It’s not advisable to sand original old floorboards. Apart from destroying the patina, the surface can be destabilised – for example wood-boring beetle larvae may have been busy tunnelling below the surface and if you take off the top layer the unsightly, worm-ridden wood will be on view. This video will guide you through the process of fitting Draughtex between your skirting and floorboards.

draught-proofing - Energy Saving Trust A helpful guide to draught-proofing - Energy Saving Trust

There are plenty of products available to help you draught-proof your home. Many are reasonably priced too, making it a cheap and very worthwhile endeavour. The main types are: Ventilation is especially important for kitchens and bathrooms. Any rooms with open fires and flues must be adequately ventilated. Although double glazing and UPVC window seals are a great way to draught-proof your home, seals can become compressed or wear away over time, reducing their effectiveness at keeping out the cold. Buy a chimney draught excluder – these help stop draughts and heat loss through the chimney, and are usually fitted inside the chimney or around the fireplace.Internal doors between two heated rooms don’t need draught-proofing, as you don’t lose energy when warm air circulates. It’s a little heavier than most fabric draught excluders, so while it can double up as a handy door stop, it does have the potential to get in the way if you're opening and closing the door regularly. We took into account what reviewers were saying regarding value for money, effectiveness and whether or not they were easy to install. About the author

Draughtex Floorboard Skirting Board Insulation Floor Gap Draughtex Floorboard Skirting Board Insulation Floor Gap

Draughts happen where there are unwanted gaps in the construction of your home, and where openings are left uncovered. If you don’t use your fireplace, your chimney is probably a source of unnecessary draughts. There are two main ways to draught-proof a chimney: How do you fill gaps between floorboards without ruining the overall look of your finished floor? DraughtEx is manufactured in our specially formulated colour "Shadow" which has been designed to mimic the natural shadows created between floorboards to allow you to fill draughty floorboard gaps without affecting the appearance. As well as sealing the gaps between floorboards in a suspended floor, StopGap will also seal gaps under skirting boards and around windows and doors that aren’t used. Maybe you have doors or windows that you only use in the summer – fit StopGap in the Autumn and just take it out when the weather warms and store it carefully for next time. What wonderful things can I expect to happen once I’ve draught-proofed?

Benefits of fitting StopGap

STOP THE PRESS! StopGap was chosen once again by The Guardian as one of the best ways to protect your home from the cold. Areas to focus on are floor boards, skirting boards, where window and door frames meet the wall and the ceiling-to-wall junctions. The less obvious areas are keyholes, kitchen cupboards (where pipes are likely to penetrate walls), loft hatches and downlights. If you live in a period home with original wood flooring you may know how draughty these gaps can be, but you might still be surprised to know just how much heat is being lost through the spaces between your floorboards. As draughty as an open window Size - Does the draught excluder come in pre-set sizes? If so, you must learn the exact dimensions of the space you’re trying to insulate - whether that's a window, door or gaps between your floorboards. Some draught excluders come in longer lengths that can be cut to size, but it's important to measure carefully to ensure a perfect fit. Featured on one of More4's property seasons, Sarah Beeny used DraughtEx to show viewers how to seal gaps in original wood floorboards. She explained that filling wooden floorboards with DraughtEx is an effective and cost efficient way to eliminate cold draughts created by the gaps in your floor.