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First time home buyer here looking for some advice. We just got an 1850s constructed place and I'm trying to think through what to do to make it comfortable / feel newer inside.
1. Floors It has carpet on top of painted pine wood. As soon as we are moving in there, we were planning on ripping up the old carpets and then hiring someone to come in for sanding down / refinishing / polishing the floors. However, can we know what the unpainted wood really looks like until without having to hire someone to come in and strip it down / refinish it first? (e.g., is it all stained and ugly underneath the paint?) If they're not looking so good, we were thinking of then replacing them... we're just hoping to do this quickly and accurately, without paying for unnecessary steps of sanding/removing paint unprofessionally. Do you think this is a DIY job?
This question might be too basic / need just a common sense response. But we're trying to get this done ASAP so we can move in within a few weeks' time (perhaps I'm being unrealistic?)
2. Walls The walls are plastered kind of uneven with that old house feel on the ceilings and walls. Essentially, how does one go about fixing it? How does it rate on a DIY scale?
THANKS for your advice. We have gotten ourselves a few projects (on top of the kitchen too!)
Hi asimplecook,
1) Pine floors( maybe spruce , fir or other soft wood)are difficult to strip as they are typically uneven, are soft, and you can anticipate some paint being left in the cracks and uneven areas. You never want to sand too deeply if it is tongue and groove or ship lapped floor planks as it can beak the edges/overlap areas of the planks. This would be a wildly expensive floor to remove and replace and I do NOT recommend that. What I have seen done is that the floors are stripped and not sanded so deeply, then stained. The stain then also colors the residual paint as well and helps conceal it.The darker the stain,the more blending effect. Without knowing your skill/ability level I suggest consulting a floor company rather than diy. Make sure you tell them that you want only the bare minimum of sanding; they should obviously know that already. This is a neat project and when you get a nice finish on those floor, you will be pleased you did it!
2) Lathe and plaster wall and ceilings have a life expectancy of 75-90 years so I'm sorry to say you are probably having some serious separation issues by now. The walls are buckled and the ceilings seem to be sagging, and there is wholesale cracking right?
Here's the thing that you want to consider first: how dependably stable is the foundation and floor framing support system? Its really pointless to try to even do small patches if the house is going to continue to settle on a very old foundation and unstable, old posts and piers.
If the foundation is nice and strong and dependable;then you can start getting some bids. Two schools of thought. One is to add drywall over the existing plaster. I don't like this method as the unevenness of the original plaster almost always telegraphs through the new drywall. The other method, and you know where I'm going, is to either replaster or remove the old plaster and install drywall. This is the preferred method as it is now going to reset the life expectancy of the interior surfaces and its a great time to insulate! Again, I can do this myself and I would for sure hire it out to a contractor experienced in this type of upgrade.
No matter what; have fun!
Thanks for your extensive response QIS!! Regarding floors, staining sounds promising. I guess a concern that we'll be able to see is whether there are large gaps between the floorboards, considering it is so old. Though I guess we would just replace misshapen floorboards, right? (Or have the flooring company do that?). The floors are painted what looks like a 'goopy' milk chocolate brown... hopefully the staining would make them look a prettier, healthier color.
Regarding walls, oy vey, do we have a project on our hands! The inspector today didn't say much about the buckling of the foundation, etc. as we're on the 2nd/3rd floor of the house and I'd assume that it is stable now besides the larger-than-usual gaps between beams that lead to floorboard sagging (it has been converted to condos in the past 20 years), but he did hint at 'learning to live' with the uneven plaster. How can you tell about the foundation? The cracks actually aren't too bad; it just looks really old and beat up. Your suggestion sounds really pricey to do the drywall. I'm also concerned how that would affect it if it's had lead paint abatement. (I'm guessing that the contractor would need to take.) Of course the price will vary by region, but it sounds like you have experience in this area. How much would you estimate that would cost in a 1500 sq. foot house? And how long per average sized room?
Hi asimplecook,
The gaps can be filled and you can use filler that will accept stain. Unevenness is going to be a personal choice. as long as you are not going to trip or stub your toe, then I say it is part of the charm of the house. Badly cracked or broken boards should be replaced if possible; if not, soundly repaired.
I'm not sure about much of what your wrote in your response about the walls "what does it has been converted to condos in the past 20 years" mean?
Are you saying this is a multi unit dwelling? and you are on the top two floors and someone lives below you?
Do you have any way to have an expert check the foundation? Was it inspected at the time of your purchase?
I have no idea what the cost would be; get more than two bids!
Lead and asbestos removal procedures are pretty common place and may or may not be much of an added expense depending on what you contractor says about the job as a whole. Sometimes it depends on what the material is defined as and what you are allowed to do with the removed material.
Hi asimplecook,
I'm going to be taking off for a couple days here and I wanted to share a few extra notes.
You can take it for granted that work including the conversion of the house has been done over the (approx 160)years to just about every aspect of the house.
You are at point A and you want to go to point B for some items in the house.
Lets say the walls and ceiling have had probable patchwork; you should get some contractors out there to help you get an idea of what getting to point B ( your goal) will cost and entail.
The foundation itself may have been patched, repaired , replaced, a combination of those three or has had very little, or nothing done.
An unstable foundation affects the doors, windows floors, walls,ceilings...so at least have it thoroughly evaluated prior to large projects. I am curious now as to what ownership you have in the structure and who would be responsible if foundation repairs or replacement would be required.
If there is someone living below you, make sure you let them know your plans and how long each project can take as it can/will be messy and noisy!
Hi QIS, thanks again for all of your thoughts. I think I might be leaning towards doing something cheaper and easier versus putting up drywall. I'd loove nice, updated walls - that would make it much more comfortable to live in. But you bring up a good point about the people in the condo unit below us -- there is a young child / family that lives in the condo below us, and from all of the posts I've seen on just how pervasive the dust is from removing horseplaster, I'd hope it wouldn't somehow travel into their unit, but I wouldn't be surprised if it somehow found a way (even though there are separate entrances, etc). And in terms of resale, I don't know how much it would add vs. the effort in tearing out the plaster & hiring someone to hang the dry wall and dispose of the waste.
I'm pretty sure that the foundation is stable. There is "some evidence of settling" according to the inspector's report, but overall it is solid. As you mention, there's been many people who have lived in the home and a solid conversion in the 1980s to make updates. In response to your question, I think the entire condo association would have to address any major costs. (e.g., we have a slate roof on the old house section of the condo -- and everyone has to chip in, though we have to bring it before the board)
Per your advice, we'll just have to bring in some contractors to take a look and hopefully make changes fast. But, I'm guessing the kitchen is more important than the uneven walls (which is more of a pet peeve), so that is likely where we'll invest our money since this is more of a 7 year residence. This condo is just completely different from what we were intending to buy, so I guess we may have to live with it (to the husband's chagrin).
Have a good 4th!!
Not everybody agrees with ripping out old plaster walls. I've lived in several older homes with plaster walls/ceilings and have done my share of replastering for sure. I've never had truly wavy walls except where the keys had broken.
Peel up a norner of the carpet and strip the paint off wiht a heat gun. See what you have underneath. Some floors were always painted. If so, you will have paint in the grain and it is virtually impossible to get out, especially if it is calcimine paint (milk paint). In that case, just remove the carpeting and paint the floor again. Look in Old House Journal and Old HouseiNeteriors for painting schemes.
We have plaster walls that are over 150 years old and are fine. There is no reaosn for plaster to fail unless there is a problem. You unevenness may come from bad patching jobs in the past. Plastering is not easy. You could chip out and replaster the uneven portions. You do nto want ot replace the plaster with drywall. Drywall is a compartively terrible product. It is weak flimsey and the sound qualities are completely different. If you do use drywall, use 5/8" commercial grade. It is more like plaster.
As one poster said, uneven floors, walls etc is part of hte character of an old house. If you want a new house that looks like an old house, have one built or buy one. It is cheaper than ruining a historic house in order to "modernize" it. I have people take an old house, gut it to the studs, put in drywall, replace or cover up the floors, instal new vinyl wondows and put up siding or stucco. Why? What is the purpose in doing that? It is no longer an old house, it has no character and looks like a bastardized mess.
Pine floors can look truely wonderful if they are somply screened (not sanded) and refinished. They can also look fabulous painted if painted properly. the old growth yellow pine is actually a fairly hard wood and is very very durable. (it is also very very expensive to replace right now). We have lots of yellow pine floors in our house and they are terrific. A few fleck of paint or scuffs, dings, etc are just part of the history of the house.
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