The thingy under my front door has lifted and cracked.
Hopefully a picture will appear here.
Under the door is a marble-look concrete paver. This thing has warped for some reason and has lifted at the front such that the screen door bottom scrapes on the thing. Also a chunk of the thing has broken off.
I don't know what this thing is even called. Is it a threshold? A tile? A step? What is it?
How can I fix it? Should I grind away the top and lay tiles on top of it?
I take it the house is not new.
Its not something I'd take on. If only because of the aesthetics afterwards.
Was it sudden or gradual ?
The house is 1960's at a guess. I have seen the same arrangement in 1940's, and 1950's houses.
The problem came about gradually. Can anyone tell me the correct name for that thing that has cracked?
It's a Terrazo step. The material is still used for large floor areas for shopping malls etc as it is very hard wearing.
Your step can be replaced although it's not an easy job just finicky . I know because I've replaced a few of them in the past for apartment owners a long time ago. Is yours an apartment or a house ? If it's the former, the body corporate will wear the cost.
Edit : I should have added that it was the rusting steel reinforcing that caused it to crack. A lot of these steps go that way because being slightly porous, they absorb water over time which makes the reo rust which then expands and cracks the Terrazo.
Stewie
Is it called a "stoop" ? Or is that another bit. I think it was called that once. Not sure.
Thanks. I can buy a new Terrazo step for $200. I imagine it would take me quite a few hours to get the old one out and slide the new one in.
The step is in a house, not an apartment.
SM, a stoop is an American term and I think it just means steps and a front porch although my info comes from watching movies so it may not be that accurate.
TC just be careful extricating the old step as one of the jobs I did the original carpenters had put a steel dowel from the jamb into the step to help hold both in place.
Stewie
Looks to me as if the floor frame has gone down and taken the step with it.
Whether it is the stumps,rotten bearer on piers,or even maybe termites.
The brickwork has stayed where it, is as has the porch slab.
Only way to find out is to get under the house,or remove a section of floor.
No use replacing the step until you find the cause and fix that first.
See the same thing all the time with windows,where as the sill is leaning back towards the glass.
oldchippy, The house is at Tregear and it seems that much of the area has a lot of clay. We had a granny flat built and they had to sink mini concrete piers down a few metres to solid ground. One day I hammered in a star post and was amazed at how quickly it sunk into the moist clay. The house itself is on brick piers and I am sure that some of them have sunk and caused the problem.
I have been under the house and there is no termite damage and no rot.
Hi Claw,Hard to suggest a fix without seeing it to identify the cause.
Clay is a strange thing,too dry and it shrinks allowing any load bearing
pier to go down,too wet and the same thing can occur.During times of
drought it is recommended to water your footings to make the clay swell
and heave up,closing up cracks in brickwork.Too wet and concrete aprons are recommended
to divert water away.Is there any leaking downpipe near the area?
Is the floor sloping down going towards the front door?put a level on the floor.
If you can get under the house,you may be able to jack up the bearers off the piers in the
vicinity of the doorway,and pack inbetween. The top of the floor joists need to be level
with the brickwork that is behind that cove of the porch slab.If the top of the cove of
the porch slab is higher than the brickwork behind you could cut the top of the cove off
with a grinder.