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Old floorboards shrink, revealing gaps between them that get all gunked up. There are loads of nasty things to fill these gaps up- is there a green product like a wax that will harden?
Jason, even new floorboards shrink and expand - wood works! Best 'green' solution: re-install the floorboards tighter again, make sure your house climate is kept as average as possible (ventilate sufficient etc).
really? I've been working on the principle that old floorboards are been done shrinking and expanding. So long as they haven't been stored in the wet, installing old (recycled) floorboards instead of new is one way to avoid the gaps opening up. Am I wrong?
Partly right. Old floorboards have 'settled' down to the average house climate but are still under 'the influence' of seasonal movement. In Winter, when the central heating is on = dry air, the floor could shrink, but when air humidity rises again should expand again.
If you consider what has been done for years in the boat-building world, carvel built hulls - ie planks that butt up directly against one another - will have caulking cotton wedged in between them when the hull is dry (or dryest). This in itself gives a pretty good seal, but is often followed by some probably unmentionable (eco-friendly wise) gunk. Would something along these lines, but without the gunk, work for a flat floor?
I suppose it depends how big the gaps are. In our old house, we mixed sawdust with glue. It worked a treat. I guess there are eco-friendly PVA-type glues around.
I'm looking for what I can only describe as 'wooden tiles' for my floor. Each tile should be around 30cms x 30cms and will be laid to create a parquet effect. I can get all kinds of tiles, either natural or laminate, though none with a wood appearance. I can get strips of natural wood or laminate, but nothing approaches the kind of tiles I'm looking for. I'm surprised no manufacturer produces these. If one does, I haven't found them. Does anyone have any ideas?
Not sure what you mean with 'tiles' 30 by 30 cm. Real wood blocks are normally 5 or 7 cm wide, you can combine them into a pattern, creating a tile 30 by 30 cm. Is that what you mean? We specialise in http://www.wood-you-like.co.uk/special.htm#Parquet" >Design Parquet and have various patterns who can come in a tile structure.