lifting and relaying old floorboards

[jack]

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

[Dave Jones]

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

[N. Thornton]

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

[Rick Dipper]

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

[jacob]

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