Floors & Flooring for Cottages
Living Room Floors
Solid ground floors for cottages have many advantages over the ordinary joisted and boarded variety. They are secure against dry rot, vermin, and dirt; and save in excavation, walling and sleeper walls. For comfort, the living room floors must be of wood as a rule, and can be of boards with tarred undersides nailed direct on breeze concrete ; or they may be of wood blocks laid in mastic on ordinary concrete. With boards, the seasoning difficulty crops up again as in cottage woodwork ; and frequently, even when properly cramped up, they will shrink and disclose ugly gaps. However, if the boards are laid in narrow widths and perhaps tongued, this can be prevented ; and they look quite nice if stained and polished.
Kitchen Flooring
As the kitchen must generally be counted as a living room, for one person at least, a floor of cement or tiles while being so cheap and suitable for such places as the scullery and larderwill have to give way to something less hard and cold, and fatiguing. There are many jointless floor compositions now sold which are fairly cheap and non-absorbent, and quiet and warm to walk upon. Linoleum or cork carpet finished directly on a concrete surface also makes a satisfactory floor, and effects a great saving in the cost. It looks best when of a plain colour without any pattern, and may take the place of a carpet, though a few rugs may be added if desired.
Tiles
Large tiles up to 12 in. square give a pleasant appearance almost anywhere; and for porches and verandas we shall find it difficult to improve on brick-on-edge, laid in a "herring-bone" pattern if it pleases. The artistic person will vote for stone flags, provided they are in random sizes and not too accurately jointed ; but in the house nothing will make a colder floor. Much of the charm of brick, tile, or stone paving will be lost if they are laid tight; wide joints, about half-an-inch thick, add immensely to the interest of these floors, showing up each member as a separate piece of construction.
Solid ground floors for cottages have many advantages over the ordinary joisted and boarded variety. They are secure against dry rot, vermin, and dirt; and save in excavation, walling and sleeper walls. For comfort, the living room floors must be of wood as a rule, and can be of boards with tarred undersides nailed direct on breeze concrete ; or they may be of wood blocks laid in mastic on ordinary concrete. With boards, the seasoning difficulty crops up again as in cottage woodwork ; and frequently, even when properly cramped up, they will shrink and disclose ugly gaps. However, if the boards are laid in narrow widths and perhaps tongued, this can be prevented ; and they look quite nice if stained and polished.
Kitchen Flooring
As the kitchen must generally be counted as a living room, for one person at least, a floor of cement or tiles while being so cheap and suitable for such places as the scullery and larderwill have to give way to something less hard and cold, and fatiguing. There are many jointless floor compositions now sold which are fairly cheap and non-absorbent, and quiet and warm to walk upon. Linoleum or cork carpet finished directly on a concrete surface also makes a satisfactory floor, and effects a great saving in the cost. It looks best when of a plain colour without any pattern, and may take the place of a carpet, though a few rugs may be added if desired.
Tiles
Large tiles up to 12 in. square give a pleasant appearance almost anywhere; and for porches and verandas we shall find it difficult to improve on brick-on-edge, laid in a "herring-bone" pattern if it pleases. The artistic person will vote for stone flags, provided they are in random sizes and not too accurately jointed ; but in the house nothing will make a colder floor. Much of the charm of brick, tile, or stone paving will be lost if they are laid tight; wide joints, about half-an-inch thick, add immensely to the interest of these floors, showing up each member as a separate piece of construction.
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