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anymacc

Subfloor as Final Flooring? Feedback Requested

anymacc
10 years ago

Hi all,
Hubby and I are updating our 25 year old pier and beam colonial. We were going to do 8" wide plank pine floors throughout the entire house except bedrooms. I like the effortless, warm and somewhat oldworld feel.

When we pulled up the carpet we learned the whole house has a rather nice 2x6" tongue and groove pine subfloor ALL OVER THE WHOLE HOUSE! It's all going the same diagonal direction - even upstairs. The gaps are not all even but that is also in keeping with some of the pics I've seen of this country old look I'm after. So then I got to thinking...

1) Isn't this very close to the look I'm after. Country, rustic, old. Why put wood over wood?

2) These floors are super thick. 2". So we could paint, sand, stain, sand etc to our heart's desire and not go through them

3) Most homes have plywood subflooring. Especially homes built on a slab. Not to mention upstairs.

4) They say they don't make'em like they used to. Should I showcase the original labor of love that went into building this home - or hide them?

5) I don't mind the spacing. In fact, I rather like it. Many of the manufactured floors try to add this groove. BUT, would debris get irritating - should I add filler or just vacuum?

Here are some pics and also some inspiration pics showing flooring with similar irregular groove spacing.

http://s748.photobucket.com/user/anymachouseproject/media/floor2_zpsbe715133.jpg.html

https://www.houzz.com/photos/my-houzz-an-antique-cape-cod-house-explodes-with-color-farmhouse-dining-room-new-york-phvw-vp~1466066-Farm-House-farmhouse-dining-room-new-york

https://www.houzz.com/photos/farmhouse-renovation-farmhouse-living-room-chicago-phvw-vp~5568754-Renovation-farmhouse-living-room-chicago

https://www.houzz.com/photos/rustic-kids-rustic-kids-ottawa-phvw-vp~773806-purposing-an-Attic-rustic-kids-ottawa

Comments (4)

  • MiaOKC
    10 years ago

    We had similar 2x6 diagonal in our 1960 raised foundation ranch, however, the gaps in the floor were open to the crawl space and thus uninsulated, open to bugs, etc, so we laid our floors over.

    What's under your planks?

  • anymacc
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    First of all the floors are tongue and groove so there is no seeing thru except for gaps between the tips of the occasional odd plank and a knot in the pine that is gone. For those planks we will replace or fill. The key being that these planks are tongue and groove and even with the gap the tongue still blocks direct access to the crawl space. We are also considering spray foam insulation for additional insulation.

  • lazy_gardens
    10 years ago

    Live with it a while ... if it turns out to be a bad idea, you can always add hardwood.

    There is a filler meant for fixing gaps in wood floors - it stays flexible. Trowel it on, scrape it off the boards, then sand, stain, and varnish.

  • glennsfc
    10 years ago

    I have finished subflooring for customers. It is definitely an option for you. Don't replace boards, as the new will not match the existing. Instead, repair and fill missing pieces with a wood epoxy fill material. Small knots can be filled with 3M D-100 floor epoxy repair material.

    Best to live with the gaps and vacuum anything that settles between the planks. Large gaps can be filled, but I would recommend polyurethane backer rod first and then top that with a flexible acrylic caulk of the right color to match. Colored caulks for such work do exist, but you won't find them in the typical hardware store or big box retailer.

    I notice several places where cuts were apparently made to lift a plank or two to place wiring or plumbing below. It looks like they did that carefully.

    Some right materials combined with some skill and patience, can get you a great final result.