Concrete door step

[divingmoose]

Hi,
I have a victorian property and the front doorstep is a concrete step. Over the 100 years the house has been standing the step has worn away in the middle so now it has a valley in it and as such a big gap under the door. I am soon getting a new door made but wondered is it possible to put concrete on the step to make it level again or will the new not bond to the old. Is it better to smash the old up and put a new concrete one in.
Thanks Lee

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

The problem will be that it has worn deeper int he middle which will bond, but where the depth changes to outer ends and a thinner application is need it will fail.
Are you sure it's concrete and not a stone step?
Anyway, my advise would be to replace it!

 

[divingmoose]

Looking at it now I think you are right, it is a stone step. Should I remove it and create a new concrete one

 

[PrenticeBoyofDerry]

Either concrete or replace with stone.
If it's large, it maybe worth building up some form work and casting in situ.
But you can get some good stone like looking steps, made in wet-cast concrete, if you have decent pre-caster close by.
How big is it and where abouts in Yorkshire are you?

 

[hotrod]

Victorian property, front doorstep, in Yorkshire - pound to a penny it's sandstone if original divingmoose. Don't replace with concrete they've got great character. It'll cost a fair whack to get a replacement sandstone step and it'll not look right for ages, so 2 options:-

1. Fit a cill/weatherbar with your new door and scribe it to the valley.
2. Fit a cill your new door and fill the valley with mastic.

I've got the same problem with my front door. Will have to suck it and see how the new frame/cill sits and how bad the trough in the doorstep is when I come to change it in a few weeks.

 

[divingmoose]

Thanks everyone,

Hotrod,

I assume what your saying is the best bet is to get my mate (joiner) to put a sill across the bottom of the current door frame as there is not one its just the sandstone step. He can put the sill on and then this will be level and just fill the gap under the sill between the step and sill. Also i assume when the new door is measured up it will just be slightly smaller to compensate for the added sill.

Thanks again Lee

 

[hotrod]

Yes that's the idea Lee. The cill would sit on top the sandstone step and would be set level. Any variance in the step would be taken up by the underside of the cill through mastic/scribing. The new door will end up marginally smaller in height than your existing door (although it won't actually be any lower if you follow my drift!! )

hth

 

[divingmoose]

Thanks mate, great help.