Hi All,
My husband and I are buying a 1927 Historic Colonial Bungalow which has had many changes to "update" it over time that we wish to undo.

There was an addition to house with 50's carpet. The rest of the house is yellow fir floors. We just found out tonight that it is not a standard flooring material these days since that wood is too soft.

Is there a source? If not, what alternate flooring could I use in a master bedroom?

Thanks in advance for your help!
Cindy

Hello Cindy,
In this day of living and construction it is true that, that type of flooring is not what you would find in the homes being built today as the junk wood they are installing such as oriented strand board that will be covered with carpet. However if you were to change the floor of the fir that is already down you will take away from the value of the home in the manner of which you speak.

So what I am trying to tell you is if you want the home back to the way it was when it was built, then leave the flooring alone. You might sand it down some to brighten the color but, nothing else. Then finish it with the stain of choice or finish natural.

Respectfully,

Ralph Jones

Hi Ralph,
I whole heartedly agree with you. We are NOT trying to remove the hardwood flooring we are trying to correct the poor choice of flooring in a 1950's addition to the house.

What can I put down when I pull up the old 1950 carpet? There is NO hardwoods under it.

Thanks!
Cindyh

Hello Cindy,
If at all possible try to get some flooring as close to what is down in the other part of the house to make it appear to be a part of the original structure. Was this bed room an add on or a portion of the original home?

Respectfully,

Ralph

Cindy -

What you choose for flooring in large part depends on how much you have to spend and what type of maintenance you want, as well as what might be appropriate.

I've seen many remodels of vintage homes lately here in Portland that have used old, but "green" materials like cork and linoleum. And another possibility is checking your local market for sources of remillable wood that has been recycled from old buildings that have been taken down.

Frank Lloyd Wright used cork in a number of buildings and it's still gorgeous. Linoleum, particularly sheet, comes in lots of colors and looks great in almost every room in the house. Historically, it was a very important floor covering until the 1960s. The biggest advantage IMNSHO is how easy it is to maintain.

For an overview of flooring choices, our flooring articles on Demesne might be useful. (The image on the linoleum page was taken at a 1920s bungalow remodel in Ladd Addition, Portland in June 2007.) As long as the material you choose adheres to the A&C philosophy of being high quality, natural, aesthetic, and functional, don't hesitate to explore contemporary options for your old house.

Have fun!
R.

Thanks for the link Rikki!
That is great information when we restore the kitchen floor if there aren't any hardwoods under it (Realtor says there are, Inspector says it's not).

What I found through my research yesterday is that there are a few places I can search out reclaimed fir hardwood planks in Portland. We are going to check out Hippo Hardware, Rejuvenations and the ReBuild Center this afternoon.

The only quote I have so far for installing these floors is $5.50/sq ft. Does anyone know if that's reasonable?

Also, do you know anyone who does lathing and plaster in the Portland area?

In any case, since this addition has glitter filled popcorn ceiling and a wood paneled wall. Our budget just isn't enough to redo the floors from carpet to hardwood.

Thanks again!
Cindy

Check out Environmental Building Supply at SE 8th & Taylor and McGee Salvage in Scappoose (503-720-7308) for additional sources. $5.50 sq. ft. for installation seems expensive to me, but then I'm pretty frugal.

Arciform (they do really nice restoration work) might be able to give you the names of some reputable contractors who specialize in lath and plaster.

Oh, and have fun with those ceilings!

R.

Hello Cindy,
I have to concur with rikki on this unless the price includes the removal of the old flooring.

Here in Ohio the going rate is around $3.50 per square foot for installation, only.

If you should go with the linoleum be sure to check out the patterns that may be from the early 1900s. Seems to me that I recall some floral coverings with a wide border on the four edges. Should I locate some samples I will post them.

Respectfully,

Ralph Jones

Thank you Ralph,
I would love to see some samples of Linoleum if you can find them.

Cindy

Cindy,
From the 20s to the 40s Linoleum was "it". Take a look at these kitchens from the 40s.
1940s Kitchens

We have more linoleum examples that we will be getting up on the site eventually.

Lauren

Cindy --

Don't want to rain on anyone's parade here, but the best you can do with new linoleum is to cut a pattern.

Check out the Osterberg kitchen by Arciform for an example of cut work.

The patterned lino that was so popular during the 20s isn't being produced at the moment. It is possible to find a linoleum rug, but they are likely to be so brittle now, that moving it would be a herculean task.

That said, we will get those images up on Antique Home as soon as we finish updating ACS!

R.