Victorian quarry tile help please!

[tillyd]

Hello, does anyone know about Victorian quarry tiles? After trailing round tile shops this morning looking for floor tiles for our new kitchen, we came back and lifted the lino in said kitchen (small Victorian terrace) to discover we already have red 6" quarry tiles on the floor. Which is great - hubby wishes we had discovered them before this morning's shopping!
I have two Qs:
1. We had been hoping (depending on price) to have underfloor heating in the kitchen - the wet/gas type not the electric. What do you think the chances are of being able to lift the tiles without damaging too many of them, in order to lift the floor and then re-lay them again? Also do you think they would be ok with the heating underneath?
2. The tiles are covered in a black adhesive which has been used to stick the lino on top - any suggestion on how to clean this off?

I am hoping we could just replace any damaged tiles with some matching reclaimed spares. Is there anything else I need to know about quarry tiles - assume they are quite hardwearing etc?

thank you!

 

[Jon Maine]

Removal depends on how well they are stuck down and how solid the adhesive is. Once you have created a hole to work out from it should be easier to lift them.

Yes will work well with underfloor heating

Black adhesive, difficult, maybe a steam cleaner would lift it, perhaps if you lifted a couple and found someone with a steam cleaner you could try. Most lorry yards have them, know any lorry drivers? Short of that lots of tedious hand application of chemicals.

 

[Moo]

On the other hand they may not have been stuck down at all, but just laid straight on to compacted earth.
I'd be inclined to lift one from an inconspicuous spot (behind the cooker?) and find out what the situation is.

 

[Lime]

The tiles will be fine with underfloor heating.
The black adhesive is very difficult to remove at normal temperatures.
One of the better ways is to freeze it with dry ice (solid carbon dioxide) and then chip it off.
If you are lifting the floor it may be possible to freeze the tiles in a freezer (a bit tedious) and chip it off that way.
The tiles have to be very cold though, not just at or slightly below freezing.

 

[Penners]

What do you think the chances are of being able to lift the tiles without damaging too many of them, in order to lift the floor and then re-lay them again?

As others have said, it all depends onm how they've been laid. If they're bedded in cement, with cement grouting (like ours), then I'm, afraid you stand very little chance.

The only way you'll know for sure is to try a few.

As regards the black gunk, the only thing I would add to what others have said is that you should at all costs resist any temptation to try remove it with a solvent. All this will do is dissolve the gunk, spread it around and allow it to sink into the tiles.

 

[AMc]

You may need building control and/or listed building consent depending on your circumstances.

I would get the quotes for the underfloor before you begin anything. Make sure you are quoted for all the work, not just laying pipes and screed over a prepared surface as there is much more to it than that.

If you want to fit wet underfloor heating you will need to lift the tiles (store them) then dig down a significant depth to lay a firm foundation for the floor, then insulation, then the pipes bedded into a screed finally with your tiles relaid over the top.

To give you an idea - I've had to go down deep enough for 150mm of hardcore, then 15mm of sand, damp proof membrane, then 100mm of oversite floor slab (mine is an evil word). I have still to install 90mm of solid board insulation, then 65mm of screed then the floor bricks (30mm) to lay.
That adds up to removing 45cm/18" of floor below the existing level to build back up. That's a lot of digging and skips.

If you don't dig down and create a solid foundation then your screed and floor will probably crack.
If you don't insulate underneath then you will be heating the ground almost as efficiently as the floor.

If you can maintain a breathable floor using limecrete or similar for the floor slab, breathable insulation and the screed and omit the DPM then you may be well advised to to avoid damp issues in future. I've had to go for a sealed box approach because room size constraints have prevented me from using breathable insulation throughout and building control require me to insulate the walls.

Words of optimism - Ceramic tiles are the ideal finished floor surface for underfloor heating. The concrete screed floor in our back kitchen was laid over the original bricks on what appeared to be bitumen. I was very pessimistic about removing it at all, but much to my delight the application of a pressure washer cleaned them up and washed it off without much hassle.