn bits twice - worth it though!

DH is on his way to hire a floor sander

I'm scared

did you get it done then? what do you think?!

Yes got it done!! it looks great

Just bought a light oak varnish to treat it

Bloody 40 quid a tin ! couldnt believe how much varnish is!

cheaper than carpet though bet it looks lovely!

I had floorboards exactly as you describe. I loved the dark colour and personally wouldn't redo it. Our walls were magnolia and all the other wood painted in cream so it looked gorgeour. I'm homesick for it now I think of it! We had glass furniture, black leather sofas and a big black rug from ikea.
The only things you have to think of is, that food gets stuck between the floorboards - we got a bad mouse problem. You also have to be careful of scraping them. I tore strips off one corner with an office chair at my desk. We didn't find it particulary cold. If you do get rugs you will find that they get abs filthy and need hoovering at least once a day. With wooden floors all the dust is drawn to rugs like a magnet. You also notice floorboards creaking without carpets over them and we had to go round with a hammer and nails every few months!
we have laminate now since we moved, but I'd much rather have the character of natural floorboards again.