Another terrible idea?

[Zebra]

A couple of times, I've posted about an idea I've had, and some of you have been kind enough and brave enough to tell me it was ghastly - advice I've been glad I've taken. Similar honest advice required again please!
I no longer think I want to have timber flooring in the kitchen because of the risk of spillage. The kitchen is in the newly constructed front extension which has an insulated concrete slab. My new idea is to have brick/pamments instead, using the old pamments which I've dug up from under and around the house, which I assume were once installed as flooring.
However, they're all different thicknesses and sizes, and laying them in any sensible way would be quite difficult. It could look quite "rustic" but might just be a mess. Or is it somehow disingenuous to reuse old materials, because you're confusing the house's history? Should I forget it and have a new pamment floor instead?

 

[malcolm]

The different thickness should be easy to deal with by laying the slabs individually (looking at patios at the moment and there is some advice on here: http://www.pavingexpert.com/layflag1.htm ). The tiling we are planning for the new kitchen will be in different sizes. Somewhere on the site linked suggests not to have 4 corners joining at the same place. Might have been the laying patterns page http://www.pavingexpert.com/flag_patterns_01.htm. I'm sure all of that could be applied to a kitchen floor to make it look really cool.

Worthwhile reusing old materials if they will look good and you'll like them. Otherwise they just end up in the skip. My own house has reused materials - the only original beam in the barn turned out to have been salvaged from an earlier structure, probably a beam from the house. Turns out the rest of the beams are the original ones. I'm glad they saved it rather than chucking it in the skip to make it easier for simpletons to 'read' the building.

 

[paulb33]

I think a reclaimed pammet floor would be lovely. There's no difference b/w reclaimed and new in my book - each are new additions. The key is to lay a reclaimed tile with care, so it looks like it 'belongs' there. Something that's probably easier to achieve with a new tile.

Does that make sense? Probably not.

BTW, spills on brick pammets won't necessarily be easier to deal with.

 

[88v8]

I think little of the concept of making the history transparent for future numskulls. Except in the case of a historically important building, who cares.... our 'umble cottage is somewhat impenetrable, I think I have it sussed to a extent, but that wouldn't dissuade me from mock-old works that fit in, rather than blatantly new-style work that looks crass.

If pamments suit the vibe of the house, go for it.
Share Paul's reservations about cleanability, which of course you can test.

Different thicknesses, I suppose one could grade them by thickness and gradually slope the mortar bed (spreadsheet nerd needed ) or start the bed to suit the thickest and then randomly fatten it under the thinner as one would if tiling a lumpy wall.
The main risk, as far as I can see from your work, is that far from looking rustic, it will look too good :shock:

Ivor

 

[Flyfisher]

If you have enough old pamments and they're in good enough condition then you might as well use them. I doubt that it would confuse future historians unless they are not capable of seeing that the old pamments have been laid in a 21st century addition.

But do make sure you have enough to complete the floor because when I looked at pamment prices last year, reclaims were about twice the price of new ones.

We chose new pamments for our kitchen extension, handmade locally by Norfolk Pamments - http://www.pamments.co.uk/

As for the inevitable kitchen spills, if the pamments are treated correctly then there should be no problems, plus I think 'tatty' pamments look far better than tatty wood so they will fare better whatever abuse you can inflict upon them, though I appreciate that's a subjective view. Lots of useful info here: http://www.pamments.co.uk/laying.html

 

[plasticpigeon]

I think quarry or pamment floors look great. I just laid a kitchen floor in reclaimed quarries of all different thicknesses. I had to lay them all individually on their own individual beds, but with care I got the floor flat. I used a lime bed on a limecrete floor. New ones also look good and have the advantage of all being the same thickness so can be laid in a conventional way using tile adhesive on a flat floor if your floor is concrete.

I'm totally with Ivor, I can't stand the idea that the history of a building needs to be readable by looking at it. It is far more important that additions look good, and are harmonious with and respectful to the rest of the building. The current convention for glass boxes stuck on to historic buildings is a triumph of justification of poor design, lack of knowledge and ease of construction over taste and quality in my opinion, much like most modern conceptual art. Create a worthy sounding philosophy to justify zero effort, poor quality, cynically conceived rubbish.

 

[Penners]

I doubt that it would confuse future historians unless they are not capable of seeing that the old pamments have been laid in a 21st century addition.

I quite agree.

Laying odd-sized pamments is a bit of a tricky job, which I have undertaken once before. I found that the trick was to try and choose a laying pattern that best suits the number of bricks you have of each size. I would try to sort them out into batches of same-sized bricks (surface size - thickness is less important). You can then plan your floor layout to suit the number of batches, and treat each batch area almost as one separate floor. You could even use different patterns for different areas if you like that idea.

To marry the areas together, you can lay a line of pamments as a kind of border to each section. A modest variation in grout lines can also help to blend different sizes together.

The differences of thickness are much easier to cope with - just vary the thickness of bed (sand or mortar) for each pamment.

It's a lengthier job than laying one homogenous floor of identical bricks, but with patience can actually result in a very interesting and attractive floor.

 

[Zebra]

Goodo! Thanks all, decision made. It's not that I'm going to get around to it any time soon, you understand, it's just that I want to know whether to use up all the good remaining boards for the study, and not save any for the kitchen.

 

[LadyArowana]

Goodo! Thanks all, decision made. It's not that I'm going to get around to it any time soon, you understand, it's just that I want to know whether to use up all the good remaining boards for the study, and not save any for the kitchen.

Yes, better to have nice boards in the study and something completely different in the kitchen. I bet it will look really good, you should be so proud to see the house entering the later stages of it's rebirth.

 

[Zebra]

Yes, I am. And it's much thanks to you all for keeping my stripes up when it all felt so very overwhelming. There's still a way to go - plastering, some stud walls, doors, fitting a kitchen and bathroom, decorating, central heating, second fix electrics, making a proper cupboard for Henry - but it all feels manageable now.

 

[Flyfisher]

Ah, so you also get that warm feeling of manageability when you understand how to do something compared with wondering what's the best thing to do. I thought it was just me

Though converting 'manageable' into 'actually done' is the thing I'm still struggling with.

 

[paulb33]

Ah, so you also get that warm feeling of manageability when you understand how to do something compared with wondering what's the best thing to do. I thought it was just me

Though converting 'manageable' into 'actually done' is the thing I'm still struggling with.

Is there such a thing as an 'actually done' period property? :roll:

 

[LadyArowana]

Ah, so you also get that warm feeling of manageability when you understand how to do something compared with wondering what's the best thing to do. I thought it was just me

Though converting 'manageable' into 'actually done' is the thing I'm still struggling with.

Is there such a thing as an 'actually done' period property? :roll:

Yes, you can buy them, and then about a week after your name is on the land registry they stop being "done" and revert to their usual state.

 

[Feltwell]

My last house was "actually done".

It achieved this prestigious state after a bout of very intensive work in the 3 weeks after we moved out, just before the estate agent called round to put it on the market :roll:

 

[Penners]

plastering, some stud walls, doors, fitting a kitchen and bathroom, decorating, central heating, second fix electrics, making a proper cupboard for Henry

Eat the elephant a spoonful at a time (with apologies to any of your pachydermal friends).

 

[Zebra]

I was going to use that metaphor, but quite apart from upsetting her Ladyship, zebras are vegetarians. Perhaps eat the oak tree a spoonful at a time? No, that's ridiculous. You wouldn't eat an oak tree with a spoon.

 

[LadyArowana]

I was going to use that metaphor, but quite apart from upsetting her Ladyship, zebras are vegetarians. Perhaps eat the oak tree a spoonful at a time? No, that's ridiculous. You wouldn't eat an oak tree with a spoon.

Yes I cannot condone the eating of elephants, even one spoonful at a time.