Pamment Floor Repair, Surrey
Case study showing our work on a complex brick pamment floor in a timber framed house in South Nutfield, Surrey to resolve damp..
This tiled floor in the original open hall was found to be in a very poor state. Most of the 'Pamments' were spalled and the floor was very damp, in some areas actually wet. We recorded each pamment then lifted them for cleaning. Any tiles we were unable to salvedge, were replaced with reclaimed ones that were carefully sourced to match the originals for size and colour.
After removing sufficient soil to work we laid a layer of expanded glass foam which has high thermal resistance and forms a breathable barrier, this is an eco friendly and appropriate method of insulation for historic buildings that also makes a good surface on which to relay the floor. The pamments were laid on a non hydraulic lime mortar and grouted with a dry mix of hydraulic lime.
The floor was hand worked with a brick rubber to remove any high spots before two coats of linseed oil were applied and a the floor was given a final shine up with beeswax.
During the work we removed approximately four inches of soil and heavy clay and were careful to record any artifacts and evidence of historical development, finds included many animal bones, large quantities of glass from many periods and pottery including a piece of early green glazed pottery, possibly from the Farnham pottery which is not far away. Some cream and red ware sherds. There was a variety of everyday objects as well, such as a thimble, a weight from a spinning wheel, several stone musket balls and some glass beads.
