I've just removed the carpet from a bedroom 16 foot by 12 foot and
want to renovate the floorboards. The house was originally a surgery
owned by the local health authority and is about a hundred years old.
The flooboards have been cut along one of the joists the entire
length (16 foot) of the room, leaving two floorboards of roughly four
and eight foot in length across the width of the room.
The four foot length is the original board and the eight length looks
as if they were put down about thirty years ago. Both types of boards
are the same width and thickness and both have shrunk slightly leaving
gaps.
I'm hoping to lift them and relay staggering the joints, by
alternating the boards and closing the gaps between.
A problem I have is that the original boards have been laid under a
wall extending out onto the landing. The wall is like stud partition
but bricks fitted in between the timber. What would be the easiest way
to cut the floorboards tight into the wall after removing the
skirting? A circular saw will not get in close enough and a jigsaw
will not either as there is a joist running parallel with the wall.
What would be the quickest way to cut the board along the wall?

Are there wood cutting discs suitable for an angle grinder.

I'm also wondering about when rearranging the boards, as their ends
will probably not align with the joists and I don't really want to add
in extra bits of floorboard, what would be the best way to support
their ends.

I was thinking of replacing the whole floor with new boards, but don't
feel it looks the same as an old sanded one

Any advice

jack

"jack" wrote in message
...
I've just removed the carpet from a bedroom 16 foot by 12 foot and
want to renovate the floorboards. The house was originally a surgery
owned by the local health authority and is about a hundred years old.
The flooboards have been cut along one of the joists the entire
length (16 foot) of the room, leaving two floorboards of roughly four
and eight foot in length across the width of the room.
The four foot length is the original board and the eight length looks
as if they were put down about thirty years ago. Both types of boards
are the same width and thickness and both have shrunk slightly leaving
gaps.
I'm hoping to lift them and relay staggering the joints, by
alternating the boards and closing the gaps between.
A problem I have is that the original boards have been laid under a
wall extending out onto the landing. The wall is like stud partition
but bricks fitted in between the timber. What would be the easiest way
to cut the floorboards tight into the wall after removing the
skirting? A circular saw will not get in close enough and a jigsaw
will not either as there is a joist running parallel with the wall.
What would be the quickest way to cut the board along the wall?

Are there wood cutting discs suitable for an angle grinder.

I'm also wondering about when rearranging the boards, as their ends
will probably not align with the joists and I don't really want to add
in extra bits of floorboard, what would be the best way to support
their ends.

I was thinking of replacing the whole floor with new boards, but don't
feel it looks the same as an old sanded one

Any advice

jack


You need to cut the board to the centre of the nearest joist, and the same
again when relaying, otherwise the end will give when stood on, or under a
load ie bed leg

Dave

jack wrote in message . ..
I've just removed the carpet from a bedroom 16 foot by 12 foot and
want to renovate the floorboards. The house was originally a surgery
owned by the local health authority and is about a hundred years old.
The flooboards have been cut along one of the joists the entire
length (16 foot) of the room, leaving two floorboards of roughly four
and eight foot in length across the width of the room.
The four foot length is the original board and the eight length looks
as if they were put down about thirty years ago. Both types of boards
are the same width and thickness and both have shrunk slightly leaving
gaps.
I'm hoping to lift them and relay staggering the joints, by
alternating the boards and closing the gaps between.
A problem I have is that the original boards have been laid under a
wall extending out onto the landing. The wall is like stud partition
but bricks fitted in between the timber. What would be the easiest way
to cut the floorboards tight into the wall after removing the
skirting? A circular saw will not get in close enough and a jigsaw
will not either as there is a joist running parallel with the wall.
What would be the quickest way to cut the board along the wall?

Are there wood cutting discs suitable for an angle grinder.

I'm also wondering about when rearranging the boards, as their ends
will probably not align with the joists and I don't really want to add
in extra bits of floorboard, what would be the best way to support
their ends.

I was thinking of replacing the whole floor with new boards, but don't
feel it looks the same as an old sanded one

Any advice

jack

you can hire a tool that cuts the bottoms of doors in situ, for carpet
fitters. One of these could cut right up to the wall. Circ saw blades
in angle grinders are too dangerous.

If the unsupported length of board is too long to rely on self
support, you could add some more woodwork between the joists to give a
new strip for the boards to rest on.

If you re-lay closing the gaps, you will need a couple of extra
planks: reclaimed wood would hopefully match whats there, take a bit
along to match the colour. If you use new wood it would look very out
of place.

And in a lot of cases old floors dont need sanding, just a thorough
washing.


Regards, NT

On Sat, 21 Aug 2004 00:11:57 GMT, jack wrote:

I've just removed the carpet from a bedroom 16 foot by 12 foot and
want to renovate the floorboards. The house was originally a surgery
owned by the local health authority and is about a hundred years old.
The flooboards have been cut along one of the joists the entire
length (16 foot) of the room, leaving two floorboards of roughly four
and eight foot in length across the width of the room.
The four foot length is the original board and the eight length looks
as if they were put down about thirty years ago. Both types of boards
are the same width and thickness and both have shrunk slightly leaving
gaps.
I'm hoping to lift them and relay staggering the joints, by
alternating the boards and closing the gaps between.
A problem I have is that the original boards have been laid under a
wall extending out onto the landing. The wall is like stud partition
but bricks fitted in between the timber. What would be the easiest way
to cut the floorboards tight into the wall after removing the
skirting? A circular saw will not get in close enough and a jigsaw
will not either as there is a joist running parallel with the wall.
What would be the quickest way to cut the board along the wall?

Are there wood cutting discs suitable for an angle grinder.

I'm also wondering about when rearranging the boards, as their ends
will probably not align with the joists and I don't really want to add
in extra bits of floorboard, what would be the best way to support
their ends.

I was thinking of replacing the whole floor with new boards, but don't
feel it looks the same as an old sanded one

Any advice

jack


Jack

If you have the same problems I did there are 2 more ......

1) you will probably destroy some of the boards as you lift them, they
will either split along the length or won't come up, this is
especially a problem with the first.

2) once all the gaps are closed you will have a single big gap to
fill, and a new board won't match in.

I had all your problems as well. the ends under the wall may just be
under the skirting/plaster it may be worth having a dig arround.

If you go for all new boards, like I did in the end, with new pine
ones, they all srank in the first 6 months, leaving gaps - back to
square 1.

I put a lot of time & effort it, and did not make that much
difference. I wish I had spent the money on a good carpet.

If the floor is up, its also worth insulating between the joists.

Rick

(N. Thornton) wrote in message . com...
jack wrote in message . ..
I've just removed the carpet from a bedroom 16 foot by 12 foot and
want to renovate the floorboards. The house was originally a surgery
owned by the local health authority and is about a hundred years old.
The flooboards have been cut along one of the joists the entire
length (16 foot) of the room, leaving two floorboards of roughly four
and eight foot in length across the width of the room.
The four foot length is the original board and the eight length looks
as if they were put down about thirty years ago. Both types of boards
are the same width and thickness and both have shrunk slightly leaving
gaps.
I'm hoping to lift them and relay staggering the joints, by
alternating the boards and closing the gaps between.

What's the point of this? Sounds like a lot of unnecessary work to me.
You will have a whole set of new problems and will probably end up
replacing half the boards - the new boards will then shrink and the
gaps will return.

cheers

jacob