can anyone identify this floor? 1920s house

[angelknight]

I'm restoring a 1925 house back to its former glory. Can anyone identify this & how to remove it?

It's some kind of concrete like material on top of a wooden subfloor. I managed to crack a few tiny 2cm few pieces off with an SDS chisel but it took a good hour.

Although it looks like chisels don't seem to crack it apart.. they mostly just sink in.. and then go through the wood subfloor!

It's also full of nails inside the material itself hidden beneath the surface.

It almost looks like concrete poured over nails but maybe I'm wrong!? Maybe magnesite? But it doesn't glow under a flame..

Thanks

 

[Zebra]

Careful, it could have asbestos in it.

 

[angelknight]

i already had it tested for asbestos.. negative

 

[livias]

I have never seen anything like that but

As it is soft and hopefully not well bonded to the wood floor I would try prising it up by sliding a cold chisel between it and wooden floor and bashing it

If that took too long then I might investigate hiring a scabbler. I have never used one but they are designed for the job though not normally used with a wooden floor underneath

 

[Feltwell]

New one on me to.

As livias says, getting something in between it & the floorboards looks the way to go. You can get curved flat blades for SDS drills, designed for taking plaster and tiles off, should do the job with a decent SDS drill with rotation stop:-

https://www.toolstation.com/shop/p54509

I reckon you can do that without damaging the floorboards if you're careful.

 

[Tony.]

http://www.hss.ie/g/2159/floor-tile-remover.html

I find this type better as it has a more flexible chisel/spatula head

 

[88v8]

Where is the house?
Edit your location....

I seem to recall a thread... a house with a solid floor, was it upstairs, over wood. Was normal for the area.... ???

This is some sort of lightweight screed??? Are the nails old?

Ivor

 

[Gareth Hughes]

Where is the house?
Edit your location....

I seem to recall a thread... a house with a solid floor, was it upstairs, over wood. Was normal for the area.... ???

This is some sort of lightweight screed??? Are the nails old?

Ivor

You may be thinking of lime ash floors which are (were) pretty common across - at least - the east midlands. I don't think this is the same thing - I'm sure I've seen similar to this red stuff used as (apparently) solid floors in schools / hospitals etc of the 1920s and 30s.