Geoff F
Member
Hi,
I'm new here, I'm a retired time served 'leckie' in the process of renovating my house from top to bottom, and adding three extensions while I'm at it, and I need some info. possibly from the "old school" (to use a phrase in LBCarpentry's last posting).
Floorboards! That is, bog standard t&g floorboards as fitted in UK houses for at least 150 years and probably longer. In my time I've lifted a fair few of these using my trusty old electrician's chisel and have never come across anything other than the standard floorboard tapered tongue and groove. Over the last seven years whilst doing up my house I've been able to buy off-the-shelf from a sawmill near me in Brough, East Yorkshire, 7in x 1in planed ready to lay boards which matched exactly with my 150 year old boards with tapered t&g. Imagine my surprise then when after this company was taken over by some of its workers they not only stopped making floorboards but denied absolutely that they had ever made or supplied tapered t&g floorboards. Consequently I took with me a sample of their board and a receipt indicating purchase of these 7" x 1" boards thinking that this would refresh their memory but their answer was that the taper on the t&g was a machining error and further more they'd never heard of tapered t&g - the guy who told me this had worked at the mill for 30 years!! They even took me to their old molding store and showed me all their master samples of their previous products and sure enough none of the t&g's were tapered. Nevertheless I know that all old floorboards had delibrately tapered t&g and that I bought 100's feet of it from this company in the past - unless I've lost my mind!
So, will some one confirm (or not) that all old floorboards had TAPERED t&g unlike any sold today by B&Q and Wickes which have parallel t&g, thanks.
Ok, I just added these photo's so all can see the taper t&g, the board on the left is 150 years old the one on the right is a cut off from new boards I bought three to four years ago.
I'm new here, I'm a retired time served 'leckie' in the process of renovating my house from top to bottom, and adding three extensions while I'm at it, and I need some info. possibly from the "old school" (to use a phrase in LBCarpentry's last posting).
Floorboards! That is, bog standard t&g floorboards as fitted in UK houses for at least 150 years and probably longer. In my time I've lifted a fair few of these using my trusty old electrician's chisel and have never come across anything other than the standard floorboard tapered tongue and groove. Over the last seven years whilst doing up my house I've been able to buy off-the-shelf from a sawmill near me in Brough, East Yorkshire, 7in x 1in planed ready to lay boards which matched exactly with my 150 year old boards with tapered t&g. Imagine my surprise then when after this company was taken over by some of its workers they not only stopped making floorboards but denied absolutely that they had ever made or supplied tapered t&g floorboards. Consequently I took with me a sample of their board and a receipt indicating purchase of these 7" x 1" boards thinking that this would refresh their memory but their answer was that the taper on the t&g was a machining error and further more they'd never heard of tapered t&g - the guy who told me this had worked at the mill for 30 years!! They even took me to their old molding store and showed me all their master samples of their previous products and sure enough none of the t&g's were tapered. Nevertheless I know that all old floorboards had delibrately tapered t&g and that I bought 100's feet of it from this company in the past - unless I've lost my mind!
So, will some one confirm (or not) that all old floorboards had TAPERED t&g unlike any sold today by B&Q and Wickes which have parallel t&g, thanks.
Ok, I just added these photo's so all can see the taper t&g, the board on the left is 150 years old the one on the right is a cut off from new boards I bought three to four years ago.
