Ask Historic New England | June 2018

Is there a way to install carpeting on my stairs without damaging the historic wood?—Heather M., Peterborough, NH

Modern carpet tack strips, used to install wall-to-wall carpeting, can cause considerable damage to historic floors and stair treads. They create countless holes, and when removed they gouge the floorboards.

A less destructive method involves securing a runner to the tread with stair rods. Install the rods where the tread meets the riser. The rods are usually secured with a few screws. Even if you use a few extra tacks to further secure the runner, the holes are easily filled and repaired if you ever need to remove the runner. The rods can be plain or ornate, acting as decorative embellishment to the stairs. An added benefit of installing a runner is that you can loosen the rods and lift the runner for cleaning, unlike with wall-to-wall stair carpeting.

Stair rods have a long history, going back at least to the late 18th century in England. It was very popular in the Victorian era. Stair runners became more mainstream in New England during the 19th century. They faded in popularity after the early 20th century but remain a viable way to add carpeting to stairs and reduce damage. They are particularly appropriate for 19th-century homes.

Dylan Peacock Preservation services manager

I read that a “cat ladder” is a feature built into the chimneys of some colonial farmhouses to let cats to move freely through the house. Is that true?—Brook H., Burlington, VT

Cat ladders seem to fall into two main categories: one that’s related to cats and one that’s not. Neither has much to do with chimneys.

An old book of English folk practices cites the usefulness of a simple “ladder,” constructed of a center plank with crosspieces, placed outside against a thatched roof, where it can assist cats in climbing up to rid the roof of mice and nesting birds. Similar modern-day ladders allow the pet cats of apartment dwellers to come and go from second-story porches with ease. For cat owners living in trendy loft-style apartments, interior cat ladders can let a pet explore, prowl, and perch in all the high-up places.

The other type of cat ladder has to do with accessing tall structures. These are usually attached against a wall to scale a tower or other inaccessible section of a roof. In this case, the “ladder” is more like a catwalk, but instead of spanning a high space it goes up a high wall. It’s also often contained within a circular safety cage to protect roofers (who don’t have nine lives) against falls.

Sally Zimmerman Senior preservation services manager

What is an accurate surface for a floor in my 18th-century house?—Jack C., Bristol, RI

Take a few minutes to surf real estate sites, and you’ll quickly see that today’s buyers of both new and antique houses want gleaming wood floors, stained a rich brown. For anyone used to having their romantic notions of history dashed, brace yourself for another reality check: Our early-18th-century ancestors valued floors that were scoured as white as bare wood can get. The effect was a bright, light-absorbing finish that is far different from the gloss we value today. And until the arrival of floor coverings such as straw mats and oilcloths, clean sifted beach sand was the desired abrasive, refreshed weekly as regular as washing on Mondays.

New Hampshire historian Janice Brown tells us that some housekeepers left the sand in little piles on the floor, to be worked into the wood as inhabitants went about their daily business. But many 18th-century memoirs confirm that house-proud owners carefully spread the sand in feathered patterns on the floor. Knowing that the lovely pattern would be destroyed by the first foot that stepped into it was less important than letting the world know that they upheld the highest standards of cleanliness.

Suzanne Buchanan Senior preservation services manager

Got a question about an old house you need answered? Submit your questions to Historic New England at: Editor@YankeePub.com.

Historic New England is the oldest, largest, and most comprehensive regional heritage organization in the nation. Historic New England shares the region’s history through vast collections, publications, programs, museum properties, archives, and stories that document more than 400 years of life in New England. For more information visit: HistoricNewEngland.org.