Water probably causes the most damage, especially in kitchens and bathrooms. Overflowing taps, unseen leaks, spills, and persistent dripping slowly ruin wood, turning it soft and spongy..
Houses also settle, allowing floorboards to rub against one another or supporting members to create annoying squeaks. Then there's actual material damage from burns, pet urine, poorly conceived alterations, and more. It goes almost without saying that a problem floor usually comes with multiple issues.
In the case of Wendy and Alex Santantonio's bathroom in their American Foursquare house, water leaks had severely damaged about a third of an antique heart-pine floor. The damage was concealed under layers of shoddy materials that had to be stripped away before the floor could be assessed and repaired.
In Gina Bellous' Queen Anne, vertical-grain, tongue-and-groove floors upstairs had been coated in layers of glue, burlap, and paint before more recent desecration by feral cats. Boards were missing altogether or replaced with plywood.
In both cases, the owner approached repairs by thinking through problems as they presented themselves. Thanks to persistence and ingenuity, their floors came through beautifully.
THE PRO TIP
Whether you are scraping, sanding, or chipping away at old flooring layers, be sure to wear a suitable mask that protects against particulates and chemicals. Unknown irritants and toxins may lurk in adhesives, felt, cement, and in flooring materials themselves. If you suspect a layer contains asbestos, test first.
EXCAVATING for GOLD
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Bu hikaye Old House Journal dergisinin May - June 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
THE Villa RENEWED
This house in Greene County, New York, has been faithfully restored, from its foundation and structure to exterior elements and trim inside.
walls & ceilings
BY THE 1870s, the tripartite treatment was fashionable: walls divided into dado (or wainscot) below the chair rail, fill or field section, and frieze at the top of the wall.
lighting + hardware
ANTIQUE, REPRODUCTION, or contemporary, lighting fixtures and lamps are among the most cost-effective ways to add drama or period style to a room.
CRAFTSMAN PATINA
A smitten owner brings the Arts & Crafts aesthetic to a 1921 bungalow in Seattle.
furniture & decorative accessories
PERIOD ROOMS are the goal of a very small niche of old-house owners.
wall & floor tiles
TODAY WE FIND TILE from small studios . . . carved relief tiles, subway tile and mosaics, glazes matte and iridescent . . . plus encaustics and California revivals.
A TRANSCENDENT BATHROOM IN OJAI
A seamless addition allowed for this timeless primary bath, which has been re-imagined as an upgrade dating to ca. 1930.
CRAFTSMAN DETAILS IN A KITCHEN
An excellent layout and period motifs distinguish this midsize kitchen in a bungalow-era house.
home design - HOUSES HAVE A PAST - AND A FUTURE, TOO
THE BEST RENOVATIONS TOE THE LINE BETWEEN NECESSARY UPDATES AND ENOUGH SENSITIVITY TO ASSURE DESIGN INTEGRITY.
a farmhouse RESCUE
Using a cache of salvaged finds, the homeowner, architect, and contractor together rescued a tumbledown farmhouse in Vermont.