is 1936 old enough to be counted as 'period' on this forum?

[welshlass]

We bought a 1936 red brick semi in Cardiff. I have been lurking on this forum for some months, reading posts and learning new things. Must say you all seem a very friendly bunch!

Not sure if my house is really old enough to be defined as period...

The house needs work; was clearly refitted fairly badly inthe 70's, all the picture rails ripped off, fireplaces removed etc. So far we are doing well at reinstating bits like picture rails and repainting.

Problem is the floors on the ground floor are really badly compacted and uneven - woodblock herringbone floor to the dowstairs, but part way across the kitchen/diner cement has been poured in butting the woodblock. To add to the fun the middle of the diner is about 3" lower than the skirting.

We need to remove the floor in the diner (concrete, woodblock etc) to level it off and start again... this is more than I can DIY!! There are nowhere near enough woodblocks to relay so I guess they will have to go.

While at it, it would make sense to consider lifting the hall woodblock and levelling that too - it rises and falls by up to 2" and some blocks are loose, and the ones by the front door are rotten, and there is abig crack in the sub floor in one place.

So, anyone know a good (and sympathetic) builder in Cardiff? Also is there an easy way to do this? If I thought we could just lift and chuck some self levelling compound down I would have a crack at this, but I suspect it needs proper digging up and starting again to get it right.

Your thoughts appreciated!
:?

 

[skier-hughes]

It all depends on what part of 1936 really, anything before June 21st 1936 is period, unfortunately June 22nd is common new build rubbish!!!!

:wink:

Graham

 

[NT]

One option in case of block shortage is to add differing blocks as a border round the outside.


NT

 

[Penners]

It would be a huge shame to chuck out your flooring blocks. So much nicer if you could reclaim them and relay them. They make a lovely floor and would considerably enhance your house in both beauty and value.

Have you tried scouring the local architectural reclamation yards to see whether you can match the existing blocks? Make sure the yard conforms to the Salvo code, in order to avoid the possibility of stolen goods.

Your existing wood blocks are likely to be bedded in pitch or something similar, so you should be able to lift them by using a solvent. I seem to remember that paraffin will dissolve pitch (can anyone confirm or deny?), so why not have a go and see whether you can get them up?

You can then get the floor repaired and levelled (it's probably concrete), and relay the blocks. Sand and finish them, and you'll have a floor to be proud of.

 

[welshlass]

The sub floor is so bad they seem to lift quite easily with the blunt end of a crow bar - they just 'snap'off the bitumen when you whack it underneath them (and not damaged).

That just leaves the problem of finding a sympathetic builder! If the floors get made 'too' level then it will really show up the two reception rooms - we need to get it more level than it is, but with a bit of sympathy for the rest of the house. We also need a load of other work doing, but struggling to find a builder who will give us a price in writing - they all come round, have a look, say they'll put it in writing and then we never hear from them again!!

Not looked in salvo yards yet, want to work out what to do with the subfloor first before decding what to put back down.

So, know any good builders in Cardiff? :wink:

 

[Nemesis]

Have you asked your conservation officer?

They usually have a fair idea of the decent ones!

 

[NT]

Paraffin is a good solvent for bitumen. But AFAICS you wonnt need a bitumen solvent, just lever them off and put them back using hot bitumen again.

NT

 

[BMcD]

Is it possible to use the parquet (wood block) from the hall to patch up the kitchen/diner as they are more likely to be a good match and then source some more for the hall?

 

[Penners]

Paraffin is a good solvent for bitumen. But AFAICS you wonnt need a bitumen solvent, just lever them off and put them back using hot bitumen again.

But in order to get them level, you may have to wash lumps of pitch/bitumen off the bottom of the blocks before you re-lay them. Wait until the paraffin has completely dried out before re-laying or they may not stick down well.

Is it possible to use the parquet (wood block) from the hall to patch up the kitchen/diner as they are more likely to be a good match and then source some more for the hall?

Good idea.

 

[NT]

Paraffin is a good solvent for bitumen. But AFAICS you wonnt need a bitumen solvent, just lever them off and put them back using hot bitumen again.

But in order to get them level, you may have to wash lumps of pitch/bitumen off the bottom of the blocks before you re-lay them. Wait until the paraffin has completely dried out before re-laying or they may not stick down well.

Any bitumen will melt when you put the block in hot bitumen at relaying time. Its better not to use paraffin if not needed as it does take a fair while to dry out, and has a feint whiff. Lamp oil could be used to avoid that, but paraffin use shouldnt really be necessary.


NT

 

[Penners]

Any bitumen will melt when you put the block in hot bitumen at relaying time.

True, if you're using hot bitumen. But nowadays such blocks are often laid in modern bitumastic compounds which are applied cold.

 

[Gervase]

If you're going to use a cold compound to lay the blocks, you can adopt the heretical approach and use a table saw to remove a millimetre or so off the back of the blocks, with a fence fixed firmly on the saw table to give you a constant width. It's potentially messy for the blade, and best done in cold weather and with great care, but I have seen it done effectively.