mystery floor tiles - any ideas?

[tycarregydwr]

]So as I posted on another thread, under the staircase there are tiles. They look like they could well be original (very late Victorian). What I cannot understand is what they are doing there :lol: The rest of the downstairs had whatever the original floor was (probably tile but we're not sure) replaced with a poured concrete job in the 1950s or 60s. Under the stairs was basically untouched - it's still limewash on the walls and they basically never 'modernized' it - so I guess maybe they just never touched the floor either. But in this case, why are the tiles at the same height as the concrete? It makes no sense at all that they would have taken them all up and then only replaced them in this otherwise neglected corner. But has anyone else encountered a situation where someone pours a concrete floor abutting some old flooring that is left in situ? And is there any way to tell if they are original? Would they be set with lime mortar, is there a way to check it it's lime?

 

[MatthewC]

I've got tiles like those! If it's like my house you won't find much lime under those tiles, just a few inches of sand which perhaps might have had a very weak mixture of lime in it, then soil....

I'm not sure I see your problem though - surely they took up most of the old tiles and laid a new concrete floor to the level of the tiles that were left (because the tiles were OK or they couldn't be bothered where they were out of sight).

 

[Zebra]

If you want to check if something is lime, dig a bit out and put it in some vinegar. If it fizzes, it's lime, even hundreds of years old it will still fizz.

 

[tycarregydwr]

Matthew - it's not a problem, I'm just curious. I think you're probably right that they just left those as they were out of sight. And to be honest I don't really understand how they would have put down the concrete floor. But I guess I assumed that it was kind of an 'all or nothing' approach, and that it wasn't possible to put in a solid floor abutting tiles that were left in place? Just a shame they didn't leave the rest of them I guess!

 

[dans]

We've got those in our house too. Ours aren't that old and are quite cheap.

In fact- when I take them all up, you are more than welcome to them! I'm hoping that the original payments are still underneath...

 

[MatthewC]

We've got those in our house too. Ours aren't that old and are quite cheap.

In fact- when I take them all up, you are more than welcome to them! I'm hoping that the original payments are still underneath...

You'd be lucky! More likely you'll find sand and earth!

 

[dans]

We've got those in our house too. Ours aren't that old and are quite cheap.

In fact- when I take them all up, you are more than welcome to them! I'm hoping that the original payments are still underneath...

You'd be lucky! More likely you'll find sand and earth!

Most likely you're right! The only hope is that after taking down the partition wall that seperate the dining room, the tiles are higher than the pamments... so there is hope!!!

Just called for a price for reclaimed pamments.... :shock: So lets hope they are still there!!!!

 

[plasticpigeon]

How big are you pamments? Is that the Norfolk name for what the rest of the country calls quarries??? I will have many 9" ones left over after doing my kitchen floor, which you are welcome to sift through once I have laid it!

 

[dans]

How big are you pamments? Is that the Norfolk name for what the rest of the country calls quarries??? I will have many 9" ones left over after doing my kitchen floor, which you are welcome to sift through once I have laid it!

Very kind, thank you. I need some 9x9" reds, prob around 150 of them...

I don't know why they're called pamments in Norfolk and Suffolk. I didn't realise until recently that nr everyone called them pamments!