Exposing original floorboards - yay or nay?

[AwkwardPaws27]

We are (still...) slowly doing up our tired Edwardian semi.

The previous owners painted over the (peeling) lining paper and put down some quite nice laminate to tidy it up when selling.

I wanted to sand the original floorboards in the master bedroom but was talked out of it by family saying it would be noisy, dusty and draughty. I have the nice laminate in that room too now (picture of our master bedroom hopefully attached) with a good quality underlay and it's very quiet underfoot.

Although I'm happy with the bedroom, I'm still tempted to expose the floorboards downstairs. I have to carefully take up some of the laminate to move a radiator, so part of me says "fuck it, take the lot up". I'd sand the boards and apply a non-orangey varnish or oil, then have large rugs in the living and dining room.

Is it a terrible idea? Will I be cold, dust covered and miserable? Advice from anyone who has done this would be greatly appreciated!

You can never know until it's done exactly what it's going to look like - the joy of natural materials!

Sanding is HARD work - although if you're floorboards are fairly flat, and haven't previously been varnished/stained/painted, it is supposedly easier (I have never had a flat un-messed-with floor, so wouldn't know!). Perfectly doable with the right tools though. We've done all of ours ourselves - but we are tight fisted masochists...

So the older the floorboards are, the darker they're likely to be... But your image on the right does look like someone has put a coloured varnish on...

Damn... The edges have been painted. Hmmmm. Will have to think about it (had to take up that bit of floor anyway to move a radiator)

We've just done ours in tge living room of our Edwardian house. Boards are very knotty, but I like them. We've had insulation laid underneath to alleviate drafts. These have been sanded and clear varnished. Presume they are pine.

OP - we have a Victorian terraced house with pine boards. We have recently had the boards in two bedrooms stripped and sealed to give a 'non shiny' finish. They look just like the example on the left of the two pics that you posted. I absolutely love them! Can't wait to do the rest of the house and rip up all the manky carpets. I don't think of them as cold - but I always wear slippers/clogs round the house, so I wouldn't notice.

We got ours done professionally, and I would highly recommend it.

Here's a pic.

Ours are about four hundred years old. As said they are oak. If sanded correctlh they go back to the original wood colour, so very pale. As said, ours were done seven times.

Here is images of before, when we bought thr house, when they were sanded, and then with the clear varnish on.

Davethecat - nice knots!

We're going to insulate our lounge too - it's the only draughty room (I think because of the bay). What did you use for insulation, and has it made a noticeable difference? Ta!

not all boards were designed to be seen in some older houses the outside perimeter of room will be down in narrow boards that change direction as they go round corners / bay windows etc with wider boards in the middle this was so good wood was on the outer boards that remained on display while cheaper boards were in room centre to be covered by rugs large carpet the visible boards will be pitch or oregon pine ( less knotty) and inner boards ordinary pine
it is like many period doors, skirting boards, window shutters and frames some were designed to remain as exposed wood ( made from high quality timber) some were made to be painted from the start

@BustPipes - why thank you!

We have literally just finished the room..actually I tell a lie, OH is doing the final coat of varnish on the boards this evening, so haven't spent any time in there yet! I will say though that even though the room is empty at present, with no floor coverings or curtains, it doesn't seem drafty..will report back when we have actually managed to get in there and live in it a bit!

I'll ask OH the name of the insulation we used as I can't remember!

Onto the the 2nd recep next.. the joys of buying a neglected period house 😬

Joys indeed.

One day I hope to have everything done, and everything in its place (and a place for everything). When that day comes I AM NEVER DOING DIY AGAIN.

TBF, by that time I'll be so old and decrepit I won't be able to.

On the other hand, I do like my gleaming knotty pine floors!

looks nice but isn't nice to actually live with. particularly not upstairs. i'd always carpet a bedroom though, personally.

cold, draughty, noisy, shabby.

Otherwise, OK.

I recommend taking up the ground-floor boards, cleaning out the void (and insulating pipes, running any new cables, unblocking airbricks) and insulating between the joists and under the skirting. It is not difficult but a carpenter will take them up and relay them quicker and better than you can, and replace damaged ones in inconspicous corners. I recommend screw rather than nails.

This will fix the cold and draughts. If you want, you can colour the boards with spirit-based wood dye such as colron to blend them in or change the colour. Yellow pine will turn orange otherwise. Sand and clean them first. I favour a near-random colour of boards, if you try to do them all the same, replacements will stand out as different.

Buying beautiful rugs to go on a newly sanded and varnished floor is one of life’s great joys.

this is also a good time to add a floorboard safe, or trapdoor access to the void or to your wine store.

It's the boards close to the walls that are most likely to need to come up for future plumbing or wiring work, so be sure they can be unscrewed and lifted easily.

If you're good for a big job, insulating underneath would save you a lot of heat loss and make it less draughty as an option- depending on how much space you have under your house it may be that this can be done from underneath if there's a hatch or something.

In the photos, the boards don't look as though they were really installed with being exposed in mind- there are a lot of big gaps. A good floor specialist can fix these- although we found in one property that the filler between the boards had got brittle and was coming out. No idea how long ago it was done though- modern stuff may well be better.

Osmo hardwax oil is what you need. And stop gap. We love ours

We have a 1930's house which had original wide oak boards, covered in a horrible, thick, brown varnish.

DH took them all up, cleaned out the cavities, insulated, put them back down, industrial sanded, then I used an Osmo flat oil/wax/lacquer thing on top. In one room we used a slight white tint and in another we just used the clear. I'd highly recommend their products if you do decide to do it.

They are not cold or draughty at all, the wood feels warm under foot, the insulation really helps with noise prevention too, and they look amazing! We also have rugs as I like the wooden floor/rug look.

It was a labour of love and not a cheap option by the time you've factored in all the costs, but definitely worth it!

Insulation for the nation! This is the stuff we used

Cheers Dave - looks cozy.

Piglet John - as an asthmatic snot monster, I'm averse to woolly-looking insulation. What are the benefits of that type (that you posted a picture of) v the boarding type?

Thanks both!

The fluffy stuff looks like loft insulation?

@snotmonster

I only recommend mineral wool treated with Ecose, which does not shed irritant dust and fibres.

It is actually made by Knauf, but is widely sold as an own-brand. You will see "Ecose" on the packaging. It is commonly sold as loft insulation. You may be able to get dense batts which are heavier and more effective at blocking noise.

It is brown and soft.

I would never use the old yellow fibreglass as I have breathing difficulties in dusty environments.

the first benefit is that, being squashy, it can be stuffed into irregular gaps without needing to be cut with laser precision, and will block draughts. This is especially important around the edges of a room, where cold air blows up under the skirting boards and often leaves black marks in carpets where they are impregnated with dirt from the air that blows in, leaving black marks. Cold from a floor is mostly by cold air blowing up, there is not much heat loss by conduction through a wooden floor, and convection does not go downward.

It is less expensive than the foam board.

The rigid board is not usually a precise fit, especially in an old house, so draughts can blow through the gaps. Cutting it generates dust.

You may also have seen mention of fires where plastic foam insulation burns in a spectacularly fast and hot flame, and may emit toxic smoke. I would not now have it in or on my house.

Mineral wool is non-flammable and does not emit toxic fumes.

I have no axe to grind.

Thanks - that's helpful information.