What’s this black flooring?

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Brian246

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• Aug 8, 2022

• #1

No necessarily electrical related but thought someone else might have come across this…

We are doing an office refurb and a couple of the sub floors are this black solid material ( was carpeted before), we need to sink some floor boxes in and run a channel across but don’t want to touch it without knowing what it is.

Can anyone help or point me somewhere where they may know?

 

GBDamo

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• Aug 8, 2022

• #2

Needs a test pit/scraping, I'd guess asphalt or it could be painted concrete.

 

littlespark

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• Aug 8, 2022

• #3

Was it carpet tiles direct onto this surface? Possibly just a levelling compound.

Concrete slab underneath?

 

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Brian246

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• Aug 8, 2022

• #4

littlespark said:

Was it carpet tiles direct onto this surface? Possibly just a levelling compound.

Concrete slab underneath?

Click to expand...

Yes, was carpeted. Maybe levelling compound, I’ll have to try and get through the whole thing and see what’s underneath before knowing then.

 

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• Aug 8, 2022

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Very dark for self levelling ??

 

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• Aug 8, 2022

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LukeD said:

Very dark for self levelling ??

Click to expand...

That’s what I thought, I’ve never seen black self levelling, probably exists though. It’s probably a late 90s or early 2000s thing if that helps?

 

ferg

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• Aug 8, 2022

• #7

For some reason my brain is telling me it's black phenolic ply.

It most likely isn't but nobody has had a better idea.

Any obvious joins?

 

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Brian246

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• Aug 8, 2022

• #8

ferg said:

For some reason my brain is telling me it's black phenolic ply.

It most likely isn't but nobody has had a better idea.

Any obvious joins?

Click to expand...

No, no joins. That’s the only reason I thought it wasn’t sheet material. It is a smooth surface though, isn’t phenolic ply textured?

 

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LukeD

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• Aug 8, 2022

• #9

Ok... scratch it down 1mm and lets see the result

 

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• Aug 8, 2022

• #10

LukeD said:

Ok... scratch it down 1mm and lets see the result

Click to expand...

I’ll give it a go tomorrow and send some pictures over.

 

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• Aug 8, 2022

• #11

once came across similar. there for 300 years. scraped off some of the 2" thick compound and the 12" thick floor which we thought was concrere turned out to be straw.

 

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• Aug 8, 2022

• #12

telectrix said:

once came across similar. there for 300 years. scraped off some of the 2" thick compound and the 12" thick floor which we thought was concrere turned out to be straw.

Click to expand...

I am very much hoping that’s not the case here! Been alright for 300 years though so can’t have been bad

 

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• Aug 11, 2022

• #13

Depending on the age of the building, it could be a combined DPC and floor finish. Old council properties often had it as a way to level a rough concrete slab. It could also contain asbestos, so don't drill it if you are not sure!