Ludger Wolf wrote:
On 16 Sep 2005 11:20:48 -0700, wrote:
wrote:
diff. widths of rope. stain them to try and match the color of the
floor and wedge the rope in the gaps. I have seen this done and it
looks fine. I have seen the filler method used and it looked
terrible and almost always cracks due to the natural expansion /
contraction of the wood floor.
That's a great idea. Rope caulking like that used on boats.
As noted the boards will expand and contract accross their width
with changes in humidity so a rigid gap filler will not work.
Normally floor boards are tongue and groove or (maybe)shiplapped
so that as they expand and contract the gap does not go all the
way through.
The floor board in our cabin have tongoue and goove too, but still the
gaps are there and tend to collect dirt.
I might try the idea with the rope. Any idea about what kind of
material for the ropes?
I probably need to finish the floors before wedging in the ropes,
because otherwise the floor finish want really work with the flexible
ropes?
I kinda have my doubts about the rope thing.
On boats, the caulking material is cotton. Or oakum (tarred hemp for
really wide (1/4"+) seams.
Caulking cotton comes in a long, loosely consolidated "rope" maybe an
inch in diameter. One inserts it into the seam with a caulking
iron...sort of a chisel like tool with a curved base 2-3" wide. The
edge of the curve comes in varying widths dependant on the width of the
seam. One taps in some cotton leaving a 5-6" loop out, taps in some
more leaving another loop, etc. Then you go back and tap in 1/2 of each
loop...repeat until all is in. One then "makes" the seam with heavier
blows. How heavy is determined by the sound. How much cotton goes into
the seam is determined by experience. The seams aren't filled.
The reasons I doubt the efficacy of this (or rope) for your problem are
three fold...
1. Boat seams have a very narrow "V" shape. The shape allows the
cotton to compact and stay in place. When the planks swell, the made
cotton is literally pressed into the edges. Your "seams" would have no
"V"
2. After caulking, the seams are "stopped"...the area above the
cotton is filled with a plastic material (plastic as in flexible) such
as putty.
3. Since you wouldn't want to be stopping your seams, I just can't
see any way you are going to get a round rope in the cracks and have it
level with the floor.
--
dadiOH
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