Timber Flooring
Old timber floors are usually worth repairing. Wide elm, oak and pine boards, and Victorian and Edwardian parquet, are made of timber that is no longer easy to obtain, and the wear, cut nails and patina are part of the interest. The specialists here repair and piece in boards, relay and refinish parquet, source reclaimed timber to match, and deal with the structural side: failed joist ends, notched and drilled joists, springy floors and inadequate ventilation beneath suspended timber ground floors.
What this category covers
- Repair and piecing-in of historic boards in oak, elm and pine
- Parquet and wood block restoration, relaying and matching
- Reclaimed board sourcing and matching to existing floors
- Joist end repair, ventilation and subfloor problems
- Traditional finishes: waxes, oils, shellac and soap finishes
Antique Buildings Ltd
Antique Buildings Ltd specialises in ancient oak-framed buildings and the reclaimed materials ...
JH Building Restoration Ltd
JH Building Restoration Ltd is a heritage restoration and refurbishment contractor based ...
Organic By Design
Organic By Design is a heritage building maintenance and repair contractor based ...
Sussex Floor Restoration
Sussex Floor Restoration restores wood and stone floors for domestic and commercial ...
The West Sussex Antique Timber Company Ltd
The West Sussex Antique Timber Company supplies and fits traditional solid oak ...
Looking after a historic timber floor
Sand as a last resort, and lightly. Every sanding removes irreplaceable surface, and aggressive machine sanding takes off the patina, exposes nail heads and can leave boards too thin. Cleaning, localised repair and refinishing achieve more than a full sand on most floors.
Keep the underfloor ventilated. Most decay in suspended timber ground floors traces back to blocked or removed air bricks, raised external ground levels or a solid floor laid alongside. Restoring cross-ventilation is often the whole repair.
Repair joist ends rather than replacing floors. Decay is usually concentrated where joists bear into damp external walls. Splicing new timber onto sound material, and keeping the new bearing clear of the wall, is standard and far less destructive than renewal.
Choose a finish that can be maintained. Waxes, oils and traditional soap finishes can be topped up locally and repaired in patches. Modern lacquers look uniform initially but have to be stripped and redone entirely once they wear through.
Questions to ask
Should I sand my original floorboards?
Only if necessary, and then as lightly as possible. Sanding removes surface that cannot be replaced, and on thin or much-repaired boards it can weaken them. Cleaning and refinishing, with localised repair, is preferable where the floor is sound.
Can I insulate under existing floorboards?
Often yes, using a breathable insulation carried on netting or battens between the joists, with the underfloor ventilation kept clear. Sealing the void or blocking air bricks to reduce draughts is what causes decay, so ventilation must be maintained.
How do I match reclaimed boards to an existing floor?
By species, width, thickness, sawing method and age. Reclaimed boards of the same period usually blend far better than new timber, and suppliers who work with period floors will match from a sample. Allow surplus, as reclaimed batches are rarely repeatable.
All 7 businesses listed under Timber Flooring
- Antique Buildings Ltd Surrey
- Charles Lowe & Sons Leicestershire
- JH Building Restoration Ltd Cambridgeshire
- Organic By Design Cambridgeshire
- Sussex Floor Restoration West Sussex
- The West Sussex Antique Timber Company Ltd West Sussex
- Whippletree Hertfordshire
Directory information is provided to help visitors identify potentially relevant specialists and suppliers. Inclusion does not constitute a recommendation, approval or guarantee by Tuscan Foundry Products. Please check current services, credentials, availability and suitability directly with each business.