Sand down floorboards or replace them?

[DIYsloth]

Hi,

We currently have bare floorboards in our living room, but they are gappy (with a cold cellar below) and have been painted badly by the previous owners... the paint has therefore dripped down the side of some of the boards in the gaps...

I want to tidy them up but can't decide between the options:

1/ Sand down and fill gaps (or seal from below)
2/ Take up boards, strip, replace without gaps (needing more boards), sand
3/ take up boards (and hopefully sell), replace with reclaimed boards
4/ Pay someone to sort it out.

1/ seems like a fairly poor solution; and 4/ will be expensive considering the amount of repairs and gaps.

3/ looks like the easiest - but just seems bizarre that I would swop original boards for reclaimed boards!?! Am I going mad? Is there a better option for 2/ that will deal with the paint down the sides of planks AND stop draughts?

Thanks for any advice you can give - I'm going round in circles!

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

New floorboards alone will never stop draughts. You will need to insulate the floor to do that.

 

[DIYsloth]

No fair enough, but compared to the existing gappy ones, they will be a vast improvement. T&G'd compared to <10mm gaps...

So actually, do you think I should just insulate from below and not worry about the gaps? What about the problem of white paint down the sides of the boards...

What's the best way to insulate? I could put big blocks of insulation between the joists from below, but wasn't sure whether this would be as good as just stapling that foil insulation stuff across them?

I think the draughts are a bigger issue than heat loss, due to the hot air rising thing (obviously in roofs you want big thick insulation, but between cellars and a living room, it doesn't seem as necessary)

Thanks,

 

[ladylola]

I'd definately insulate the floor, I've done similiar in other properties and used the dense green mineral wool type of insulation around 100mm thick, I can't remember the trade name but someone else or google probably will.
As to the floor boards, easiest option is to carpet it.
If that's not you intention then considering the gaps are 10mm or so then I'd be inclined to lift them and relay. Long winded I know but they are acclimatised and so should clamp up nicely with little movement or gaps leaving probably one or maybe two runs to be put in in new wood that can be stained down if required.

 

[DIYsloth]

Makes sense! Although having googled 'green' insulation I get pages of environmentally sound insulation rather than something green! So if you remember the name, it would be good?

The question might be how to hold it in place, as there is a cellar underneath? (will check when I find what sort of material it is)

Any tips on lifting old floorboards without snapping/splitting them? Just do it delicately... with a crowbar!

Thanks

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Have a read here: //www.diynot.com/forums/floors-stairs-lofts/1930-wooden-floors-insulation.296754/#2161761 your situation is slightly different as you don't have a void beneath but a cellar but in terms of type and method of supporting the insulation its all the same.

 

[ladylola]

The question might be how to hold it in place, as there is a cellar underneath? (will check when I find what sort of material it is)

Strips of timber and chicken wire are fine although if you wish you could go to the trouble of plasterboarding to give a tidier appearance. I may have mislead you when I said green insulation as I was refering to the colour, I think it's volcanic in origin and quite dense and is covered on one side in a sort of black paperish sheet and will if cut tightly hold itself between the joists unless you do a lot of dancing in you living room.

Any tips on lifting old floorboards without snapping/splitting them? Just do it delicately... with a crowbar!

Thanks

We tend to use timber wedges. You may find that you do damage the first board getting it up but then hammer in the wedges to force the board off the joist. As you have access under the boards via the cellar then knocking in the wedges becomes a bit easier to start the job. Really stubborn nails can also be cut using a reciprocating saw. The nails are probably cut nails which hold really well although as soon as they can be forced a bit do tend to come out easy.