This sounds as though they having been moving and possibly coming loose from their fixings due to age, temperature, damp or wood movement. It's hard to say without seeing a photo. Have a closer inspection to see if it's anything that you can sort out yourself armed with a hammer and some nails or screws and screwdriver. If not, ask a handyman to pop round for a free quote. Good Luck?

Georgina, you are most welcome. Yes, I saw that you said in your initial query that you had lacquered them and did not want to sand it all back, hence my suggestion for the least messy option (otherwise yes would be better to sand it all back etc etc like others have said but let's be practical not perfectionists). Yes a tinted lacquer, yes I'm sure you can buy it, I've mixed it myself but best to just buy one but beware not to go too far the other way and take tiny steps. Paint a bit that's going to be under a desk etc and leave it for days to dry and look at it in different light etc. It's not ideal, but I suggest you use the same clear lacqer and add a tiny bit of tinted one because you are painting on a darker colour already so experiment with small amounts of each, keeping track of how much you have put in. (I mix my own wall colours so have just learnt to give it a go in small portions). You also mention wanting a black and white rug, these colours will clash with the wood (colour theory) and make it look even more orange so best to use a colour that tones more. It's hard to tell the exact colour from the photos but go with warmer deeper colours which will then tone down the orange rather than clash with it and make it look cheap and more orange. So if you want to go dark then a rich chocolate brown with some creams, khaki and even a bit of burnt orange for example will make the orange in the floorboards recede.

I wanted an invisible tough non-yellowing sealant over a thinned white emulsion wash. I used the 2 part Bona ultra matt for heavy traffic in our shop. It has been brilliantly hard wearing and 4 years on it still looks great! Having designed and decorated for nearly 30 years I would highly recommend Bona as it is easy to use and the results are superb. The secret for me is in having an ultra clean dust free floor. It's a bit of a drag but definitely worth the trouble if you need high standard professional results ! Firstly, lightly sand the water-based whitewashed surface with fine paper, wash with water and microfibre cloths and vacuum. leave for an hour or 2 to let any airborne dust settle, vacuum again and apply first thin coat. Leave for an hour or so after it's touch dry, then very lightly sand with fine finishing grade paper and vacuum. Repeat this between each subsequent coat, (usually 3 thin coats) and apply within the time stated on the instructions so that each layer bonds chemically to the one below and doesn''t shear off. It's near impossible to avoid some signs of wear over time in high traffic areas but Bona is excellent. It's not cheap but as they say, you get what you pay for!

Yes I was thinking to have it stripped but under the black paint there is plain very light sort wood strips my husband bought himself and carved it oh. it hasn't got that antique look.But I agree with you, if the beams were original wood and darker I would definitely do that. Often I was wondering if I had the wood stained oak would it work?I don't want a fake stuck on effect.Someone wrote in a post on an other website that they painted their beams brown and they looked like chocolate logs. Wish I knew how to make the beams look aged and weathered.May I ask what flooring have you got with.the beams?original floorboards?I was thinking to have rustic stone laid down in the living room but the house is already cold and there isn't lots of draught.