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Thread ID: 86141	2008-01-05 23:59:00	A question for those living in a 1920s (or so) bungalow	Roscoe (6288)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
627600	2008-01-05 23:59:00	We live in a 1920s bungalow and have recently removed all the floor coverings with a view to sanding and polyurethaning the lovely Matai floors. For some reason, the house has five and a quarter inch boards on the living side and three and a half inch boards on the bedroom/ablutions side. The change from large to small is under the main supporting wall. It should not make any difference to the look of the place as I'm certain the result will look just as good no matter the width of the boards. Obviously any 1920s builders will have hung up their tools by now but are any of those builders still around? Any ideas why the builders did that?	Roscoe (6288)
627601	2008-01-06 00:03:00	Wood was cheaper and the sizes were REALLY what they said . We get the same troubles here in the US . Olden days, the 2 X 4 (inches) was really a 2 X 4 . . . but now it's 1 5/8 X 3 3/4 inches . Don't get me started on the NEW metric sizes . . a 3/8 inch plywood sheet is really 10mm now . . . and it doesn't match anything made before metric-i-fornication . Got a general contractor buddy who sent a worker out to get a case of 8d framers nails, and quite a few had double heads . . . a head on each side! They were Chinese . . can I say that?	SurferJoe46 (51)
627602	2008-01-06 00:08:00	We live in a 1920s bungalow and have recently removed all the floor coverings with a view to sanding and polyurethaning the lovely Matai floors. For some reason, the house has five and a quarter inch boards on the living side and three and a half inch boards on the bedroom/ablutions side. The change from large to small is under the main supporting wall. It should not make any difference to the look of the place as I'm certain the result will look just as good no matter the width of the boards. Obviously any 1920s builders will have hung up their tools by now but are any of those builders still around? Any ideas why the builders did that? I wouldn't recommend polyurathane if you are wanting to live in the house yourself. It is the most toxic chemical, and offgases into the house for many years. You are better with a natural solution such a a natural varnish or wax, uch as the ones here www.biopaints.com	robbyp (2751)
627603	2008-01-06 00:26:00	Any ideas why the builders did that? Cost - the smaller boards being more readily available and cheaper.	Scouse (83)
627604	2008-01-06 00:48:00	Depends on the mill, the millwright and what was popular or hot in the day. Remember that many times wood was not finished and some dimensions were rough cut and before planing/sanding, they had the nominal sizes. I am currently helping restore a cabin from the WPA during the 1920 that has the same problems..wood that just doesn't exist any more...odd sizes and strange shapes. It's an era thing.	SurferJoe46 (51)
627605	2008-01-06 01:08:00	Of course the whole house might not have been built in the 1920s. In later years the narrow boards would have been much more easily obtainable (and cheaper) than wide ones. The earliest part of my house was built in the 1890s, with studs morticed into the plates. There appear to have been two major additions made later, including the kitchen. You house might have had the bathroom added later, requiring a new exterior wall ;)	Graham L (2)
627606	2008-01-06 05:12:00	Of course the whole house might not have been built in the 1920s. In later years the narrow boards would have been much more easily obtainable (and cheaper) than wide ones. The earliest part of my house was built in the 1890s, with studs morticed into the plates. There appear to have been two major additions made later, including the kitchen. You house might have had the bathroom added later, requiring a new exterior wall ;) Old NZ houses often have lean to's added over time, and then lean to's added to the lean to's as more space in the house was needed. These would be built with whatever is avaliable at the time.	robbyp (2751)
627607	2008-01-06 05:27:00	Wood was cheaper and the sizes were REALLY what they said. We get the same troubles here in the US. Olden days, the 2 X 4 (inches) was really a 2 X 4...but now it's 1 5/8 X 3 3/4 inches. Don't get me started on the NEW metric sizes..a 3/8 inch plywood sheet is really 10mm now...and it doesn't match anything made before metric-i-fornication. I am absolutely astounded that the good ol' USA has taken up metrics. I thought you were absolutely wedded to inches and feet !!!! I keep up with the world news and never read anything about the change. The French and Germans stopped smoking from the first day of this year - and am very conscious of that. When did the USA change to metrics ?? - maybe when I had my heart attack !! - or that night I had too much vino !! :blush: Misty :confused:	Misty (368)
627608	2008-01-06 06:17:00	I am absolutely astounded that the good ol' USA has taken up metrics . I thought you were absolutely wedded to inches and feet !!!! I keep up with the world news and never read anything about the change . The French and Germans stopped smoking from the first day of this year - and am very conscious of that . When did the USA change to metrics ?? - maybe when I had my heart attack !! - or that night I had too much vino !! :blush: Misty :confused: I don't think WE switched . . . just the Chinese and Korean suppliers of our own wood, shipped back as finished product . . did it to us . OTOH: US cars have been going slowly metric since about 1973 . . when it got phased in . . . much to my chagrin . . . . you see I owned multiple-thousands of dollars of Snap-On tools that were not gonna fit on the new sizes . We are about 100% metric in cars and trucks now . . . I don't see hardly any King's Noses in there any more . I still think along the lines of: "15mm is larger than a 5/8; 10 mm will NOT fit a 3/8; 11mm is the same as a 7/16; 21mm is the same as a 3/4 . . . etc . What I admire about metrics is/are the bigger variety of thread pitches . Now that's very good! In our construction materials, it's another story all together . If you have a repair to make with metric and the building isn't . . then there's a lot of shimming and spacing panels, planks, etc . Thankfully, metric nails don't exist . I bought a metric hammer and I haven't been able to use it yet .	SurferJoe46 (51)
627609	2008-01-06 06:27:00	I bought a metric hammer and I haven't been able to use it yet. :lol: :lol: Misty	Misty (368)
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