Renovate basement ceiling yourself – safely replace steel beams
Our art nouveau villa was built in 1900 and has a full basement. However, there is another, previously unrenovated cellar beneath the basement. This was used in the past as a vegetable cellar and air raid shelter. The climate is therefore cool and humid.
Over the years, leaking pipes on the outside have led to major water damage in this area. For years, rainwater from a roof area of more than 100 square meters ran directly into the masonry.
This, of course, had a considerable impact on the building fabric. The steel beams in the basement ceiling are badly rusted and the floor is blown up.
Drying basement – false ceiling must be renovated
In order to make the room usable in the future, the entire area had to be drained. I had already repaired the downpipes and uncovered the walls of the upper cellar on the outside. In addition, the entire plinth area was drained with a drainage system.
As the lower cellar extends to a depth of six meters below ground, it was not possible for me to expose the plinth in this area from the outside. The risk of the foundation walls collapsing was simply too great.
So I had to work from the inside. I have described my experiences with the installation of a retrofitted horizontal barrier and the creation of a pump sump in the article Draining the basement – 1 year later.
The basement ceiling with its rusted steel beams also required renovation. To do this, the old basement ceiling had to be removed and completely rebuilt. This all had to be done laboriously by hand, as there was no access for heavy equipment.
The intermediate ceiling between the steel girders was filled with concrete screed. Reinforcement provided additional stability. After all, this cellar had also served as an air raid shelter during the war.
The demolition was therefore very laborious.
- POWER: Mit einer Schlagkraft von 50 Joule, 2000 Schlägen in einer Minute und der Leistung von 1600W ist die Maschine ein wahres Powergerät und garantiert einen zuverlässigen Einsatz
- Praktisch: die Meißel / das Werkzeug kann einfach und schnell gewechselt werden so haben Sie mehr Zeit für Ihre Abbrucharbeiten.
- Komfort: durch den D-Handgriff mit Dämpfung der Vibration (soft-grip) können sie auch über einen längeren Zeitraum ermüdungsarm arbeiten.
- Kompakt: die schlanke Bauweise ermöglicht das Arbeiten auch in schwer zugänglichen Bereichen. Frequenz: 50 Hz
- Lieferumfang ab 1600: der Hammer wird zusammen mit einem stabilen Meißel Set (1x spitz, 1x flach) in einem robusten Koffer aus Metall geliefert (Farbe des Metallkoffer blau)
Why does our house have a 2nd basement?
Old houses often have an interesting architectural feature: for example, an additional cellar beneath the actual cellar.
These additional basements, such as the one under our house, which is about 15 square meters in size and is almost 6 meters below ground level, were built for several reasons.
Originally, they were used to create a constantly cool environment for storing food, especially vegetables. The constantly cool climate, which prevails in both summer and winter, is ideal for storing and preserving food.
The depth of these cellars naturally ensures a constant temperature and high humidity. These conditions are ideal for keeping food such as potatoes, apples and pickled vegetables fresh for longer periods of time.
However, when storing food, care must be taken to ensure that it is well ventilated to prevent mold growth. Food should be stored in containers or on shelves that allow air to circulate.
In addition to the advantages, such as natural cooling and suitability for food storage, these cellars also have disadvantages. The high humidity can lead to moisture problems, which can affect not only the storage conditions but also the fabric of the building.
The moisture can promote the formation of mold and damage wood and other materials.
To reduce the disadvantages, it is important to take measures to control moisture. This includes good ventilation to keep the humidity low.
In some cases, it may also be necessary to add insulation to the walls or install drainage or a dehumidifier to effectively manage moisture.
- UNIVERSAL: Dieser Bauspaten bietet einen breiten, vielseitigen und universellen Einsatzbereich dank einer Vielzahl an verschiedenen Aufsteckwerkzeugen.
- ANGENEHM: Der Spaten verfügt über einen vibrationsgedämpften Gummihandgriff – dadurch werden die Arme bei der Nutzung des Druckluftspatens nicht müde oder überlastet.
- PRAKTISCH: Schneller und einfacher Werkzeugwechsel - mit dieser Eigenschaft punktet der Gartenspaten mit dem Druckluftantrieb, denn dadurch wird flexible und wechselnde Gartenarbeit möglich.
- HOCHWERTIG: Ob Bauspaten oder Gartenspaten, der Aero²Spade ist dank dem geschmiedeten Spatenblatt ein zuverlässiger Helfer bei vielen verschiedenen Arbeiten.
- LIEFERUMFANG: 1x Scheppach Druckluftspaten Aero²Spade, 1x Spatenblatt, 1x Spitzmeißel, 1x Flachmeißel 25 mm, 1x Breitmeißel 60 mm, 1x Schaber
Video: Replacing and renovating basement ceilings
I recorded the demolition and dismantling of the old steel girder ceiling in the basement in a short and informative video and published it on my YouTube channel.
You can find my videos about drying and finishing the basement in my playlist Drying Basements.
If you want to see more of me and my projects, feel free to check out my YouTube channel.
Zuletzt aktualisiert am 25. December 2024 um 18:16 . Ich weise darauf hin, dass sich hier angezeigte Preise inzwischen geändert haben können. Alle Angaben ohne Gewähr. (*) Bei den verwendeten Produktlinks handelt es sich um Affiliate Links. Ich bin nicht der Verkäufer des Produktes. Als Amazon-Partner verdiene ich an qualifizierten Verkäufen. Dein Preis ändert sich jedoch nicht.
Demolish basement ceiling – air tools help
In addition to the hammer and chisel, I used my tried-and-tested pneumatic tools. After the first segment was completed, however, the first pneumatic chisel was destroyed. The concrete was simply too hard.
To continue the work, I ordered a new chisel and the next day I was able to continue the demolition.
I loosened the concrete very finely with the pneumatic chisel. However, the basement ceiling was still very stable and load-bearing due to the reinforcement. I then worked on the area with the large 5 kg sledgehammer.
Thanks to the previous loosening, I was now able to break up larger pieces of the ceiling and gradually remove them.
Nevertheless, it took over three days to remove the 15 square meter false ceiling.
I proceeded as follows:
- Preparation of the work area: I carefully secured the area and provided all the necessary tools.
- Working on the first segment with the pneumatic chisel: The concrete was loosened piece by piece.
- Using the sledgehammer: Once the concrete was sufficiently loosened, I was able to remove larger pieces.
- Removal of the concrete pieces: The larger pieces were gradually removed.
- nishing the work: After three days, the ceiling was completely removed.
In the end, I still managed it and can now start installing the new basement ceiling.
- Einsatzbereich: Mit seinem 50 Liter Kessel und seinen 412 L/min Ansaugleistung verfügt der Kompressor stehts über genügend Reserven für Anwendungen in Haus und Garage. Durch die Schnellanschlusskupplungen kann der Kompressor je nach Bedarf einfach umgerüstet werden
- Kraftvoll: mit einer Leistung von 2200 Watt kann man den Kompressor hervorragend für verschiedene Zwecke einsetzen. Des weiteren ist ein Druckminderer für optionale Regulierung des Arbeitsdrucks vorhanden
- Variabel und langlebig: der Kompressor ist geeignet für Arbeiten wie zum Beispiel: Reifen befüllen, das Arbeiten mit Nagelpistolen oder auch für Lackierarbeiten
- Lieferumfang: 1 x scheppach Kompressor HC53DC, Gewicht: 42,6 kg
Summary and conclusion
In our Art Nouveau villa from 1900, which has a full cellar, there is another cellar of around 15 square meters below the main cellar, which extends six meters underground.
In the past, it served as a vegetable cellar and air raid shelter and is characterized by its cool, damp climate.
However, long-term exposure to moisture caused by leaking pipes has led to considerable water damage to the building fabric, particularly to the steel beams of the basement ceiling.
To make the room usable again, it was necessary to dry out the entire area, which I achieved by repairing the downpipes and exposing the outer walls.
As the cellar is very deep, the base could only be uncovered from the inside.
The severely damaged basement ceiling had to be painstakingly demolished and rebuilt by hand without heavy equipment.
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