Beam & Block?

Only-Me · Post by **Only-Me** » Wed Oct 04, 2006 10:34 pm

Got a call to look at a repair/tile job today.

New build (less than a year old)
20m tiling in there hall has 2 hairline cracks from 1 side to the other.
They told me that the floor was beam and block with UFH, and then chipboard. 18mm

What is the usual way with beam&block, & UFH?.............are the battens fixed (screwed) down and then T&G chipboard put down?.......it also looks like (from pictures of build progress) that the board was'nt screwed down either?, not 100% on that.

To me...........the lot needs to come up, tiles,chipboard, check if battens are fixed.........relay with 25 ply or hardibacker, and re-tiled?

Or lift tiles..........overlay with hardi, then re-tile?

Worry is that without knowing if the battons are fixed..........it could shift and crack again?

Sorry so long winded............any idea's

Stoday · Post by **Stoday** » Wed Oct 04, 2006 11:44 pm

That floor construction dosn't sound right. You would need floor insulation to meet the 2002 Part L of the building regs that were current for houses built a year ago.

I would have thought you'd have the beam & block floor, with sand cement brushed over to fill the cracks, then 75mm of Celotex or similar. The UFH pipes would be attached to the Celotex with staples, then 75mm of screed added on top. That would give you 50mm of concrete on top of the pipes. Then plenty of different ways to add a laminate floor finish.

The hairline cracks could happen if the screed's in bays, with 25mm insulation between bays. Not structually significant, but the tiler should have left a flexi grout line (or a brass joint) between the bays.

Only-Me · Post by **Only-Me** » Thu Oct 05, 2006 11:13 pm

Cheers Stod's

Think I'll be passing this job

legs_akimbo · Post by **legs_akimbo** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 7:18 pm

Sounds very much like a lack of screed. Block and beam as Stods says will have a insulated floor, slurried or with a radon barrier beneath. As this is an unbonded screed it would need 3" screed cover. I bet if you were to investigate further it is not, thus causing the problems described.

Only-Me · Post by **Only-Me** » Sun Oct 22, 2006 9:14 pm

Thanks both

Passed up on the job..............did'nt fancy any come back on this one