Woodwork: Which Of Your Home’s Period Features Are Worth Restoring?

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If you’re lucky enough to live in a characterful home – be it a Georgian townhouse, Victorian terrace or a country cottage – then you might be wondering whether it’s worth trying to restore some of its period features. 

As this can be an expensive and time-consuming task, especially with wooden features such as floorboards and doors, you might be wondering whether it’s really worth it. Afterall, you can cover up flooring and beams and remove other wooden features such as old doors and panels. 

However, restoration doesn’t need to be hard work and bringing period features back to life does enhance a home’s character and value. Afterall, people looking to buy a period or character property are seeking these kinds of original features. 

So, let’s take a look at some of the most common features found in old homes and why you might want to save or replace them.  

Floorboards

Floorboards have timeless appeal and are extremely durable. And completely replacing your floorboards with new ones can be expensive. So, in most cases, it’s worth restoring wooden flooring.

Added to that, old floorboards carry a lot of character, adding to the house’s sense of history. So, the odd dent and scratch isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

However, it’s not that difficult to get rid of defects as you can hire a floor sander to do this. Before you take this on though, you’ll need to replace any damaged boards and fix down ones that are loose.

Plus, you’ll need to go over your floor to make sure there are no nails sticking out, as these will rip the machine’s sandpaper.

Then it’s just a case of oiling or varnishing your floor to protect it. As this can be a time-consuming and dusty job, you may want to consider getting this done professionally. For this work, you can expect to pay between £18 and £23 per m².

Beams

Beams aren’t easy to remove, as they tend to be a structural part of the house. And covering them up usually involves lowering the ceiling, meaning you’re going to lose head height. They also add a huge amount of character to a home. So, in most cases they’re worth restoring. 

For beams that need a complete restoration, it’s a good idea to bring in specialists as chemical paint strippers and sandblasters can be messy and could damage the integrity of the beams. 

However, for lighter restoration, a gentle clean to remove built-up grime and a coat of protective oil can be enough to bring out the best in your beams. There are also paint and wax treatments to help you change the look of your beams, so they don’t look so imposing and blend in better with your décor. 

Panelling

Panelling is very fashionable at the moment. So, there’s a case for restoring old panels. If repairs are needed, then you’re best hiring a local joiner to carry out the work. On the other hand, if the woodwork just needs a bit of TLC, you should be able to do this yourself. 

For unpainted wood, methylated spirits can be used to clean off ingrained dirt and remove old wax and lacquer without stripping natural colour from the wood. Where panels are painted, be wary about sanding or using a heat gun as there may be lead paint hidden in the layers. A chemical stripper may be a better option. 

Panelling isn’t to everyone’s taste, so it can be tempting to remove it. However, painting panelling in a light colour can lessen its impact and brighten the room without losing the character it brings. 

If you’re leaving panels unpainted, it’s a good idea to use a wood oil. This will help to bring out the details and protect the wood from moisture and drying out – a common problem in centrally-heated homes.

Windows

Old wooden windows such as sash windows, certainly add character both inside and out. But they’re not energy efficient and they can take a lot of effort to restore. So, this is one area where you might find it’s worthwhile to replace rather than restore. 

You can still opt for the same style of window and you can even stick with wooden frames. But going with more modern equivalents will mean you can have double or triple glazing and more closely fitting frames to stop draughts. 

If you want to cut down on maintenance and improve efficiency further, there are conservation grade uPVC windows with wood-effect graining you can install to help retain as much period character as possible.

Doors

Wooden doors are another original feature that can need a bit of restoration. And it may be tricky to decide whether it’s better just to replace them. 

For instance, if your home is draughty, you might be thinking of fitting new doors to help reduce this. Plus, if your old doors are covered in thick layers of gloss paint, they can be a pain to strip. 

However, new internal door costs around £250 to fit while old doors can be dipped for around a tenth of that cost.

You can also fit draughtproofing strips to old doors to help your home’s energy efficiency. Doors can also be rejuvenated with new handles or made more characterful with aged brass hardware such as fingerplates. So, new doors aren’t necessarily the best option.