ecocell foamed glass hardcore

tightwadess

Just about to start some serious renovations on a two hundred year old property .....main floor area is (or was till recently) carpet on underlay on lino on roofing felt on some sort of black paint on a couple of inches of cement all on top of original quarry tiles....I have no idea at this point what is under the quarry tiles or what state they are in....we only discovered them when we took a partitian false wall down......there are no as far as we can see any damp proof courses... and we wish to renovate as sympathetically as we can as far as budgets will allow....I'm not sure if all the ground floor is the same as this area or just concrete as we had first assumed.......I would like at some point to lay a new floor and are seeking best breathable/ insulation type remedies to approach with this floor....one I've come across is the above.....has anyone used...tried...or heard about it and can offer advise or experience......TIA

FreeBear

It is quite possible that there is no DPC in the walls, although it is worth checking carefully. Slate was often used for quite a few buildings and then heavy engineering bricks started to be used.

Foamed glass won't give you a DPC, but due to its antiwicking properties, moisture coming up from underneath shouldn't be an issue. You will need quite a thick layer, perhaps as much as 300mm - On top of this, you'll need a screed, preferably a lime based one as it will help in reducing the build up of damp in the walls.

It might also be worth looking at expanded clay aggregates - Similar properties to foamed glass, and may work out a bit cheaper depending on the size you need to cover.

If the property is listed, you must talk to the local building conservation officer before starting any work.

Furts

Quarry tiles are reasonably impervious. So they will be acting as a damp membrane on your floor. They may have been painted with a waterproof layer for a reason - perhaps they are damaged, missing in places and so on?

If you are going to rip these out you would be wise to know what is underneath. Also if you take your excavation down say 300mm do not undermine the base of your walls - consider where the foundation is and the ground conditions.

tightwadess

Thank you both for your replies.....I will look into the clay aggregates as mentioned above......failing all this what are my other option if any....we are undecided at the moment if the finished floor will be stone /tile or wood/laminate. TIA

Edited to add....not a listed building...

FreeBear

tightwadess wrote: »

....failing all this what are my other option if any....we are undecided at the moment if the finished floor will be stone /tile or wood/laminate.

Other options - Dig down 150mm, compact what ever soil is there, put down 75mm of Celtex/Kingspan, a DPC, and top with 75mm of concrete. Quick, cheap, and probably not up to current building regs. Downside, it will push moisture in to the walls and cause no end of problems in the future.

Would be worth having a chat with someone like Mike Wye before you start work and see what they suggest. As Furts has already pointed out, be careful not to undermine the foundations - It would be worth digging a small test pit (say 300mm square) to see what the foundations are like and what is underneath. If you are lucky, it will be deep footings built on to bedrock. Worst case, a couple of bricks wide just below the surface resting on bare subsoil.


.... Which brings up another thought.... Are you in an area affected by Radon gas ?
If so, forget breathable floors and install a good gas proof/DPC membrane.

tightwadess

Property is right out in the sticks amongst farms and farm land how would I know if it's affected by Raydon Gas ???

The property is built on a slope of land...the floor in the lounge is suspended wooded floors....there is a cellar below which has stone walls.....these stone walls change to brick at ground level....the rest of the house has solid floors no cellars else where no other wooden floors...this part of the property sits at ground level at the front and much higher at the back....do you think it's possible the stone foundations go all the way round.....I know difficult to say for sure....the above ground level at the back has been extended at some point and has brick built walls looks like a dpc and concrete floor...the wall is damp below the dpc so far and then is dry at the bottom.... totally the wrong way round one would think it would be dry at the top wet at the bottom......I am very wary of digging g anywhere near the foundations as it is so old ��

FreeBear

tightwadess wrote: »

Property is right out in the sticks amongst farms and farm land how would I know if it's affected by Radon Gas ???

See the maps here - http://www.ukradon.org/information/ukmaps

If you are in a high risk area, you can purchase testing kits for around £50. You may also find some information in the surveyor's report or homebuyers pack if it is a recent purchase.

Digging a small hole is going to do less damage than excavating the interior and then finding no foundations - Something the width of a spade will not compromise the foundations as long as it is filled in as soon as the information has been recorded.

tightwadess

OMG it appears the property according to that map is right in the middle of one of the darker areas.........it's not a recent purchase has been passed from..Nan.to dad to me .......thanks for the info.