Under carpet issues in old apartment

Thanks for the help.

Just purchased a late 60’s ground floor sydney apartment. We ripped up the carpet and got a couple surprises.

1. Is this cork like material in our main bedroom magnesite? Also it seems that someone has milled it out to place a pipe through the room, the pipe leads to the laundry sink, is this an issue?

1b. It almost looks like there is an concrete layer on top of the magnesite seen at this transition between the hallway and main bedroom. Research would make me think that it would be other way around with the magnesite on top of the concrete.

2. There is some piping cut into the concrete in the second bedroom, is this an issue or can be carpeted over?

3. There were some cracks and loose material near the front door, is this an issue?

Any info or guidance would be amazing. Images for reference attached.

 

I think you are using the wrong word. Magnesite is a stone that contains magnesium and its definately NOT that. I suspect someone used masonite as a floor leveller adjacent to the pipe which was an approach in earlier years. That has broken down likely with moisture and movement. Masonite is a old cheap dark brown timber fibre composite which has been phased out for use of MDF (medium density fibreboard) in the past 20 years. Masonite is common under lino to limit board lines and levels.
Masonite Underlay - Bunnings Australia

Both shouldnt be used near mositure. The pipework may need relocation and should have been rebated and not just run across the floor. (Gas or water ?) Perhaps new skirting may allow it to be run around room edge ? The edging is timber carpet tack strips which need to come up too. Possibly MDF that is moisure affected based on first picture. Someone has used self levelling goop on the floor (but not all of it ?) . Its like a liquid concrete when poured and is meant to set as flat (ie self levelling) and seems to have been used to address the pipes. Pic 3 seems to indicate a pipe under self levelling compound that has cracked it with movement (water hammer ?).

Overall a dodgy effort and you should get advice on the proper fix. Plumber and carpenter. A buried pipe is asking for a major water leak to be a costly fix.

 

I'm involved in a unit complex in Sydney where they have a lot of leaking water pipes. The original pipe that runs from the laundry to the bathroom (supplies hot and cold water to the bathroom as the hot water system is in the laundry) is laid in the slab during construction. If that pipe ever has an issue (which they seem to a lot) then the plumber will pull up the carpet and cut a channel through the living room floor and run a new pipe. It cannot be run on the underside of the slab if there us a unit below as the building does not have false ceilings.

I think you need to investigate what the pipe is, water or gas?

 

Incorrect - magnesite was a sound dampening product and topping. It had the unfortunate side effect of causing/exacerbating concrete cancer when it had access to moisture (leaky pipes).

Yes it is.

Looks like ardit or ardur floor levelling screed. Someone probably replaced the parquetry from the 60's with carpet & made a meal of the magnesite when removing the parquetry.

If it's drummy, replace it. Carpet or floating floors will need a solid surface under them or they will feel odd.

If it sits below the surface of the slab, then a skim coat of floor leveller or a layer of masonite will offer some protection from damage.

 

it doesn't sound too healthy to be around.
is it best to have it removed ?

"Older buildings especially apartments & unit blocks across Sydney that were built between the 20’s up until the late 80s are more than likely to have a Magnesite Floor. Magnesite Flooring is made from calcined or burnt Magnesite and various organic and inorganic fillers such as wood, sawdust, ground silica and talc, mixed together with a solution of magnesium oxychloride. Magnesite Flooring is extremely rich in chlorides, resulting in problems of sweating, diffusion of chloride ions into the concrete substrate and metal corrosion"

 

I owned a unit in a 1960s apartment complex that had this issue, purchased in 2000 and sold in 2007 for 4x purchase price thanks to Perth doubling and doubling again in 7 years. As far as I'm aware the problem has still not been addressed!

 

Magnesite, water leaks or unrealised capital gains?

 

If it's sound, there's really no need to remove it however once it becomes drummy or starts to break up, it becomes time to remove it.