Antique Flooring
Many people choose to put antique flooring in
their homes.Some say it just looks better and some are motivated by
the urge to recycle, both from an enironmental standpoint and to
preserve a part of an old house,whether it be their own or someone
elses. There is something special about transfering a part of the
old house to your new one.
Most people think of
wide hardwood boards as the only type of antique
flooring, but in fact antique tiles and stones
make popular floors too.Antique wood flooring can be an
expensive. At an architectural antique store, the prices can soon
outgrow the home owners budget.This is no ordinary home improvement
project! If you expect something unique,be prepared to shop and
scour until you find what you are looking for. Going antique
can net great finds that are just not available today to most
people.Wide planks and odd hardwoods are not easy to get in any
situation, but they’re much easier to get hold of as antique
flooring than as new pieces.
Do
not go straight to the antiques high road.Spend sometime
looking,asking friends and by all means if you see a house being
torn down or demolished,get out and ask what they are doing with
the old wood.Many times they will say they are just throwing it
out! Can you imagine?Sometimes an old building is put up for a
demolition sale: that is, you bring your own tools and buy
anything you can pry out. Or you may get lucky and find
someone selling antique flooring that is already been removed from
its old home. Check out salvage shops and the internet.
If you are willing to do your own refinishing, you will save
money. And take a look in newspapers’ classified
ads.
And naturally,
do not forget your dimensions. With antique
flooring, what you see is what you get, imperfections, scarcity and
all. If you find a good thing at a good price, but it’s just
a little short, see if your room could take a different trim around
the edge, or a complementary patch near the
furniture. It will add character and a conversation
piece to your home.
Consider
tile.
In hot climates, tile
floors have always been popular. The Roman mosaics at Pompeii
are tile. Some centuries’ old palaces in Europe are floored
with mosaics that were taken from ruins that had already been
buried for hundreds of years when dug out. But you do
not have to loot a Roman villa for antique tiles. Victorian
tiles are readily available, but to find enough to cover a floor,
you will probably have to look on the internet or engage a
dealer.The most durable tile antique flooring material is encaustic
tile. These thick Victorian tiles come mostly in muted shades
and usually make an intricate geometric pattern on the floor.
Even incorporating a few of these into a modern tile floor makes a
unique statement.
Consider the
costs,the aesthetics,the costs and the adventure of it
all!
Read
about antique
books. Consider antique flooring.
| 