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Posted by orb on November 8, 2006, 11:49 pm
On Tue, 07 Nov 2006 09:15:53 +0000, aemeijers wrote:
>> Try to hammer a nail through the carpet in the middle of the floor if it
>> is
>> concrete which it probably is you will know quickly.
>> Muff
>>
>>> I'm looking at buying a condo built in 1972 and was curious about the
>>> floor structure underneath the wall-to-wall carpet. I was hoping some
>>> conclusions could be drawn about the floor structure from this info:
>>>
>>> The brick building has two stories, 4 condos per story. The bottom condos
>>> are on a concrete slab. The second floor is reached via a very solid
>>> steel
>>> stairway onto a concrete landing. Once inside the condo, there is no
>>> vibration on the floor at all, even when jumping up and down. The outdoor
>>> deck off the living room is concrete.
>>>
>>> Would it be reasonable to think that the second floor condos are on a
>>> concete slab like the landing and deck? The carpet is relitively new and
>>> I can't pull it back and, so far, have not found anyone yet who knows
>>> what's underneath. I hope to speak to the owner this weekend to get more
>>> facts but was hoping someone here could make an educated guess.
>>
> If built in 72, doubt it is all-brick- most likely brick veneer over frame
> construction, in which case the upper floors are probably a thin layer of
> concrete over over wood, to meet fire break requirements. Even if it is an
> upscale building and actual brick construction, the upper floors are
> probably concrete over corrugated metal, using light I-beams or welded
> trusses as joists. Highly unlikely the upper floors are actual reinforced
> concrete slabs like an old building or modern parking ramp- that style of
> construction is way too heavy and expensive for non-industrial applications.
> The landing and deck are very likely precast slabs, flown into place via
> crane as the building was framed. If they were formed in place, you could
> likely see mold marks or woodgrain patterns on he bottoms of them. Can you
> thump the ceiling of one of the downstairs units with a broom handle, and
> figure out how thick it was by measuring up from the top of the front door
> on inside and outside? If second floor is a slab, 1st floor ceiling will
> either be rock-hard, or there will be a false ceiling to give mechanical
> space and sound deadening. If joist lines, nail pops, etc, are visible in
> first floor ceiling, it is likely conventional stick framing.
>
> aem sends....
That was spot on, aem. Thanks for that. I found out the building is indeed
brick veneer and the floors are a "plywood/concrete composite".
Nice one.
Would you reckon that this concrete layer, in your experience, be
suitable to polish/tint and use as a primary flooring surface
(with rugs) in place of carpet?
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