Indy Total Construction

Buy boards at least two weeks before starting work and stack them in the room in which they will be laid. This will allow them to dry out properly, preventing shrinkage later. Ideally, choose tongued-and-grooved boards (T&G), but if you are just replacing odd boards, square-edged ones would be better. In the latter case, make sure you get the right size: 4in and 6in are common widths and the usual finished thickness is 3/4in. but thicker boards are available.

Removing the old boards

Lift the second board in from the wall. Then use a length of stout wood to lever up the others. Take care along the walls, since the boards are likely to be tucked under the baseboard. Tidy up the joists by pulling out any remaining nails and fitting packing strips if necessary.

Fitting the boards

Fit four or five boards at a time, keeping any end joints between them to a minimum. Where joints cannot be avoided, make sure the boards meet at the center of a joist and that their ends are cut square. Use up offcuts when you can and stagger the end joints so they do not all fall in a line.

Mark and cut the first board to clear any obstructions and fit it up against the wall. Force a chisel blade into the top of the joists and use it to lever the board tight against the wall while you drive two nails through it into each joist. Use cut floor brads at least twice the length of the depth of the board.

If you are using T&G boards, the groove of this first board should face away from the wall and be nearer the joist than the top. Set the next four boards in place and push them tightly together using wooden wedges or floor cramps.

In the former case, nail a length of wood temporarily across the joists and fit pairs of opposing wooden wedges between it and the boards. Tapping the wedges together will force the boards tight up against each other. Floor cramps clamp to the joists and when tightened exert great force against the edges of the board, (you should be able to get them from a good tool rental company).

In both cases, cut short offcuts of floorboard to fit between the edges of the boards and the wedges or cramps to protect the board edges. With the boards cramped tight, nail the outermost one down. Then remove the wedges or cramps and nail the remainder.

Continue in this way across the room. Where there are pipes or cables below the floor that you might want to reach in the future, screw the boards down. Cut off the tongues of T&G boards to make lifting easy.

The final boards

Stop within the width of two boards from the far wall since you will not be able to cramp these last boards. To fit the final boards, first lay a full board up against the last one to be nailed down. Lever it tight up against this board with a chisel. Next, take a short offcut of floorboard and hold it against the base so that its other edge overlaps the full board. Hold a pencil against the edge of the offcut and run it along the full board to mark the profile of the wall on it.

Cut the board along the pencil line and then refit it, but this time along the wall, springing in a full board between it and the others at the same time. Nail both boards down.

Whether or not you’ve had to pause in order to repair a sash or to repaint everything, you’re now ready to carry on and fit new sash cords.

The first step is to remove the weights. To get at them, you have to take out the one or two pieces of wood covering each weight compartment — the pocket pieces. These are usually just a push fit, and you pry them out with an old chisel or screwdriver; in somecases, – however, there’s also a retaining screw. Lift out each weight, untie the cord from it, and attach it to the free end of the string, making a complete loop. If there’s rust on the weight, you can rub it off with abrasive paper at this stage. but there’s no need to paint it.

You can buy new sash cord from almost any builder’s merchant or hardware store, but ask for it by name — doesn’t just use any old cord. To fit the new cord, untie the loop of string. tic the cord to it, and use it to thread the cord over the pulley and down into the weight compartment. Then tie the cord to the weight with a strong knot. At this stage don’t try cutting the cord to the correct length — leave it too long.

Most sashes have a groove, near the top of each side, in which the cord is fixed with small galvanized round-head nails. Either nails the cord into the groove and trims off the excess, or marks the groove length on the frame and trims the cord to the mark.

Whichever you do, the weight should hang 50mm (2in) above the base of its compartment when the sash is at the top of the frame. It’s the same for each sash. Note that the cord shouldn’t be fixed right to the top of the groove, or the sash won’t run all the way up. The topmost nail should be as far down from the top as the top of the pulley is from the top of the frame opening.

After fixing the cords at both sides of the outer sash, replace the parting bead. Then repeat the whole process for the inner sash, and lastly replace it and the staff bead in position. When fixing the beads. make sure the sashes have room to slide free.