Never Ending Request for Help!!!!!

[April]

We are renovating our circa 1930's house and have just had the cabinet maker into to draw up the kitchen - unfortunately there's an issue and that is on the floor in front of the alcove where the Metter’s oven had been bricked in is a concrete hearth.

We need to get rid of the hearth and try to match up floorboards to the rest of the kitchen floor. I proceeded to smash up the concrete (to vent my sanding frustrations) and found that someone has dumped rubble to almost floor level then poured concrete over the rubble then laid a 2cm thick slab of concrete over the top of that. I have removed the top slab and made a "little" hole down to the underneath of the house.

Does anyone have advice for a feasible option in terms of being able to lay the extensions for the floorboards over the concrete if I chisel it down to below floorboard level (remembering I'm totally inept at renovating and just giving it a go)?

[Zed]

Hi,

Hire a jackhammer, remove the crap from underneath then build a normal timber floor at the right height. lotsa hard work and waste. dont forget a mini skip for the jetsam.

[ndru]

I faced a similar problem about 5 years ago. I agree with Zed - rent a powerful jackhammer including a chisel head and go too it. I've also found that using a diamond-edged blade in a angle grinder good for cutting large slabs of concrete into more manageable sizes.

[seriph1]

recommend removal of debris from the area - for the record this is how hearth foundations were done until the 50s. Once clear, create a frame that will cause the finished flooring to marry in with the existing, which can often be easier said than done if the floor has moved over the years. BTW are you creating a period kitchen or modern? If period, I have probably 200 pics of kitchens and furniture up to 1930's style - Also, if you are wanting to match the bnoards, have you identified the timber used for the floorboards....this can be vital in creating a "total look". There are many suppliers who are happy to match species and age/conditon for customers..... if you are in Victoria I can recommend several...... also, if pursuing the matching option, where at all possible, ensure you get a match not only of the material, but also of the profile and thickness of the boards - I have seen around 20 different tongue and groove profiles made by Melbourne suppliers up til the 30's and 40's..

[wombat47]

The things we do for love ...

We had a massive hearth and chimney in our kitchen - all gone.

By the time we took it all out, dug out the hearth, etc., the will to find matching floorboards was pretty well extinguished.

We cheated - removed enough original boards from where new cupboards were going and used them on the visible floor area. Replacements using non-matching boards are all tucked away under the cupboards.