How much weight can a period floor take?

[freespirit]

I am in an upstairs flat in a property dating from late 1700s/early 1800s. I am looking at wood burners and including weight as a factor. I came across a lovely half-size old Aga-type wood burning stove but it weighs 190kg and so I ruled it out. An architect once told me that with old floors you have to be careful not to have too much weight because the joists used in previous centuries were smaller and not intended to carry as much weight as they would be designed for today. I began to wonder if there was any guidance on how much weight on old floor can take? This also links to my interest in adding soundproofing below the floorboards. It seems the best soundproofing for airborne sound is dense and heavy, so I am trying to find out what the most suitable solution will be (probably a compromise - not too heavy but able to muffle some sound). I wondered if anyone had experience in these matters? Thank you.

 

[paulc]

Is this old "Aga" for decoration, or do you intend to use it to heat the flat ?
If the latter, do not underestimate the amount of wood you'd get through each winter - I have a 10x6 shed stuffed to the roof and will get through most of that each year (also have a similar quantity sitting under cover seasoning for the year after). On top of that, I've got the local Green party trying to extend their field of influence and stop people burning wood across the city.

 

[Zebra]

I don't think there's any sort of rule of thumb about it. It's not just the size of the timbers, it's the condition.
Having said that, 190kg is about equivalent to two average men, and you wouldn't hesitate to have two men standing close together in your house.

 

[LadyArowana]

If you intend to use the woodburner then it’s worth checking the terms of your lease before purchase because there may be restrictions or requirements on whether that’s allowed or not. I vaguely remember someone wanting to install one in our mansion block and they had to do various tests and get the building surveyor involved, our fireplaces there are long gone, our boiler vents to outside and it wasn’t an apartment in our sector anyway so can’t recall details.

 

[Robola]

Our floors have sound deadening material between the joists - a Scottish tenement speciality. Around 70-80 Kg/m². An extra bit from a stove won't be much overall. The joists are chunky though.

 

[Kearn]

I don't think there's any sort of rule of thumb about it. It's not just the size of the timbers, it's the condition.
Having said that, 190kg is about equivalent to two average men, and you wouldn't hesitate to have two men standing close together in your house.

Ah, but location is key as it point loading! My heaviest cast iron rad upstairs was close to 200kg and we needed to reinforce the boards from under given where it was cited and the 6 little feet.

Equally, I wouldn’t blink installing a heavy burner on a hearth, but only on the ground floor! I know how little is holding up our upstairs hearth, and a fire would be fine but I wouldn’t squeeze a couple of burly blokes in there.