oak floor needing some tlc

floydy

hi all

our 1930's house has wonderful oak flooring in the hall and lounge which unfortunately is now starting to lift, squeaking and opening up in various places

did have it sanded and varnished 5 yrs ago

i suspect it will need lifting and relaying(gulps at the cost involved)

anyone have any wise words? def want to conserve wooden floor, its so beautiful and durable

tia

floydy

bump

any advice please???

catt_2

Hi. I have the same in a 1940s home, again, lounge and hall. Mine is solid oak T&G strips. They were laid instead of floor boards directly onto the rafters.

There was old carpet on top. It looks dark and matt. Someone told me that's the years of dirt and grime. I'm hoping it will clean up without the need to sand. I can't bear the thought of the dust and the cost! Also have some damage from a central heating installation.

I'd appreciate any advice on what to use to clean it.

Im thinking of placing a rug or runner in the centre. Have you considered that Floydy?

silvercar

Resanding is the best option, with the joints sealed. The sawdust created from the sanding is brushed into the joints and then sealed. Should fix the gaps. Varnishing (satin finish clear varnish is what we chose, to preserve the natural look) should help with the lifting and squeeking.

Sanding will sort your problem to , catt. You need to be careful that any carpet gripper nails are removed or hammered in.

Steve_Groves

I am guessing by the age of your house that you do not have a solid floor and the flooring is sitting upon joists.

The way to stop squeaking floorboards is to screw them down. You don't want screws showing on a nice floor so I would suggest drilling a shallow hole above a joist, screwing down the board (so the screw head is below the surface) and then plugging the hole with another piece of oak.

You can buy oak plugs for this purpose or make your own with a plug cutter bit and your electric drill. If you line up the grain of the flooring with that of the plug then they almost disappear.

Steve

floydy wrote: »

hi all

our 1930's house has wonderful oak flooring in the hall and lounge which unfortunately is now starting to lift, squeaking and opening up in various places

did have it sanded and varnished 5 yrs ago

i suspect it will need lifting and relaying(gulps at the cost involved)

anyone have any wise words? def want to conserve wooden floor, its so beautiful and durable

tia