Scaffold Boards Used as flooring

[spongeylou]

I wondered if anyone has used scaffold boards as flooring. I have heard they shrink and leave big gaps? I want my floor to look old and used and have a limited budget. Does anyone have any ideas for an alternative?

Buy second hand boards on eBay. Scaffold boards are really thick and would be hard to lay I think. Loads of cheap flooring on eBay and you can age it up. Or look at plywood plank floors on google/Pinterest.

If you buy flooring, especially used, it is vital to have it all exactly the same thickness, or you will get steps and unevenness. The work required to plane down individual boards would be enormous, unless you have a thicknesser which you would not want to use on old boards as a stray nail would wreck the blades.

All timber shrinks sideways as it dries out so must be fully dried before laying, otherwise it will not just leave gaps, it will crack.