To lift or not to lift? (old kitchen floor tiles c.1905)

[steph0249]

Hi all,
This is first post here.
I have an old house which we are in the process of re-doing kitchen and whilst lifting the many decades of different flooring, finally came down on what must be the original 1905 floor tiles. They are at least 2in thick and classic red terracotta. Under them is about 1.5in of bedding sand and then an old concrete of sorts. Obviously, there is no damp proofing and we are trying to figure out the best way to tackle this - without ripping off the whole back half of the house and starting again! Considering the age of the floor tiles and the poor condition, are we better off removing them all down to concrete or can we simply put down a leveling compound over top and then a damp membrane?
Any advice welcome.

S.

 

[GoneGuy]

Are they fixed solid? If so you can self level, then fit either ditra25 or dural mat which will also act as a dpm.

 

[steph0249]

Thanks for the reply.
The tiles appear to be dry-laid. I lifted one of the cracked tiles, and that is how I know that there is roughly 3cm or 1.5in of bedding sand underneath. My concern is that the floor level will be nearly 5cm lower if we remove the original floor, will require considerably more than a self level. This is why we're uncertain.

 

[Old Mod]

In honesty, best practice would be to excavate to the slab, dpm over the top and screed floor.

 

[steph0249]

Thanks. Yes, the more we research the more I think we are going to have to go for the full removal and replacement of the floor.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[Lou]

Hi Steph, What did you decide to do?