Indy Total Construction

Every home has a multitude of pipes in it; without them there could be no hot or cold water system, no sewage disposal and no gas supply, but the fact remains that pipework look unsightly if exposed to view. Older houses suffer in this respect far more than modern ones.

Builders used to leave ugly pipes on display all over the place, especially in kitchens and bathrooms. In many older homes, the supply pipes that take water to the bath, basins, sinks and WCs are there for all to see, and there’ll often be waste and soil pipes fully exposed en route from upstairs rooms to the drains.

The demands of modern plumbing in a home can make this problem still more aggravating. It’s amazing, for example, just how much pipework is needed to give even a small home central heating. Just a single pipe running through a room can ruin its appearance.

However, it’s possible to take full advantage of modern plumbing equipment without having an array of ugly, different-sized pipes on view throughout your home, providing you put a little forethought into what you are doing.

Installing and concealing new pipes If you’re installing new pipe runs, you’ll probably find that horizontal ones don’t pose as many problems as vertical ones. Provided you don’t have a solid floor, pipes can usually be run under the floorboards. If, on the other hand. you’re laying a new concrete floor, you could make channels in it to accept the new pipes. You will need to embed some timber battens or, better still, some scaffolding poles in the new floor until it is almost dry.

When they are removed, the pipes can be laid in the channels they have formed. The pipes should then be covered with mortar, ready for the final floorcovering to be laid. It is important in laying such channels to ensure the continuity of the damp-proof membrane in the floor.

Vertical pipes can be more of a headache, and you should aim to conceal these in an understairs cupboard, if you can, or to run them up through the hall. Whatever you do, you’ll want to keep the pipes out of the living room if at all possible.

However, if this proves difficult, a good position for them is at the side of the window: they won’t be immediately visible and you can easily hide them behind ceiling-to-floor curtains extending beyond the sides of the window opening.

The pipes are likely to protrude from the wall by as much as 25mm (1 in) or so, which means the curtains will have to be carefully put up to allow them to operate in front of the pipes. The best solution is to fix a horizontal batten of say, 50x25mm (2×1 in) timber to the wall at ceiling height above the window and each side of the pipes and then screw the track to that. That way the curtains will clear the pipes and hide them from view. Alternatively, you could use a curtain pole, which projects that much further from the wall than the track.

Curtains can conveniently be used elsewhere to conceal pipes. If you’ve had to run vertical pipes through the hall, it’s probably best to keep them to one side of the front door where they are not obvious. Ceiling-tofloor curtains could be used to cover the pipes, as well as to provide extra draught- proofing, comfort and privacy — especially if you have a completely glazed front door.

Another place to site the vertical pipes in the living room is in a group down the side of the chimney breast furthest away from the door. This is one of the last places in the room likely to be noticed by anyone entering it.

Once the pipes reach the first floor concealing them is not so critical, as they may pass within fitted wardrobes; in any case not so many people will be seeing them. You may also be able to keep many of them out of view by running them through the airing cupboard. Even so, a lot of pipes are going to be on view in parts of your home where they’ll look ugly and out of place, and boxing them in is one of the best ways of concealing them.

A solid floor often consists of concrete rag that has been laid on top of a layer of hardcore in the ground. This is then covered by a damp-proof membrane, which may in turn be protected by a thin layer of mortar called a screed which is leveled out arid topped by the flooring. But not all solid floors are laid directly on top of the ground.

You may find solid floors in flats and houses, at first floor level and above, as an alternative to framed floors which are supported by beams and structural walls and are usually floorboards mounted on joists.

How are solid floors constructed? You’ll only find the concrete floor surface laid directly on the soil in the oldest houses. And even then you’re more likely to find a heavy concrete slab beneath the surface flooring. If your floor is old, it will probably consist of hardcore with up to 150mm (6in) of concrete on top.

Surface finish, such as a 25mm (1 in) terrazzo screed, quarry tiles, floorboards on slim joists or wooden block flooring like parquet. Was then laid on top.

With this older style of construction little consideration was given to rising damp. Parquet blocks were sometimes bedded in bitumen, but only if the surface of the floor came below soil level would any systematic damp-proofing be used. In that eventuality, the structural slab was covered with asphalt, which was in turn covered with a further 75mm (3in) of concrete.

The design of a modern solid floor slabs allows for a much more rigorous approach to damp proofing. A 100mm (4in) structural slab is laid over a damp-proof membrane that protects the walls as well in order to provide complete protection. On top of the structural slab may come a mortar screed suitable for carpet or vinyl laying or a direct surface finish? Damp proofing is vital because although well-laid concrete. Basically water proof, it still may allow damaging water vapor to pass through without the membrane.

Cracks are the most common fault in solid floors – and are usually due to drying shrinkage or thermal movement. But, provided the cracks are no wider than 6mm (I/4in), you can repair them quite easily yourself. Minor surface damage such as roughness and unevenness is also simply repaired.

If, however: the cracks are wider than 6rnm (‘/4in), that means that something more serious is wrong with your floor – probably a crack going all the way through the slab as well as the screening – so you should call in a builder or surveyor to advise you. A still more worrying problem, especially in a direct-to-earth floor, is rising damp. If a damp-proof membrane already exists and there is still evidence of damp, the damp is likely to be localized: the result of a small break in the membrane.

This may show up only after the old porous floor surface has been replaced with some more modern flooring. The original surface would have let damp through, so avoiding damage, but as the modern ones don’t let water vapor evaporate. It tends to build up underneath and attack both the adhesive and the flooring.

So. If you are going to fit new flooring on an old solid floor, first of all check that it’s damp proof (see Ready Reference). If you do have damp. Then you can put up with your existing flooring: replace it with a new flooring of the same

All you do is slightly widen the crack by using a club hammer and cold chisel, going down to a depth of 12mm (1/2in), undercutting the surrounding floor a little. This is very important as it allows the mortar to get a much better grip on the surface than it would if you were attempting to fill a crack with smooth, feathered edges.

Clean out any dust or debris before brushing on a coat of PVA adhesive, smoothing in the mortar with a small trowel and finishing it off level with the surrounding floor. The chances are that the crack will open up again at some stage. Especially if the floor on one side of it has pushed either up above or down below the rest. The only really permanent solution is to have the floor completely replaced before you lay your new floor surface.

Inserting a damp-proof membrane the simplest way to do this is to remove the skirting boards and strip off the plaster on the walls to a point 50mm (2in) above the wall’s damp-proof course. If at this stage you find your walls don’t have a damp-proof course. It is advisable to get one put in before going any further.

Various forms of damp-proof membrane are used, ranging from thick polythene (often known as ’1000 – gauge’ or ‘sheet 1000′), PVC, butyl rubber or polyisobutylene for large scale work (where the sheets are loose laid or bonded to the structural slab with water-resistant adhesive), to bitumen emulsion for smaller scale jobs.

These sealants are sprayed or painted on the slab in two coats. With the second one being brushed at right angles to the first to prevent thin spots and pin holes where damp could come through. To protect your room completely against rising damp you should link the membrane into the damp-proof course.

This is easy if the dip is above the floor, but it is possible that it’ll be below the level of your floor. If that’s the case then you will have to dig a small channel round the floor so you can gain access – Then all you do is paint bitumen. Either up or down the wall or fit the poly-sheets with more water resistant aches.

Some solid floors are not laid direct. Some of them are cast in situ around reinforcing steel and some are precast concrete floorboards that are locked together_ others, which are made of hollow terracotta blocks that are linked together with Meta Rods and that have the gaps filled in with concrete, are also technically known as solid floors.

You can create a damp-proof membrane by using two coats of bitumen emulsion and applying them over the concrete slab and the exposed brickwork. The second coat should be brushed on at right angles to the first.

Screening your floor gives vital protection to a new layer of damp proofing and is an essential preparation before replacing floor covering.

It can be done in two ways. If the unevenness is slight, or you want to cover the existing flooring without lifting it, the best method to use is a self-leveling flooring compound. Make sure your floor is clean, dry and dust-free. If it is at all dusty, you should treat it with a proprietary concrete sealer before applying the flooring compound.

Mix the compound with water until it has a creamy consistency, and then pours enough on the floor to cover an area just under 1 sq m (1sq yd). Using a steel float smooth it out so that nowhere is the layer thicker than 3mm (Vain).

Then move onto the next square. Remembering that the compound will level itself out, so removing float marks and producing an acceptable finish. Leave it for a week or longer before laying the flooring. A second application, to smooth out slight lumps and bumps, can be applied after two or three days, but no more than three coats should be used otherwise there will be a risk of cracking at a later date.

The second method of leveling, using a mortar screed, is slightly more arduous but it does give the damp-proof membrane greater protection. Working from the far end of the room towards the door, divide the flood into strips about 1m (3ft) wide using 50 25rnrn (2 x line) softwood battens, and use more battens around the walls. Make sure that they are level with a spirit level, and if they aren’t, pack them out with scrap wood.

It is vital that you get all the battens level because they serve to guide you when you start laying the screed. If you don’t have them level, then your screed won’t be true and that’ll cause more problems when you come to lay the final surface. Cover the floor. a section at a time, with a 1:3 cement to sharp sand mortar, mixed with the minimum of water to the consistency of brown sugar_ Using a stiff board, scrape jt level with the battens and tamp it slightly as you go, using a steel float to give it a smooth finish.

To get the best finish to your screed keep the blade damp to stop the surface from dragging, but don’t make it too wet. When you complete each section remove the guide batten furthest from you and fill in the resulting channel before tackling the next section.

If you lay a screed during a warm dry spell it’s advisable to lay a plastic sheet over it for at least three days. This stops the mortar drying out too quickly and lets it cure properly. Even in milder weather it’s still best to sprinkle water gently over it twice a day for a few days. If the mortar dries out too quickly it will be below strength and will probably crack as it dries. Finally make good the walls and replace the skirting.

The big drawback with this method is that it raises the level of the floor by 25mm (1 in). Strictly speaking you should dig out the existing floor to the required level before starting, but this carries the risk of damaging any existing damp-proof membrane. One way of accommodating the extra thickness is to trim the bottom of the doors and build up any existing external doorsteps.

Do make sure that you don’t reduce the floor/ceiling height below the Building Regulations minimum of 2.3m (7ft 6in) and remember to do something about the change in level at the door thresholds: a shallow ramp is better than a shallow step.

There is another option, and that is not to lay a membrane at all. Instead you select flooring that can be laid using cement-based flooring adhesive. The former lets the damp through. so you should choose material that won’t be harmed by it, and the latter acts as a sort of damp-proof membrane itself.

But. as it is a makeshift solution. it will not always work and there is nothing to stop the damp rising through the walls. The floor will therefore be attacked from the edges. which can be just as harmful and the result will be that the whole floor will eventually have to be replaced, not only giving you extra work but also further expense.

While the upper floors of a house will always be constructed of wood, the ground floor may be made of wood or it may be of solid concrete.

All wood floors are based on the same method of construction with minor differences. They all have a supporting framework of wooden beams called joists onto which are nailed wooden boards or plywood panels and may have a plain or decorative finish.

The joists of wooden ground floors are supported at their end — and sometimes at one or two points in between — or additional wood beams known as “wall plates”. These, in turn rest on the tops of low brick “sleeper” walls.

These are not solid, but are laid in honeycomb fashion with spaces between the bricks to allow the air to circulate below the floor to prevent condensation and rot forming. For the same reason, vents are usually fitted at the base of the external walls and must always be kept clear. Slates or strips of flexible flashing material are laid between the wall plates and sleeper walls to prevent damp attacking the wood.

Sometimes the joists are laid on top of individual bricks set on the ground. Upstairs, the joists are also supported by wall plates but these are held by metal brackets called joist hangers, which are cemented into the walls. Sometimes the joist ends may be set in sockets between the bricks, with a metal plate below to spread the load through the wall.

Most modern houses have solid ground floors. These comprise of a layer of compacted gravel on top of which is a 4in layer of concrete called the subfloor. A damp-proof membrane bitumen or thick plastic is laid next and is carried up and down the wall to link with the flashing around the base of the house.

A thin layer of mortar can be laid on top of the membrane which will provide a level surface for most types of flooring.

Over the years a wooden floor can suffer considerably from wear and tear. The joists may warp or sag, boards may shrink to open up gaps through which draughts whistle, or they may become loose or damaged. The whole structure may be further weakened by woodworm or rot. Fortunately, many of the minor problems can be cured easily, although serious rot or insect attack may mean complete replacement and should be dealt with by a specialist.

Probably the most common fault with a wooden floor is creaking floorboards due to the fixings working loose. The cure is simple: either drive the nails back in or replace them with longer nails or screws. Punch nail heads below the surface and countersink the screw heads.

Gaps of less than 1/tin can be filled with papier-mdché, which you can make yourself. Half fill a bucket with small pieces of torn, soft white paper, gradually adding boiling water while you pound the paper into a thick paste. Allow it to cool and stir in enough cellulose wallpaper paste to make a thick mixture. Add wood stain to match the color of the boards.

When the papier-mâché is quite cold, force it between the boards with a filling knife, leaving it slightly proud of the surface. Leave it for at least 48 hours then sand smooth.

Fill wider gaps with softwood fillets: cut the fillets fractionally wider than the gaps they are to fill, using a backsaw. The fillets should be fractionally deeper than the floorboards: that is, about lin. Plane the fillets so that they taper slightly at the bottom then tap them into the gaps with a hammer and block of wood. Use a plane to shave the top edges of the fillets flush with the tops of the floorboards. Make sure the ends of fillets meet on a joist: secure them to the joists with brads.

Damaged boards

Damaged sections of boards should be cut out and replaced, or a new board fitted if the damage is substantial. First check that there are no pipes or cables running below the damaged section, otherwise you will have to remove the entire board in case you cut into them by accident.

To cut out a section of board, first find the edges of the joists at each end. Do this by sliding a knife blade along the gap between the boards. If the boards are tongued-and-grooved, you will have to cut through the tongues by drilling a starting hole and using a keyhole saw or with a circular saw set to the depth of the board.

Drill a starting hole for the saw just in from the edge of each joist and cut through the board at each end in line with the joist edges.

Lift out the damaged section; if it is nailed to intermediate joists, lever it free using a masonry chisel and a stout length of wood. Lever the board upwards at the fixings with a chisel until you have lifted the end enough to be able to slide the wood below it, while resting it on the tops of the boards on each side. Pushing down on the end of the board will spring the fixings from the joist. Continue in this fashion until you have freed the board. A complete floorboard can be removed in the same way.

Screw or nail lengths of 2in sq batten to the sides of the joists flush with the undersides of the old boards. Then nail a new section of floorboard to the tops of the battens.

Sagging joists

On wide, unsupported spans, the joists may sag in the centre of the floor, giving it a slightly “dished” surface. To overcome this, add packing pieces to the tops of the affected joists.

Lift the floorboards and place a straightedge across the joists at several points. Measure any gap between the tops of the joints and the straightedge and use the measurements to mark out lengths of softwood batten. These must be the same width as the joists. Plane the battens to size and nail them to the tops of the affected joists. Finally, re-lay the floorboards.