Advice with new pitch-pine floorboards (reprise)
David Pickles
replies (sorry I'm not posting as a proper 'follow up' but Deja won't
let me for some reason!!) The floorboards in question have now arrived
and are gently acclimatising in the room - couple more queries for the
panel please...
1. 3 or 4 of the boards (cut from solid lintels) showed evidence of
severe woodworm attack at the ends, which freaked me out. I thought
you checked for live worm by looking for fresh dust; but since the
holes are freshly exposed after the lintels were sawn down it's hard to
tell. I phoned the supplier who told me that it was definitely dead;
woodworm hates the taste/density of pitch pine and so this must have
happened when the wood was still green and/or damp; never had a problem
before; don't worry about it etc etc. Do I believe him? Infestation
is only at the ends, it's true, and appear to be very isolated.
2. Concerning timber treatment, he reccomended stuff called 'Waxoil'.
Anybody come across this and care to comment? I always thought this
was a type of underseal for cars!
Thanks
David
From: no.spam.t...@bigfoot.com (David Pickles)
Date: 2000/11/27
Newsgroups: uk.d-i-y
I am about to lay (well, have laid for me I'm afraid) a new floor
comprising T&G boards cut from old pitch-pine joists. It's going to
look fabulous, but just to be sure I get it right I'd like some
advice...
First - how long should I keep these boards in the house to ensure
they're properly acclimatised to the room and central heating etc
before they are fixed down? I'm told that the joists have been stored
out of the weather (so shouldn't be damp) and as they are as old as the
hills, should at least be seasoned!
Secondly, I will need to treat the floor in some way to protect it -
it's going to have to be a 'working' floor with the risk of muddy dogs
and kids running over it - but I still want it to look as natural as
possible. Any advice as to the best way to treat it?
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Stuart Noble
David Pickles wrote in message <941m9k$luh$1...@nnrp1.deja.com>...
>I phoned the supplier who told me that it was definitely dead;
>woodworm hates the taste/density of pitch pine and so this must have
>happened when the wood was still green and/or damp;
disinfectant smell) had left.
>2. Concerning timber treatment, he reccomended stuff called 'Waxoil'.
Linseed oil or a proper wax polish would be better.
Charles (Joe) Stahelin
d...@bigfoot.com> writes
>1. 3 or 4 of the boards (cut from solid lintels) showed evidence of
>severe woodworm attack at the ends, which freaked me out. I thought
>you checked for live worm by looking for fresh dust; but since the
>holes are freshly exposed after the lintels were sawn down it's hard to
>tell. I phoned the supplier who told me that it was definitely dead;
>woodworm hates the taste/density of pitch pine and so this must have
>happened when the wood was still green and/or damp; never had a problem
>before; don't worry about it etc etc. Do I believe him? Infestation
>is only at the ends, it's true, and appear to be very isolated.
>
>2. Concerning timber treatment, he reccomended stuff called 'Waxoil'.
>Anybody come across this and care to comment? I always thought this
>was a type of underseal for cars!
If you are worried about the woodworm why not get a can of anti-woodworm
and squirt the stuff into the holes in search of peace of mind.
Alternatively cut off the ends of the boards and when laying make sure
that all board-ends lie on a joist so that there is no give where they
join.
Waxoil might be suitable for a workshop floor but not, I think, for a
domestic floor. Although pitch pine is relatively oily if it is
finished with a wax or an oil it is my opinion that this will to some
extent be absorbed into the timber and will make the subsequent routine
maintenance procedures more demanding of time and effort. I believe
that the best course of action after completion of floor-laying is
sanding; sealing with thin coats of Lever Industrial's BourneSeal,
followed by the application of a traditional wax polish or of one of the
more modern floor dressings which look like skimmed milk and are applied
thinly using a cloth which has first been soaked in water and well wrung
out before being dipped in the floor dressing.
The detail of this method is set out in "Notes on Floor Cleaning"
published in the FAG on the uk.d-i-y web site.
--
Charles (Joe) Stahelin, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
Web site for uk.d-i-y FAQ: http://pages.eidosnet.co.uk/~ukdiy/index.html