Draughty floorboards

I live in a house with wooden floorboards. The floor boards have probably shrunk over time (built 1972) and are letting cold air through the tonge and groove joints. Would it be sensible to remove the carpet and fill the gaps with a sealant, or would it be better to fit a layer of hardboard, or both?

Reply to
daverok
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Sealant is the expensive option, so I'd say go with the hardboard. Remember to leave any pipe tracks or hatches under the boards accessible, just in case. Hardboard is best laid when damp, so that it expands and shrinks tight on the floor. Use SureGrip (Annular) nails to fix it down, as normal nails have a tendency to work loose over a short space of time. SureGrip nails have wider heads and barbs worked into the shaft of the nail, so they don't pull out easily.

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the boards with a mop on the rough side while they lie flat, allow them to expand for an hour or two, then lay them shiny side up while still a bit damp. Hardboard is flimsy and flops about under carpet, but if you fix them and allow them to dry flat, they tighten and go more rigid and feel a lot better to walk on.

Anyway. Have fun, and keep warm.

Reply to
BigWallop

daverok,

Are these floorboards on the ground floor and over something like a cellar?

Without seeing the state of them first hand, my first instincts would be to put a good quality, thick underlay (such as Cloud 9) under the carpet and fixing the carpet with grippers around the walls (if not already done) rather than filling the floor joints or laying hardboard - especially if various pipes and cables are under the floor.

Cash

Reply to
Cash

If it is just to stop draughts, wouldn't gaffer tape over the joints work just as well (As there is carpet going over it anyway)?

Toby...

Reply to
Toby

In article , BigWallop writes

Shiny side down, rough side up to stop the underlay/carpet slipping around. Tape the joints with gaffer tape and use sealant to seal the gap under the skirting/to the hardboard to catch the final draughts.

Don't forget that the room does need some ventilation to prevent condensation and allow you to breathe but draughtproofing allows you to control the amount of ventilation.

Reply to
fred

In article , daverok scribeth thus

We had this problem and filled the gaps with clear silicone sealant used Two tubes IIRC so less then 20 quid, and you still get that cool gappy floorboard look with none of the draughts:)...

Reply to
tony sayer

Thanks everybody for your thoughts.

It looks like the sealant route is not preferred and I should get some sheets of hardboard. I never thought of the gaffer tape idea. I would have thought that the ventilation situation would end up the same as how it would have been before the floorboards shrunk.

Reply to
daverok

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