hypothetically speaking , if someone were to lay floor bricks on a bed of sand but use a tiny amount of lime mortar because the bricks are different thickness's , how much sand would that person use? and also , if the old floor that was there previously laid on a bed of sand had a lot of effervescence what would one need to do to prevent this on the new floor?
hypothetically speaking , if i were to lay floor bricks....
- Thread starter robgil
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chuckey
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effervescence = "fizz", efflorescence = white stuff on bricks (salts?) normally brought to the surface of bricks by the action of water. How damp is the floor?
Frank
Frank
its not damp at all Frank , it may have been damp at one point as the clay lump around it had deteriorated badly at the base of the walls but it seemed pretty dry to me. a leaking gutter outside may have been the culprit.
the room originally may have been used to house animals , its at the end of a scullery and looks like it may have been two small stables. i have heard urine in the earth below a floor can cause efflorescence when brought up by water coming through the bricks.
the room originally may have been used to house animals , its at the end of a scullery and looks like it may have been two small stables. i have heard urine in the earth below a floor can cause efflorescence when brought up by water coming through the bricks.
chuckey
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Ah, the salts in urine are de-facto water soluble so that explains that. I would think to stop it occurring on the new bricks either water transmission must be stopped (plastic DPC or engineering bricks) or the original salt laden sand and earth must be removed. There could be a third more esoteric method and that is to convert the soluble salts to insoluble salts by the action of a suitable acid,- bit beyond my O level chemistry ! :?
Frank
Frank
I've only experimented with this a few years ago but it worked when someone dumped a load of blue clay trying to create a floor(the clay had to come out)
Quicklime(lump lime)was laid first then left to draw out the moisture then a chalk floor was created and brick laid upon the chalk.
Dry as a bone.
Andy
Quicklime(lump lime)was laid first then left to draw out the moisture then a chalk floor was created and brick laid upon the chalk.
Dry as a bone.
Andy
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On the floor I laid a couple of years ago several separate tiles show efflorescence.
It would seem that the salts are within the tile itself and are slightly hygroscopic.
(presumable from previous floors "in their other life" being damp, wetted or treated.)
As a matter of interest this floor was a re-lay and was required because the previous tilers (of 1906 ish) did not compact the soil properly.
However I used a similar tecnique as they had done and set the tiles on a weakish mix of lime mortar... ordinary building merchants' lime worked very well.
Sealing would not stop the efflorescence occurring IME.
It would seem that the salts are within the tile itself and are slightly hygroscopic.
(presumable from previous floors "in their other life" being damp, wetted or treated.)
As a matter of interest this floor was a re-lay and was required because the previous tilers (of 1906 ish) did not compact the soil properly.
However I used a similar tecnique as they had done and set the tiles on a weakish mix of lime mortar... ordinary building merchants' lime worked very well.
Sealing would not stop the efflorescence occurring IME.
No.robgil said:would sealing the bricks be an idea?