Floor boards in bathroom

ajbaker

Having aquired a very old property I am slowly making my way through each room. Next on my list of things to do is the bathroom...

Currently there is a rather nasty carpet down. I was originally intending to tile the floor, but given the recommendations I have been given (not to!) and in order to complement the rest of the house I am now considering removing the carpet and using the bare floor boards.

Can anyone recommend any web sites with products to aid this, or make any suggestions in this forum? I am primarily interested in which products I could use to seal the wood itself from moisture, and what I could use to seal the gaps.

Regards the former, I am easily swayed between a varnish to remain the original colour of the boards, or going to the other extreme and painting them off-white to match the remainder of the room. Any procucts?

Regards the latter (Sealing gaps), having been to boat shows I am aware there is a cork product to seal gaps but cannot find anything online. Is there another way?

And finally, if I were to decide to replace the boards completely, are there any web sites that sell wood florring suitable for a bathroom.

Many thanks,

Andrew

irnbru_2

ajbaker wrote:

Regards the latter (Sealing gaps), having been to boat shows I am aware there is a cork product to seal gaps but cannot find anything online. Is there another way?

This thread any use?

poppet

The proffesional way to fill the gaps is to save some of the sawdust from the final sanding and mix it to a paste using whatever "coating" you have chosen.
In an upstairs bathroom it is quite important to fill the gaps if you can to stop moisture leaking down onto the ceiling below HOWEVER to be quite honest its unlikley to stay in place for ever. Invariably the filler drops out, sometimes in dribs and drabs and sometimes in one big lump. walking on the boards is going to make them move a bit and eventually the filler will come loose and fall out.

Which coating?? well again the proffesional choice would be lacquer, water based and pretty much maintanence free - easy to apply (we use rollers) and dosnt take an age to dry (particularly usefull if its the only loo in the house).
We use "Bona" products for all of our floors http://www.bona.com/templates_bona/page.asp?id=5182

which wood for a bathroom??
well all in all wood andwater are not an ideal match - wood isnt really to be reccomened in rooms with high mositure levels. Excess moisture can cause the timber to cup and warp - however it can work well if looked after carefully, mopping up all spills immediatly, keeping lots of windows open when having a shower that sort of thing.
Bamboo flooring is great for kitchens and bathrooms because it can tollerate much more moisture than other species of wood. Its actually a grass rather than a wood but does make rather nice flooring, but not cheap.
hope that helps