Help! What are these...

BadgerMother

I have these metal plates in the floor either side of an internal wall. These have been here since I bought the house a few years ago and haven't caused a problem until now. I think the walls in my house were repositioned or changed from the original layout at some point. Does anyone know what this plate might be for and is it structural? It's causing me a problem as it's also in my super tiny kitchen and it's in the way of having a full size fridge (currently have a slim line one). The fridge would be uneven with the plate panel underneath on side. Any bright ideas? Thank you in advance. 

MovingForwards

Has the property been extended or had walls removed?

You can put some wood, with a lip cut out, to even the surface for your fridge to go on it, or adjust the feet under the fridge.

BadgerMother

It's had walls moved...so they've made one complete wall into a wall with a wide double entrance and then built a wall in another place so you access the room in a different place. 

Jeepers_Creepers

Would they have been under old-style storage heaters? Weird - ain't seen anything like that before.

BadgMoth, what is that mastic that surrounds it? Could they be fixed down using this? Are they literally just flat plates? And signs of screwheads on the top? Have you tried prising one up...?

BadgerMother

Jeepers, the mastic is what they've used to stick down a plank of wood on top of it, to "disguise" it (the previous owners were complete bodgers unfortunately). They've got nuts in them...could perhaps try un-screwing but I wasn't sure it could be some kind of structural support (dont know how?!). I can't understand why the previous owners had it like that. I can't find anything online and want to avoid paying someone to come out if simple fix! Thank you. 

theoretica

Where is the other one in comparison to the one you show?  Does that one go under the skirting board, and maybe wall?

Gavin83

Is there anything under your house, like a cellar or similar? I’m guessing not by the hard floors in the photo but is there any way of looking under the floor? Is the wall above structural?

Im wondering if it’s some sort of RSJ in the floor supporting the wall above but I can’t understand why they’d do it like that.

stuart45

Must be bodgers to mitre the internal angles on the skirting.

BadgerMother

theoretica said:

Where is the other one in comparison to the one you show?  Does that one go under the skirting board, and maybe wall?

It's exactly the same the other side, so it looks like it's one plate that goes under the skirting/wall. 

Thanks. 

BadgerMother

Gavin83 said:

Is there anything under your house, like a cellar or similar? I’m guessing not by the hard floors in the photo but is there any way of looking under the floor? Is the wall above structural?

Im wondering if it’s some sort of RSJ in the floor supporting the wall above but I can’t understand why they’d do it like that.

Definitely no cellar...it's a early 1980s box house. The wall that's above it doesn't appear to be structural as it sounds hollow....lots of plasterboard walls in this house 😩 

Thanks. 
 

BadgerMother

stuart45 said:

Must be bodgers to mitre the internal angles on the skirting.

Ha! That's the least of it! These people loved using superglue to attach literally everything. I've just got my kitchen done...and the electrics they left 🤦