Is it advisable to bring a concrete floor slightly up above a door frame?

[Bifta]

Hi all!

We're thinking of raising the level of an existing concrete floor by around 8-9cms so that it is level with the rest of the property. However, doing this will mean that the new floor would be around 2cm above the top of the current door frame. i.e. looking from the outside in with the door open, you'd be able to see a small cross section of the floor.

Would this present any problems? I'm thinking with damp or when the door needs changing?

Thanks!

 

[Bifta]

Would greatly appreciate any insight if someone can help? Thank you

 

[TicTac]

So that implies the door opens outwards. It'd cause a problem if you ever had to change the door, so it's not a good thing to do. You'd be better off seeing if you can raise the door by one brick course if you can.

 

[Bifta]

Hi! Thanks for the reply!

Yes, it does open outwards otherwise we wouldn’t even be considering doing it.

We could go one brick coarse up yes but then we’d need a new door as it’s pretty tight to the ceiling as it is and I don’t think we’re that bothered about doing it if it involves a new door.

Instead of raising the floor with a screeed or concrete, if we did it with joists and floor boards, would that still cause issues if we needed to change the door in the future do you think?

 

[Notch7]

Its no problem, you just need to close the end of the proud concrete with a timber fillet.

There is no issue with damp in terms of the concrete butting up against the door frame.

I often make door sets so the floor finish is flush with the door threshold.

If you ever need to get a new door, get a shorter one! Upvc doors arent that expensive for a made to measure. Or get a timber door and cut it down.

Another option is to get an aluminium threshold, there are some that are about 20mm thick. That amount will need cutting off the door.

That might be a near solution to do now. Fit the threshold, fit a fillet of timber flush to the inner face of the frame and butts against the threshold

http://www.exitex.com/1-01-0325-oud-outward-sill.html

 

[bobasd]

the benchmark for ffl's is a smooth transition to the next room ffl. the subfloor ie your cncrete isnt the benchmark.anytime you raise a floor you could cause yourself problems.

 

[Bifta]

This is what I’m concerned about bobasd. Although the reason we’d like to raise the floor in this room is so that it matches the FFL of the adjacent room, therefore giving us the smooth transition.

There’s a bit more detail on this idea in my other thread here:

https://www.diynot.com/diy/threads/can-we-level-multiple-floor-heights.498508/

What kind of problems could we be setting ourselves up for?

 

[TicTac]

You haven't mentioned why you're raising it, nor if the door is an internal or external one. If it were an external door, and not often used, and you're happy with the situation, then fit an aluminium angle bar to protect the threshold. If it's an internal door, and will be used on a regular basis, then think again.

 

[bobasd]

skirtings, fixed units, appliances and fixtures and doors and thresholds
. any could be affected.
the sketch needs someone on site to give an opinion.

 

[Bifta]

Tictac - We’d like to raise it to match the level in the rest of the house. It’s a conservatory with a flat roof (garden room) and I feel that having it at the same level as the rest of the ground floor will help to make it feel more like part of the house, rather than an extension to it. It’s an external door not too regularly used but that might increase in the future. I’ll have a look at the angled bars though thanks.

Bobasd - See where you’re coming from now, however the room in question is one that we’re refurbishing so things like skirtings and fixtures can be replaced anyway. There are no appliances and part of the reason we’d like to raise the floor is so that the door thresholds actually match up rather than being the small steps that they are at the moment.

We’ve got a guy coming round on Thursday who does floors so hopefully his experience will help.

The way I’m thinking about it now though is to do it myself with a beam and board approach as I could add a layer of insulation in then to help the floor feel less cold as well. Also, if I do it with timber and we start getting any kind of damp problems, I can take it all up again and revert to the situation as it is.

 

[TicTac]

I'd put in 40mm of cellotex, and then screed up to the required height. If you put a wooden floor in, then you'll need ventilation underneath, but you could put in tanalisd timbers with insulation in between, and then use P5 chipboard.

 

[Bifta]

Yeah cellotex would be good. I would prefer to use timbers and then a floor board across them. Would I need to ventilate with this method? If so, how would I achieve this?

The difference in floor height is around 85mm.

 

[Notch7]

Yeah cellotex would be good. I would prefer to use timbers and then a floor board across them. Would I need to ventilate with this method? If so, how would I achieve this?

The difference in floor height is around 85mm.

You can use timber. One way is to cut the celetex into strips (score with sharp knife both sides then break). That way you can build the celetex in as you go.

Im not sure you need to ventilate -there isnt anywhere to ventilate to. Maybe liquid dpm on concrete floor. You need to be careful the timber sits flat or use silicone to fill any gaps -to stop any bounce.

Are you 100% sure there are no services running beneath before you start screwing down!

 

[TicTac]

I've always found it easier to cut Ceolotex with a saw running along a piece of wood, but I'll try the sharp knife trick next time.

 

[Bifta]

Edit: removed double post.