There’s plenty of nice stone outside, we’ll have to be content with that.
Insulating my ancient living room
- Thread starter endecotp
- Start date
(3 months later…)
I have a load of plasterboard coming tomorrow, so I thought I’d better post some photos before this gets hidden forever.
This is the same right-hand window as before, with insulated studwork in place. It doesn’t look as smart as my previous efforts, because I’m re-using the wonky old timber and because I’ve inserted the insulation from behind, which makes it look like it has gaps around the insulation - it really doesn’t, see previous photos.
The frames feel nice and solid since I have secured them to each other half way up. Without that support, the 50mm timber is quite bouncy.
The insulation narrows from 100mm to 50mm at the windows. Some years ago when I was feeling rich I bough a few sheets of aerogel fleece to try in places where there’s not much space available; I’ve used some of that here behind the 50mm wood fibre.
Below the window I’ve built new 100mm studwork, and I’ve used strips of aerogel glued to the back of the studs:
Should be less than 3 months before the next update! I still haven’t shown you the North wall, due to the piles of stuff that are hiding it!
I have a load of plasterboard coming tomorrow, so I thought I’d better post some photos before this gets hidden forever.
The frames feel nice and solid since I have secured them to each other half way up. Without that support, the 50mm timber is quite bouncy.
The insulation narrows from 100mm to 50mm at the windows. Some years ago when I was feeling rich I bough a few sheets of aerogel fleece to try in places where there’s not much space available; I’ve used some of that here behind the 50mm wood fibre.
Below the window I’ve built new 100mm studwork, and I’ve used strips of aerogel glued to the back of the studs:
Should be less than 3 months before the next update! I still haven’t shown you the North wall, due to the piles of stuff that are hiding it!
Time for another update on this glacially-slow project.
Plasterboard fitted, joints and screws filled, and mist-coated around this window.
I’ve only done the filling now to find out whether I can do a good-enough job, or whether I should get a pro to come and skim everything for me at the end of the project. Like most jobs, I eventually produce something that’s OK - but sooo slooowly.
Plasterboard fitted, joints and screws filled, and mist-coated around this window.
I’ve only done the filling now to find out whether I can do a good-enough job, or whether I should get a pro to come and skim everything for me at the end of the project. Like most jobs, I eventually produce something that’s OK - but sooo slooowly.
Good job!
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You are indeed speeding up
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Small area like that you can probably end up with a decent job if you skim it yourself. I do my own, and I'm getting better. However, there is some investment in tools (whisk, trowel, hawk), so unless you can see a future use it's prob better to get someone in.
Symbolic first bit of floor is down:
It’s 75mm PIR with OSB floating over it.
Quite a stressful morning - they are digging up the road and have temporary traffic lights, so I was running around trying to find a huge truck with the insulation somewhere in the traffic jam, and negotiating which cones I could move to make a parking space for it. But at least it was dry & sunny!
Edit: come on, someone fix this rotated imaged bug!
It’s 75mm PIR with OSB floating over it.
Quite a stressful morning - they are digging up the road and have temporary traffic lights, so I was running around trying to find a huge truck with the insulation somewhere in the traffic jam, and negotiating which cones I could move to make a parking space for it. But at least it was dry & sunny!
Edit: come on, someone fix this rotated imaged bug!
OK, I have a question for all you lovely people.
I am very clearly a long long way from doing any final decorating in this room - but there are some decisions about colours and finishes that I need to make sooner rather than later.
The plan is a wooden floor of some sort, probably engineered oak of some shade. Then there will be panelling on the bottom part of the wall - I lifted the old softwood floorboards in chunks that I believe I will be able to fix to the wall. Then the rest of the walls painted.
The decision that I need to make soon is how to finish the paneling. I have two thoughts:
1. Paint the panelling white. I'd then have a light/mid-shade wooden floor, white skirting and paneling, and paint the upper part of the wall in some grey / stone / beige colour, or something.
2. Stain the panelling to a mid/dark brown colour. I'd then have a darker-shade wooden floor, similar panelling, and probably white or a light shade for the upper part of the wall.
In any case the ceiling and the sides of the window reveals will be white.
Factors that I need to keep in mind are:
- It's not a very bright room, except for a few hours in the middle of the day, so I would prefer lighter colours.
- It's an old building, and giving a feeling of age would be appropriate. Actually, dark stained wood panelling is not an authentic look for this period, but it is what people expect.
- I do have some furniture in dark wood.
- If I chose to stain the wall panelling, it should probably try to match the floor. Except they won't match because the floor will be oak and the paneling pine.
I am tending towards having white paneling. I then have the choice of simply painting it with white satin paint, or using something like an Osmo Tints white stain oil. Any thoughts about that?
The reason I am thinking about this now is that I will need to fix paneling below the windows where the radiators will go reasonably soon. While repainting later would not be difficult, changing from paint to wood stain or vice-versa would be a pain.
Thanks for reading!
I am very clearly a long long way from doing any final decorating in this room - but there are some decisions about colours and finishes that I need to make sooner rather than later.
The plan is a wooden floor of some sort, probably engineered oak of some shade. Then there will be panelling on the bottom part of the wall - I lifted the old softwood floorboards in chunks that I believe I will be able to fix to the wall. Then the rest of the walls painted.
The decision that I need to make soon is how to finish the paneling. I have two thoughts:
1. Paint the panelling white. I'd then have a light/mid-shade wooden floor, white skirting and paneling, and paint the upper part of the wall in some grey / stone / beige colour, or something.
2. Stain the panelling to a mid/dark brown colour. I'd then have a darker-shade wooden floor, similar panelling, and probably white or a light shade for the upper part of the wall.
In any case the ceiling and the sides of the window reveals will be white.
Factors that I need to keep in mind are:
- It's not a very bright room, except for a few hours in the middle of the day, so I would prefer lighter colours.
- It's an old building, and giving a feeling of age would be appropriate. Actually, dark stained wood panelling is not an authentic look for this period, but it is what people expect.
- I do have some furniture in dark wood.
- If I chose to stain the wall panelling, it should probably try to match the floor. Except they won't match because the floor will be oak and the paneling pine.
I am tending towards having white paneling. I then have the choice of simply painting it with white satin paint, or using something like an Osmo Tints white stain oil. Any thoughts about that?
The reason I am thinking about this now is that I will need to fix paneling below the windows where the radiators will go reasonably soon. While repainting later would not be difficult, changing from paint to wood stain or vice-versa would be a pain.
Thanks for reading!
I have experimented with white wood panelling:
That is the old pine floorboards, coated with Manns Classic Pine Stain (white) X2 and Osmo Polyx Oil Tints (satin white) X2.
This is based on some advice from https://www.wood-finishes-direct.co...ior-white-wood-finishes-for-dreamy-interiors/
I was attempting to create something with a bit more character than just uniform white paint. I'm not sure what I think. Points to note:
- I covered the screws and filled some of the gaps with Ronseal multipurpose wood filler (natural) (not the 2-pack) which has done a pretty good job of absorbing the colours. (I haven't filled all of the gaps on this test, as you can see!)
- The Wood Finishes Direct blog linked above suggests "Manns Trade Light Fast Wood Stain" which is solvent-based - but only available in 5l bottles. So I bought 1l of the "classic pine stain" instead, which is water-based and raises the grain quite significantly. Now maybe that could be a good thing if the aim is to draw attention to the fact that it's real wood... but it raises both the large-scale (annual growth) grain and the fine grain, making it rough to the touch. I didn't sand afterwards on the assumption that that would remove much of the colour.
- I don't believe that the photos in that blog are actually showing any of the products listed in use. I think they are stock photos. They are all much more white than would be achieved using these products.
- It looks quite yellow; not yellow in a varnish way, but yellow in a 'natural colour of the pine showing through' way. The photo above perhaps slightly exaggerates that, but not dramatically.
- I got the satin Osmo oil. I should probably have got the gloss. Combined with the slightly roughened result of the grain-raising, it does not really look or feel as if it has been oiled/waxed at all.
This is all looking somewhat "shabby chic", which is not the effect I was looking for.
I have also experimented with dark colours. In this photo, the left sample is black wood dye and danish oil, and the right sample is Osmo Polyx Oil Tints (Satin Terra). In both cases the harder part of the pine has absorbed very much less dye, giving a very stripy effect. Having that over a large expanse would be ... eye-catching (zebra!), to say the least.
I am coming to the conclusion that I should probably just paint it white. Hmm.
That is the old pine floorboards, coated with Manns Classic Pine Stain (white) X2 and Osmo Polyx Oil Tints (satin white) X2.
This is based on some advice from https://www.wood-finishes-direct.co...ior-white-wood-finishes-for-dreamy-interiors/
I was attempting to create something with a bit more character than just uniform white paint. I'm not sure what I think. Points to note:
- I covered the screws and filled some of the gaps with Ronseal multipurpose wood filler (natural) (not the 2-pack) which has done a pretty good job of absorbing the colours. (I haven't filled all of the gaps on this test, as you can see!)
- The Wood Finishes Direct blog linked above suggests "Manns Trade Light Fast Wood Stain" which is solvent-based - but only available in 5l bottles. So I bought 1l of the "classic pine stain" instead, which is water-based and raises the grain quite significantly. Now maybe that could be a good thing if the aim is to draw attention to the fact that it's real wood... but it raises both the large-scale (annual growth) grain and the fine grain, making it rough to the touch. I didn't sand afterwards on the assumption that that would remove much of the colour.
- I don't believe that the photos in that blog are actually showing any of the products listed in use. I think they are stock photos. They are all much more white than would be achieved using these products.
- It looks quite yellow; not yellow in a varnish way, but yellow in a 'natural colour of the pine showing through' way. The photo above perhaps slightly exaggerates that, but not dramatically.
- I got the satin Osmo oil. I should probably have got the gloss. Combined with the slightly roughened result of the grain-raising, it does not really look or feel as if it has been oiled/waxed at all.
This is all looking somewhat "shabby chic", which is not the effect I was looking for.
I have also experimented with dark colours. In this photo, the left sample is black wood dye and danish oil, and the right sample is Osmo Polyx Oil Tints (Satin Terra). In both cases the harder part of the pine has absorbed very much less dye, giving a very stripy effect. Having that over a large expanse would be ... eye-catching (zebra!), to say the least.
I am coming to the conclusion that I should probably just paint it white. Hmm.
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