Nothing – not even avocado or gold bathroom tile – screams “1968” quite like natural slate flooring. Big black rocks in the entry hall must have been a high-end touch when the house was built. 45 years later, though, it was just tired.And it had to go.
OK, it is set in concrete, and those black rocks must be heavy, but they’ll bust right loose, right? To prove this, I took a hammer and a crowbar and lifted the one in the basement door right up (well, it moved a bit, at least).
This was gonna be a piece of cake.
Then the demolition crew called and said it wasn’t working. A quick investigation showed that they weren’t simply whining – this stuff was stuck down good.
While it’s not quite as good as buying a new tool, renting one can also be satisfying. Home Depot happened to rent a small (45 pound) jackhammer that ought to pop those puppies right out.
Hmm. Those bits don’t break like that very often. Musta been defective.
And since I’m going back to Home Depot anyhow, that larger jackhammer (75 pounds) might get us through a bit quicker.
Fast forward 3 days. We are all sore in places that aren’t supposed to be sore and are STILL trying to get the slate flooring to turn loose.
They don’t build ‘em like that any more.
And I hope there’s a special place in Hell for the mason that put that floor down, because he put TWO layers of slate on top of the concrete – laid cross-grained to each other – so that it totaled about 3 inches of rock and concrete.
Here’s a hint – football players are especially well suited to running jackhammers to remove slate flooring. Apparently their training allows them to “hit low and hit hard.” Even they were beginning to show signs of fatigue, though, by the time the last of it came up.
OH, AND DID I MENTION HOW LOUD A JACKHAMMER IS INDOORS?
LOUD. REALLY, REALLY LOUD.
So much so, in fact, that the demo crew was reaching for the earplugs I’d brought along in my “big box o’ protection” that had knee pads, gloves, safety glasses, etc. in it.
Eventually, after learning that it’s cheaper to rent jackhammers (remember, we were running two of them) by the week rather than by the day. Oh, and that 4 hour minimum? Don’t waste my time.
But the floor is up, 3 inches lower than before, and ready to be smoothed up with a bit of concrete before the tile goes down eventually.
And demolition moves on through the den toward the office and the downstairs bathroom.
Hmm. Those bits don’t break like that very often. Musta been defective.
And since I’m going back to Home Depot anyhow, that larger jackhammer (75 pounds) might get us through a bit quicker.
Fast forward 3 days. We are all sore in places that aren’t supposed to be sore and are STILL trying to get the slate flooring to turn loose.
They don’t build ‘em like that any more.
And I hope there’s a special place in Hell for the mason that put that floor down, because he put TWO layers of slate on top of the concrete – laid cross-grained to each other – so that it totaled about 3 inches of rock and concrete.
Here’s a hint – football players are especially well suited to running jackhammers to remove slate flooring. Apparently their training allows them to “hit low and hit hard.” Even they were beginning to show signs of fatigue, though, by the time the last of it came up.
OH, AND DID I MENTION HOW LOUD A JACKHAMMER IS INDOORS?
LOUD. REALLY, REALLY LOUD.
So much so, in fact, that the demo crew was reaching for the earplugs I’d brought along in my “big box o’ protection” that had knee pads, gloves, safety glasses, etc. in it.
Eventually, after learning that it’s cheaper to rent jackhammers (remember, we were running two of them) by the week rather than by the day. Oh, and that 4 hour minimum? Don’t waste my time.
But the floor is up, 3 inches lower than before, and ready to be smoothed up with a bit of concrete before the tile goes down eventually.
And demolition moves on through the den toward the office and the downstairs bathroom.
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| Finally -- All Slate Removed |
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