Original floorboards - relaying?

murphydog999

Hi,
has anyone relatively competent in DIY re-laid floorboards successfully? How difficult can it be?

diable

If your partition walls are built on top of the floorboards then it will be nigh on impossible to do it.

leveller2911

If they are tongue and grooved it can be a nightmare.The reason being the boards would have shrunk at different rates, so when re-laying it can be almost impossible to get each tongue and groove to line up...ie one board is 123mm wide and the board next to it is 121mm wide it will end in tears...If each board runs the complete width of the room you should be ok,its when you have short ends,cuts its a nighmare.......You only need to be out by about 1mm per board and you start gaining.

You could number them as you take them up, then re-lay them in the same sequence, this should help with the difference in widths..

murphydog999

Neither are they tongue and groove or have partition walls on them. They are original Victorian, been under carpet for donkey's years, and most are in good nick. My husband is on about getting a 'specialist' in but I can't really see he difficulty myself.

leveller2911

So they are square edged, there will still be differences in the widths of the boards, so I would number each one and re-lay them back in the same order.....or you will have problems ...Its not a difficult job, can be done by a competant DIY er......Make sure the 1st board laid is nice n straight and you should be ok..

ormus

i agree with the above. any half decent diyer can do it.
numbering them as you lift em, will help a lot. i would always number them.

27col

It is in no way difficult to do. Just use a bit of common sense. You might want to get hold of a couple of floor clamps to make sure that the boards are really pulled up tight together, but it can be done without them.

ormus

http://www.lets-do-diy.com/Projects-and-advice/Floors/Laying-floorboards-onto-joists.aspx

use simple home made wedges, so no need to buy special clamps etc...

leveller2911

I tend to use an 1 1/4 chisel , hammer into the joist next to the board(being careful not to bruise the board,can use a packer) and push the board up nice n tight.Floor clamps are very handy as they are easy and quick to use and 2: you need to clamp up a number of boards at a time..... Lots of "right ways" to skin a cat...:D

murphydog999

Thanks chaps