Hello all,
I am renovating my 100 year old house. The original house was tiny but has had a couple of additions over the years. I am turning the original house into a large kitchen. I removed 7 layers of old flooring to get down to the original. They are fir tongue and groove. I like the idea of keeping them — they are one of the few original elements of the house and they have a lot of character. BUT — there are a lot of problems with them. They are really beaten up. Half the floor is about 1/2 inch higher than the other half (they were different rooms once). Part of the floor runs in a different direction than the rest (again — it was once a spearate room). The floor slopes towards the middle of the room. And — there are gaps where walls have been removed.
I know that there is no right answer to this question — I guess I’m just looking for your impressions. Is it worth it to try to save these old floors — refinishing, filling gaps, etc? Or should I just cover them with new hardwood?
Thanks,
Kris
Replies
Kris -
It sounds like you aren't saving much from the old house if that is becoming just the kitchen. Are you saving the windows? Trim? Doors? What is your kitchen going to look like when it is done? Chances are it will be entirely new and will make the scarred up floor look shabby. Don't forget that if you are taking walls out there's probably no flooring underneath the existing walls. And there will be some cutting for pipes etc, no? If that room is going to become the kitchen, the old floor will be a minor part of the house. Will it fit in with everything else?
I love old homes and several times have made parts to replicate what did not exist any longer, but I doubt that keeping the floors in your situation will be worthwhile. If you really like the character of the wood, then carefully remove it and reuse it - either there or somewhere else.
Good luck.
Don K.
EJG Homes Renovations - New Construction - Rentals
THanks for the voice of reason, Don. You're right -- I've replaced all the windows and doors and have gutted and am re-drywalling. So everything else will be new, and the floors will probably look out of place. Besides, if I put down new flooring, I can run it into the living room (a 1970 addition) to give more continuity. I guess it's just sad to see that old floor covered up again.
Can I ask a follow-up question? Can I install new hardwood directly over the old fir floor? Does it matter that it slopes slightly towards the center of the house?
Kris
Kris-
As far as putting the new hardwood down over the fir, I can forsee one or two problems. You said the floor changes direction in one area. That means more than likely you will be nailing into boards that are going in the same direction. That's typically not done. Some might say go for it, but I want the finished floor to go at right angles (or some angle) to the underlying subfloor.
As far as the dip in the floor, that would not deter me from going over it, but since you are going through all the trouble of redoing the room, why not fix it and do it properly?
Don K.
EJG Homes Renovations - New Construction - Rentals
If you are going to use brand new material it would be a shame to not have a level floor, or at least a flat one. Just a suggestion, and something I've done in the past, if you have the elevation to spare pour gypcrete or some other self leveling lightweight concrete over the whole floor. After you could install 3/4 ply and nail down strip flooring, or install suitable flooring directly on the pour (glue down or floating wood, tile etc.). Sounds extreme I know, but leveling what you described using tapered sleepers or a similar method could be a nightmare. If you sneak in some radiant floor heating in the slab you may succeed in spending about ten times what you originally planned.