discovered quarry tiles - what to do?

[Feltwell]

turf = sod.

Don't feel daft though, as I don't get your brewer's reference.....

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Pi$$edOf

 

[Penners]

Now, now, children...

Ma's out, Pa's out, let's talk rude!
Pee! Po! Belly! Bum! Drawers!
Dance in the garden in the nude,
Pee! Po! Belly! Bum! Drawers!
Let's write rude words all down the street;
Stick out our tongues at the people we meet;
Let's have an intellectual treat!
Pee! Po! Belly! Bum! Drawers!

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Penners, I still have that rhyme pinned to our lobby noticeboard---- keeps everybody amused!

 

[Penners]

Yes, dear old F&S.

 

[lulupop]

Hello there

Well it's been about a month since we have uncovered our quarry tiles, and after a lot of scrubbing and having pipes moved, they are looking a lot better.

We have left them to dry for a good few weeks now and unfortunately we appear to have a damp problem. The tiles seem to be constantly damp and when it rains it gets worse. I have also noticed a slightly damp smell coming from the floorboards in the living room when it rains, I've pulled up a board and everything looks ok, I think it is just damp soil causing the smell.

Once again the suggestion of pulling the floor up and concreting it has been the only advice offered so I am looking to you helpful bunch for any suggestions?

This is our first property so as you can imagine the budget is very tight!


L

 

[Penners]

What's underneath the floorboards? Are they suspended on joists above the soil? Is the soil level outside the walls well below the inside floor level?

If so, there should be air bricks in the outside walls (below interior floor level) to ventilate the sub-floor space. Ideally these air bricks should be located on each side, so as to promote a cross-flow of air.

If these air bricks exist, is it possible that - when there's heavy rain - water is flowing into the sub-floor area through the air bricks? If so, you need to take steps to prevent this - possibly by constructing some sort of rain protection above the air bricks.

Assuming that the quarry tiled floor is adjacent to the living room floor, it's possible the the dampness under the wooden floor could be soaking sideways underneath the quarry tiles.

Have a good look around the whole outside of that part of the house, to see how the soil level compares with the floor levels inside.

 

[MdB]

Why is the ground under your tiles wet? This is the question you need to answer.
Possible answers are as follows:

1) The outside ground levels are too high relative to inside.
2) Rainwater from the roof isn't being taken far enough away from the building.
3) Surface water is draining away from the house.
4) You house is built on a spring.
5) You house is built on clay or similar material which is moving moisture under the house.
6) lots of other causes I'm not clever enough to think of.

(Our house used to suffer from most of the above)

Replacing your floor with concrete (with DPM underneath) will give you a nice dry floor. Unfortunately, it will also mean that the soil under the concrete will become very wet and this may well then cause your walls to become very damp at their base (This occurred in our house). We solved this by rebuilding our walls with a DPM under everything (i.e. modern construction) but are still having some issues with our few remaining old walls which we couldn't do this to.

A limecrete floor in your case isn't going to be a good solution as it sounds like there is just too much damp for it to deal with. I would therefore be looking to probably do nothing to your floor and concentrate my efforts in sorting out all the reasons for the floor being damp in the first place with outside ground levels being the very first priority. People in the past have talked about having 200mm minimum difference. I would have more if you can.

 

[lulupop]

Hello

Once again, many thanks for all your help.

Well looking outside, it appears that the levels outside are far too high (some of the vents are partially covered at the front on the house) so I guess that will be our next task. Does anyone have any idea how much work like this would cost? Could anyone recommend someone to carry out this work in the North Herts/South Beds area?

There is cement to be dug up so I guess we will have to dig trenches and fill with gravel...

Hmm beginning to regret purchasing an older property as our first house, maybe we should have gone for something easier!

L

 

[MdB]

Well looking outside, it appears that the levels outside are far too high (some of the vents are partially covered at the front on the house)

Strange that :wink: (it is a very common problem)

Do a search for French drain. You want a pipe at the bottom than drains somewhere sensible and some form of geotextile to stop it silting up. The better alternative is to have an open trench with a grill on top (again draining somewhere sensible) though this isn't always appropriate.

No idea on cost it all depends on how difficult the job is / how deep the trench needs to be etc. Likely a lot cheaper than changing your floor though and probably a job you could do yourself if you feel like it.

Hmm beginning to regret purchasing an older property as our first house, maybe we should have gone for something easier!

I think everybody who owns an old building thinks like this from time to time. However, the vast majority also wouldn't want to live anywhere else. You do fall in love with them.

 

[Penners]

Does anyone have any idea how much work like this would cost?

Virtually nothing if you do it yourselves! Yes, as MdB says a French drain might well be appropriate, but you could start by simply digging a trench around the house, to reduce soil levels to below the interior floor. Try to get at least 15cm below the inner floor level - more if you can. Most important of all, expose those air bricks, to get air circulating under your suspended floor.

Two warnings:-

1. Don't dig below the the bottom of the footings of the house. A Victorian terrace should have a reasonable foundation, but just keep this warning in mind.

2. When you expose the air bricks, don't just create a little "well" around each vent. In heavy rain these can fill up with water which will flow under your floor. Dig below the level of the air brick and, if you can, create a little roof over the area - maybe just a ridge tile or something similar. And make sure that any water has somewhere to flow away.

One final thought: your original post in this thread talked about a burst pipe which led to you pulling up a timber floor and finding the quarry tiles. Assuming the tiles were flooded by the burst pipe, are you quite sure that their dampness isn't still the remnants of that flooding? If a substantial quantity of water soaked down below the tiles, it could take quite some time to finally disappear.

Ultimately, if the above doesn't have a beneficial effect, then you may have to create a proper French drain, as MdB suggests. But solving damp problems is always a slow, step-by-step process. So you might as well start with the cheapest first step, and see how that goes.

Don't be downhearted about your old property. There's nothing more rewarding than solving its problems one by one and enjoying the results of your beneficial work.

 

[Moo]

an open trench with a grill on top (again draining somewhere sensible) though this isn't always appropriate.

We have something of that sort along the back of our house and it's totally cured the dampness caused by run-off in the back yard. As far as I can tell it's a sort of metal gully with a grill that clips into the top of it, and it's connected at one end to the business end of a drainpipe.

 

[Penners]

it's a sort of metal gully with a grill that clips into the top of it

How very inventive! So you can drain your yard and cook your barbecues.

 

[Moo]

ok, ok, Mr Cleverclogs - point taken.
(What a difference an e makes)

 

[CliffordPope]

Having found such lovely tiles it seems to me there are only two possible choices:

1) Move whatever pipes and wires are in the way and restore the floor to its original material and level

2) Lift all the tiles carefully, and then re-do the floor in whatever method the team advise. Then either re-lay the tiles on top, if that is possible, or save them for somewhere else.

 

[Penners]

What a difference an e makes

I understand that sentence is frequently heard in nightclubs throughout the land.

 

[lulupop]

Hello

Just wanted to say thank you for all your advice. Upon further investigation it seems some of the joists under the floorboards in the living room are touching soil, which isn't ideal!

We're going to have a go at removing some of the debris to create a gap under the wood and exposing the air vents as suggested. Then we'll take it from there.

Good point about the leak, the previous owner had moved out about a week before we moved in so the water could have been drenching the house for some time (although this was back in December).

Now back to scrubbing those quarry tiles... ; )

L

 

[Penners]

We're going to have a go at removing some of the debris to create a gap under the wood and exposing the air vents as suggested.

Good plan.