Grrrrrrrrrr - Period Features, trying to do the right thing

[benmc]

Bad day today.

We have been working for 2 years on our Church (badly converted in the 70s). At each stage we have tried wherever possible to be honest to the building and reinstate original features.

But today I have been forced to dig up a tiled floor that had been down for over 100 years.

http://www.periodproperty.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=11119

I started this morning with the goal of cleaning the remaining Victorian tiles and also cleaning the edges ready to extend the pattern, once I started I could tell the original tiles have lost their bond to the floor. Tapping them gave a hollow sound and a number of them moved, I guess around 70% of the floor was not bonded. So I had no other option but to spend the day lifting them, they could not have stayed down, unfortunately around 40% have been damaged as edges etc get broken.

To be honest I am gutted and sad, it was not the plan.

But I hope redemption is available.

We will relay the exact same pattern in the same colours but a slightly bigger tile from craven dunnill-jackfield. Going for 6 inch rather than 4.25 inch will save around £4,000.

I will also clean all the good tiles and ensure they are used elsewhere in the building, I may even do an original inlay in the new floor.

I guess when working with period properties you win some and you loose some. Today I lost.

Ben - Dejected Period Property renovator!

 

[yamin]

I'm sorry to hear this. How frustrating and, indeed, sad. Sometimes though, you have to make a tough call, and you did all you could here to save them as they were. Sounds like you have tried, and hopefully succeeded in making a sympathetic choice for replacements - its an unfortunate reality that money concerns also have to be counted! Are there enough of the originals to maybe make a border? Or incorporate in a one off design in the middle of the replacement floor, or some other way?

Onwards and upwards!

 

[benmc]

Will try to use some of the original in the middle as a feature panel. No border originally so would not put one in now.

 

[JoceAndChris]

So sorry to read that, you must be gutted.

We try our best, but it's not always possible to save everything. I'm sure that floor will end up looking lovely though. Have you got photos of it as it was?

 

[benmc]

Loads and loads of photos. I am sure once the new floor is down I won't be able to tell the difference and the old tiles will still be used somewhere in the house.

 

[robgil]

i feel your pain. i am dreading the removal of the screed on my kitchen floor , i know the original buff yellow pamment floor is down there but i also know after having excavated one brick that its in bad shape and i also know that a large chunk of the bricks are missing so i am assuming the worst. i am in the process of cleaning 360 odd floor bricks for my bathroom and its not easy , lots of scrubbing and some diluted brick acid where necessary but at around 30 bricks per day its going to be a long week.

 

[Moo]

If it's any comfort, we found that our pamments didn't seem to have a right or wrong side. So when they were re-laid it didn't matter too much that I'd failed to remove all the cement and assorted crud from quite a few of them.

ps A couple of dozen of them were cracked, but our lovely builder stacked them very carefully when he lifted the floor so that they could re-used.

 

[benmc]

to give you a nice update and ending to this.

I searched around and found the French still producing the quarry tiles in almost the same colour.

http://www.winckelmans.com/english/index.asp?n=2

So purchased 20sq m.

They arrived today and will be laid professionally next week.

Could not resist laying some down to get the idea and they look perfect!!!

Cant wait for them all to be laid

Ben

 

[FamilyWiggs]

Ben - looks to me like you've pretty much got the skills to avoid the need for "professional" installers.

Go on - lay some screed, get a straight edge, spirit level and some spacers, and get laying them!

 

[benmc]

I wish. The tiles in the picture are laid dry with no adhesive. I have the professionals in Monday morning to do the tilling. The week after the Aga gets fitted!!!!!

Ben - looks to me like you've pretty much got the skills to avoid the need for "professional" installers.

Go on - lay some screed, get a straight edge, spirit level and some spacers, and get laying them!

 

[benmc]

Finally getting there.

Floor laid and Aga being installed last week



CIMG3829 by ben_mccormack2000, on Flickr

 

[Moo]

That is really impressive!
May one ask how much it cost?

 

[benmc]

Cheers

Aga was 5k from Moorland Cookers - They recondition
Flooring - Dread to think. Think about 4k.

Kitchen units get fitted next week

Ben

That is really impressive!
May one ask how much it cost?

 

[Penners]

That looks wonderful, Ben. I think your conscience can relax in the knowledge that you tried to do your best by the building, and if you re-use the original tiles elsewhere in the house, they'll still be under the same roof.

More photos when the units are fitted, please!

 

[skier-hughes]

That floor is amazing!!!

 

[benmc]

Cheers all.

My wife and I have spent the summer doing the kitchen. We are very pleased.

What you can see in the picture is the step-up to the original alter.

The stone step at the front had been removed so we have put that back in.
On the right we have exposed some of the original red brickwork that had been plastered in.
The floor was replaced with the same design as the original was un-savable.
and the best bit the Aga is exactly where the original alter would have been. The idea place.

I have spent today wiring the spotlights.

Wife is now doing toad in the hole in the Aga.

Will post more pics when the units are fitted.

Ben

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Well done, and glad you found your Aga! :wink:

 

[JoceAndChris]

How lovely, you must be thrilled to bits. Well done! And enjoy your Aga - they're just so useful for all sorts of things.

 

[Jill]

What a wonderful floor Ben, I'm sure your initial dissapointment has now gone, and as you say you can re-use the originals elsewhere. Well done.