Original floorboards in kitchen and bathroom a nightmare?

[bumblebee61]

More house questions... has anyone got original floorboards in their kitchen and bathroom and if so how does it work from a practical standpoint? I imagine moisture could warp them and crumbs and spills get stuck between them... yuk. Still considering buying a house with these and they look lovely as they are painted white but from a practicality point of view I can't see how they would work. They have gaps between them. Do they need to be waxed/maintained or what?

if they are in good condition they might be tolerable.

In bathrooms they are very likely to have been taken up multiple times by electricians and plumbers using a chainsaw and a pickaxe and be in a very sorry state. If it is your own house and you can be bothered, you can patch then back to a good state by swapping out the damaged ones and fixing them down with countersunk screws (not nails). It is more work than any pro would bother with.

If you want to put down other flooring, such as vinyl (don't try to tile over floorboards) fit thin ply, carefully cut round all obstructions. If you fit it with the factory-cut edges in the middle, they will fit perfectly because they are straight, square and true.

Whenever you work on floors, especially in bathrooms and kitchens, paint the track of all pipes and cables on the surface. You will still drill through at least one.

We have floorboards in both, and it's fine. We had someone come in and fill in the cracks/gaps between them and seal them. They've not worn terribly well in the kitchen but we have lots of people through. The bathroom ones have lasted well.

We have original floorboards in the kitchen. There are slight gaps but have never noticed food getting stuck in them. For me they bring so much character and are the star of the kitchen. I had to fight DH to keep them instead of tiles when we did our renovation two years ago). They are holding up perfectly.