Gaps between floorboards

[geraldthehamster]

I've just emptied my sitting room, in order to sand the floor and decorate. There are some lengths of floorboard that I've previously had up, by cutting our the tongues. There's now a raging draught through the gaps (suspended floor with air bricks underneath). Does anyone have any suggestions how I could fill the gaps in such a way that I could still remove the boards if required? Permanent solutions like glueing in slivers of wood, or string, aren't appropriate. All I've come up with so far is taking them up, and running a bead of silicone along the edge of the adjoining boards, letting it go off before refitting my loose boards, to act as a kind of washer.

Cheers Richard

[Toby]

Masking tape?

Certainly what I have found in my house by the previous owner - seems to work!

[The Natural Philosopher]

If you have gone that far, do yourself a favour, and take the lot up, and put insulation and draughtproofing underneath

[Usenet Nutter]

Why are " slivers of wood " not an option .Do you not have any old floorboards that match as that's what I did where there were gaps ....cut tapered slices of board and glued them in . Mind you I had also lifted most of the boards and squeezed them up closer and it was a big job . If you only removed the tongues was it done neatly ? why are there gaps ...the boards should still fit together closely without the tongues . I'd still be inclined to lift them ..close them up and find a piece to fill the ensuing gap .

Silicone ....Nah ..Don't think so .

[TMC]

As you say that you are sanding the floor I assume that you are leaving the boards exposed. Any solution therefore would need to look good as well as work. Insulate underneath? New floorboards to replace damaged ones, with then may have thickness and shrinkage issues? After the sanding coloured silicon in all gaps almost like grouting tiles? Nail punch all nails below the surface and fill all the holes with same silicon? Then seal the floor?

And why would you want to be able to take the boards up again easily?

Tony

[slider]

Get an old cork pin board and cut that to the desired widths, slightly over if possible. These strips can then be pressed into place and will compress providing a tight seal.

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[RobertL]

have used this and it works a treat.

Robert

[Usenet Nutter]

Oh Dear !!!!!

[Stuart Noble]

Yes, I've seen a sample and, providing it remains flexible (that's probably a big "if"), it looks like the best solution. Cutting strips doesn't really work unless the gaps are uniform and not tapered. Best to shove all the boards up and cut just the one wide strip from a matching board.

[geraldthehamster]

Thanks for the various suggestions:

Floorboards will be exposed and I can't apply it from underneath.

Yeah, thanks. I've neither the time nor the inclination to rip up the whole floor, though I've been tempted. This has been discussed here before - I think a means of insulating under a suspended wooden floor, with insufficient access underneath, without taking it up, is one of the holy grails... Helium-propelled expanding foam, perhaps ;-)

Because, as I said, I may need to be able to lift the boards again

For access to plumbing and electrics, which is why they were lifted in the first place.

The boards had shrunk slightly over time. The tongues were removed neatly with a jigsaw.

You might be right, in that the board might just push it off the other board. Hence my request for other suggestions.

Worth a thought.

If anyone else has any further suggestions as to how I might fill the gaps in such a way that I could still remove the boards if required, they will be gratefully received.

Cheers Richard

[geraldthehamster]

That looks possible as well. If it's flexible it probably wouldn't stop the floorboard being lifted. Quite expensive, and more on a roll than I need, though I have other floorboards about the place whose turn will come.

Cheers Richard

[Usenet Nutter]

That's what I'd go for as well even if it is a fair bit of work . If the tongues have been cut off neatly ( as OP says they have ) then the boards should sit together quite well and to enable some to be lifted in the future use countersunk screws . This is one time when looking for fast fixes is not the answer .

[tony sayer]

In article , geraldthehamster scribeth thus

We had the same problem in daughters bedroom. Filled the gaps with clear silicone and took the surplus off with a very sharp knife .

Sanded lightly, result holes plugged and looks quite natural i.e. leaves the artistic gaps but no wind thru them at all:)..

And if you wanted one up a sharp knife to cut the sealant .. job done...

[geraldthehamster]

For clarity, the affected boards are not adjacent, but are three individual cut lengths of board at intervals along one wall.

Cheers Richard

[TMC]

Have not done this myself

Have seen this done in bathrooms of houses to let Looked OK and stopped water getting through. Saved putting down a floor covering as well

I do not think that it would look any different to the gapfill suggested below and would be I think cheaper

Also saw something similar years ago when doing house rewiring where the gaps were filled with what looked like wax

Tony

[TMC]

For clarity, the affected boards are not adjacent, but are three individual cut lengths of board at intervals along one wall.

Cheers Richard

If all that you are looking for is to stop draughts why not fix 25mm wide strips of thin ply to the underside of the adjacent fixed board with sufficient overlap (with wood glue and clamp till set) and then simply lay the removable boards back in place

Tony

[geraldthehamster]

Good idea

[geraldthehamster]

Floorboard gaps revisited:

I've done this now, and followed your suggestion. I cut some lengths from scrap thin timber and ply, between one and two inches wide, to fit under the edges of the adjoining floorboards, between the joists (so each bit of wood was around 400mm long).

After some attempt at nailing upside down, I found the easiest way was to start off a couple of small screws in what would become the underside of the strip, run a bead of glue along the other side, place under the edge of the adjoining board, have a glamorous assistant hold one end while driving home one screw with a driver, from underneath, then drive home the other screw.

Cheers Richard