RBailey said:Is there any age difference between the use of reeds and lath's.
We appear to have both reed and plaster and lath and plaster with the reed in the older part.
I was wondering if the use of reeds is any help in dating the property?
Our lime ash is on the second floor and although the three rooms look to have been used at one time ( there is evidence of doors and windows and there is still one fireplace still there ) they are not used anymore. The lime ash is uneven and cracked and has been drilled for conduit which is clamped to the floor with saddle clamps, As the attic is now used for a water tank and storage I do not intend doing anything about this but if I needed a useable floor I would have to level it with battens and then board it. The house is a medieval hall house and with the inserted floors there is not enough headroom on the second floor for modern use and the purlins are covered in soot from when it had an open fire. We have nine chimneys and being in the Nottinghamshire coalfield would imagine the house could supply its own ash and there is an abandoned lime kiln close by for the lime.overlander matt said:We also have reeds in our mid 18th century house similar to yours Phil. Your photo looked just like one of our ceilings! The house was later modified in the early 19th century and all walls and ceilings.
I'm interested in your lime ash floors - we have these on the top floor of the house and are not in great shape. In fact there is a small area on the landing that I must relay soon... I have been advised to re-lay the original crushed material in a 3:1 ratio with NHL lime as the binder plus screed fibres. Given your proximity to us, I wonder whether you know anyone in the area that has experience working on such floors? There have been all manner of dodgy repairs to damaged areas by previous owners who, probably like me, don't really know how to effectively maintain them. The floor I have to relay had some seriously rotten floor joists hidden below the lime ash...