DIY Wood Floors

[LukeW]

Hi everyone!

 

I'm a DIY enthusiast who's just bought their first house and is looking forward to starting multiple projects!

 

I'm hoping for some advice on my first project.

 

I've recently bought a new house (terraced, Victorian) and was delighted to discover pine floorboards beneath the carpets. My excitement was short lived when I realised that the depth of the boards is only 16mm. Am I correct that at 16mm, these boards are already too thin to sand down before refinishing? 

Edited July 24, 2021 by LukeW

[Cpd]

16mm seems very thin, I presume they have been replaced at some point and not original. 
sanding will only loose you a few mm and if the floor is solid at the moment  then it should be ok…. 
have you looked at if the floor has insulation under it ? There is probably a reason for carpets…. It gets very cold in winter ? 
no point spending time and money getting the floor nice only to find out you need to put carpets back down to keep warm ! 
insulation first then work out where to go next. 

[joe90]

Also carpets can keep out the draughts (underfloor space should be ventilated) and unless tongue and groove boards (which they may be) small gaps between boards. I doubt Victorians would use 16mm boards so they are probably newer tongue and groove which means as they support one another 16mm might be stronger than non t@g boards.

[LukeW]

Thanks for the replies! 

 

I hadn't thought about insulation - definitely something to check first!

 

The boards are square-edged rather than T&G - so unfortunately decidedly on the thin side.

 

I'm personally not mad about carpets in general, but not to the point of wanting a cold and draughty house!