Heavy statue - ground floor

spluff · 14 Jun 2019 at 08:17

I have bought a 600kg marble statue. The base is 50cm x 30cm and height 180cm.

I am just wondering will it be okay to put it in my ground floor hallway without causing any problems?

I have also been told they will deliver it to front door so I have no idea how I will get this inside house

Any ideas...….

Cheers

spluff · 14 Jun 2019 at 08:30

yeah its a big hallway about 4m x 4m - it has no step but the door is raised from ground

spluff · 14 Jun 2019 at 08:50

I am not sure I lifted carpet and saw a chipboard thing - not sure whats under that without doing major lifting of boards....

spluff · 14 Jun 2019 at 08:54

but its in a grey black marble

spluff · 14 Jun 2019 at 09:14

I am trying to check out with the shipping company about delivery into house.

spluff · 14 Jun 2019 at 10:13

PlacidCasual said:
That's 4 tonnes per square meter. If you have a suspended floor that will only span two joists on either 400mm or 600mm centres. No way in hell that any joist is going to accept that load. A quick google and found some joist charts and they go up to 1.5 tonnes per square meter. But even then that probably assume a distributed load.

If you have a suspended floors you're boned. If you have concrete you'll probably want a structural engineer to calculate the load based on the known screed thickness. It's entirely feasible it can be put down it may be you need a spreader plinth to reduce the point loading.

I have no idea whats underneath - I would have to take up the new carpet and the boards. Even then I wouldn't know how thick the screed is if its concrete...…

spluff · 14 Jun 2019 at 12:01

OK I have called an engineer and he has given me some advice but without looking at substructure of floor...… (obviously its an opinion over phone and he said would need to come out and lift flooring for a better idea but feels like it should be okay)

He said the statue is approximately 5800 newtons for 600kg / The base of statue is 500mm x 300mm

The load is in the corner so will be more stable than in centre of room

If concrete he estimates:-

statue will be loaded over 2 blocks / 150mm deep / 100mm wide

sheer stress = 5800 / 2 / 150 / 100 = 0.19

If wooden he estimates

statue would be loaded over 3 timbers / centres 450 / 225mm deep / 50mm wide

sheer stress = 5800 / 3 / 225 / 50 = 0.17

He said concrete has tensile strength of 3newtons

He said any stress under 2 is fine for both materials

How does this sound

spluff · 14 Jun 2019 at 12:34

PlacidCasual said:
The tables I looked up would have been predicated on bending moment at the centre of the span not shear stress.

What does that mean Placid? It will bend in the centre of the statue area?

spluff · 14 Jun 2019 at 12:49

Its an internal wall but banging on it it feels solid and not hollow like stud wall... so does that mean the bending strength is ignored because its in corner....

spluff · 15 Jun 2019 at 09:59

Cheers guys for the more sensible posts - I think the options are a more thorough check which would mean lifting carpet / chipboards and causing a lot of mess and maybe damage carpet. Or just give up and stick it in the garden as a nice feature

Just wondering if I do decide to lift carpet and lift the chip board - will I see straight away if its concrete or joists and then how thick deep etc they are? Also wondering if I can do it in a different room which I am renovating and no carpet and see what structure it is - I would presume its the same all over the house!

spluff · 15 Jun 2019 at 10:13

Acme said:
Should do unless there are floorboards underneath the chipboard too, in which case obviously those will have to come up too. If its a relatively new build it will probably just be thick chipboard though.

It was built in the 1980s...

d_brennen said:
My first thoughts

When I originally saw it I was getting it for the garden - but when I got into the new house I thought about having it in the hallway...........

spluff · 15 Jun 2019 at 12:31

eviled said:
floor strengthening wise should be fairly simple (as long as there's not a basement underneath) it should be simialr making a concrete hearth for a fire.

remove exisiting flooring

dig a flat firm base in the soil underneath

wood shuttering

pour concrete with a DPM half way, flush with current floor

Thanks for the advice. Would I be able to just take up the floor in the corner to do this? What do you think the rough cost for something like this to be?

spluff · 16 Jun 2019 at 20:20

The shipping company is looking at arranging the delivery company to move it to where we want it. Still waiting to hear back on cost.

Thinking it will be safer/easier to stick to my initial idea when buying it and install in my garden. Thanks for all the sensible posts....

spluff · 24 Jun 2019 at 10:00

UPDATE:-

I asked the transport company for the true weight (instead of the estimated 500kg - 600kg) and they have come back and it is weight 341kg inside its boxing and 305kg unboxed.....

Surely the corner of my house can hold 300kg comfortably without it smashing through

and me and a few mates can lift in the house

spluff · 24 Jun 2019 at 11:25

A huge weight of my mind haha - why couldn't they have confirmed exact weight sooner instead of estimates....

spluff · 24 Jun 2019 at 15:38

Mason- said:
Did the place you buy it off not put an estimated weight?

We were told 500 - 600kg

spluff · 24 Jun 2019 at 15:39

thenewoc said:
Only thing is now they've unwrapped it to weight it, it's no longer brand new so ought to be discounted

It was weighed in crate and wrapping. They sent video of if getting weighed and photo.

spluff · 27 Jun 2019 at 13:03

The delivery company is now going to move statue into house and will assist moving it into position in corner of hallway :rolleyes:

I'm awaiting photos of the finished statue and then it will be shipped to Felixstowe with agent to do necessary paperwork - should take about 4 -5 weeks.

Once I have been all duties and taxes it will be transported to my home.

I'm thinking about putting plywood down to help distribute load in the corner. Would this help?

spluff · 27 Jun 2019 at 17:08

It’s 50 x 30 cm flat base rectangle

spluff · 1 Oct 2019 at 15:08

Well the statue has finally been delivered - it took 5 blokes and a piano wheeler. It took less than 1 hour to get it into house, un-crated and put into position. Thanks to the people who offered advice...

We are really happy with it and think it looks great in its new home.