Morning all,
Period cottage with solid stone walls. It had an inglenook but with an ugly 1970s brick fireplace built within it. I've now removed the fireplace, revealing a very pleasant inglenook on the inside of an exterior wall. I don't intend to put in a burner for the time being, but to have it as a seating space. Its size is around 2m x 1m. In the rest of the room the damp proofing is provided by quarry tiles.
At floor level it is now just earth. My proposal to rebuild the floor is:
- dig down to 0.2m
- layer of rubble (broken brick) tamped down to around 0.1m
- concrete to cover the rubble
- damp proof membrane (one of those blue plastic sheet things)
- more concrete to around 2 cm of the top
- self-levelling compound to finish.
How could I improve on that, please ?
With that amount of concrete should I use a mixer, mix in a wheelbarrow or electric mixer in a bucket ?
The stone walls within the inglenook need refurbishment. They are in parts covered with ancient limewash, lime skim, soot, or dirt. What would be the best way (tools, chemicals, etc) to clean up the walls to expose the stone ?
Many thanks
Period cottage with solid stone walls. It had an inglenook but with an ugly 1970s brick fireplace built within it. I've now removed the fireplace, revealing a very pleasant inglenook on the inside of an exterior wall. I don't intend to put in a burner for the time being, but to have it as a seating space. Its size is around 2m x 1m. In the rest of the room the damp proofing is provided by quarry tiles.
At floor level it is now just earth. My proposal to rebuild the floor is:
- dig down to 0.2m
- layer of rubble (broken brick) tamped down to around 0.1m
- concrete to cover the rubble
- damp proof membrane (one of those blue plastic sheet things)
- more concrete to around 2 cm of the top
- self-levelling compound to finish.
How could I improve on that, please ?
With that amount of concrete should I use a mixer, mix in a wheelbarrow or electric mixer in a bucket ?
The stone walls within the inglenook need refurbishment. They are in parts covered with ancient limewash, lime skim, soot, or dirt. What would be the best way (tools, chemicals, etc) to clean up the walls to expose the stone ?
Many thanks
