INTERIOR FINISHES


FLOYD HALL

MAINTENANCE REPORT













By

JOHN L. MONTGOMERY











For

Professors Reeves, Shepard, and Tate



University of Florida

1985







INTERIOR FINISHES



While a significant amount of original interior finish materials in Floyd

Hall, whether repaired or partially replaced, still remain, additions to the

building in the form of partitions, dropped ceilings, carpeting, and other

various modifications occur in many areas. The purpose of this report is

to discuss these existing materials, both original and added, their state

of condition, and to make recommendations for their restoration or replacement

accordingly.



Existing Finishes

The primary floor finish is that of vinyl composition tile (V.A.T.),

also known as vinyl asbestos tile (V.A.T.). The exact composition of the

material is not known, however, it is known that the tile is mounted to

either a vinyl or plywood underlayment, over the wood subfloor. The pre-

vious use of the building as the agriculture college with laboratories and

live cattle lectures would indicate that if the floors were originally ex-

posed, this would have been selective to hallways, bathrooms, offices, or

other similar spatial uses. Nevertheless, V.C.T. occurs in almost every

room of the building's present form. Carpet and exposed plywood appears

in limited areas, seemingly applied to a wood subfloor also. It should

be noted that the room originally used for cattle lectures is on grade

whereas the rest of the structure is not, therefore, it is logical to assume

that the V.C.T. in this area is applied directly to a concrete floor, how-

ever, this has not been determined.





Most every interior partition of the structure is painted plaster on

wood lath, where original, and painted gypsum wallboard where partitions

have been added. A few walls, however, appear to be some form of pressboard

made of a multitude of paper layers. The inner face of the exterior walls

are of a cementitious plaster in that it is applied directly to the face of

the brick without the aid of wood lath. This assumption is based on the

hardness of the surface upon striking.

The ceilings are generally painted plaster in the spaces still existing

from the original plan, indicating its original use throughout the entire

building, or major portion thereof. Where larger spaces have been broken

up with additional walls, the usual ceiling treatment is that of lay-in tile

or pressboard, either replacing completely or covering the plaster beneath,

generally being the former of the two.

Other interior finishes include wood moldings at the base and ceiling

levels with limited use at a picture molding height. Some vinyl base mold-

ing is used, predominately on the later, added walls. A wood wainscot appears

in the two north end rooms on the first floor, which were later sectioned off

with partitions, explaining why some of the existing spaces have wainscot on

only one or two walls.



State of Condition

Many of the problems evident in the condition of the finish materials

can be directly contributed to either water infiltration, due to leaks in

the existing roof, or to rather extreme temperature changes in the uncon-

ditioned space. Both of the problems would, assumingly, be eliminated when

the adaptation process is complete.

The majority of the V.C.T. has come loose, along with its plywood or




a wallboard-like material with a thin coat of plaster would provide a vir-

tually.maintenance-free surface in keeping with the aesthetics of the build-

ing, as well as life safety considerations. Lay-in acoustic tile ceilings,

if necessary for certain applications, should be sympathetic to the existing

interior features such as transoms, moldings, and window/door frames, however,

this ceiling type could probably be avoided entirely through other acoustic

applications.

The interior wall surfaces vary in their material types and adaptive measures

will, no doubt, require the removal and altering of their existing configuration.

This, coupled with their existing condition, supports the recommendation for

complete removal of these finishes. This is furthered supported by the diffi-

culty of repair and cost considerations associated with altering and matching

partitions and their surfaces. Through complete replacement, added and altered

wall configurations can be allowed for and continuity of materials and aesthet-

ics will be provided as well. The recommended finish treatment is that of thin

coat plaster applied over the appropriate wallboard-type surface. This is in

keeping with the original interior aesthetics yet is less costly than full-scale

plaster work over lath.

The existing flooring material will also require complete replacement due

to its present state of disrepair and poor condition. However, recommendations

as to the replacement material will ultimately depend on the function of the

adapted space. Suggested materials for consideration are carpeting, sheet

vinyl, tile, and exposed wood. Many other materials may be equally appropriate

according to use but, again, it should be reiterated that character and aesthet-

ics must be regarded as primary considerations.

Other original interior finishes, such as woodwork, moldings, and wainscot

should, whenever possible, be refinished or reused. When replacement is necessary,





vinyl underlayment, showing signs of rotted or damaged subfloors in several

areas. The other flooring finishes and subfloors are in equally poor con-

dition and will require immediate attention.

The interior plaster walls, for the most part, are in stable condition,

however, cracking, flaking and chipping is common throughout the entire struc-

ture. The inner face of the exterior wall is in relatively good condition yet

some settlement cracks and chipping is evident. The drywall and pressboard walls

are generally in poor condition, especially the latter, with gaping holes

occurring frequently in the pressboard. The wallboard shows signs of abuse

as well, through holes and torn areas.

The ceilings, both plaster and lay-in tile, are in extremely poor con-

dition. Large areas of plaster have fallen from its wood lath, causing several

light fixtures to fall. Much of the lay-in ceiling tile has also fallen or is

missing. The potential hazard created by this situation requires immediate

attention.



Recommendations

The following recommendations are somewhat subjective and will depend on

the purpose to which the building is to be adapted, changing accordingly.

However, the overall character, aesthetics, and historicism of the building,

in general, should take precedent over any subjective materials selection.

Therefore, it is with these considerations in mind that the subsequent recem-

mendations are made.

The first, and most important, issue to address is that of the ceilings.

As previously mentioned, their condition is critical and requires immediate

attention. The significant portion of the ceilings left intact are of such

disrepair that is strongly advisable to replace them entirely. The use of


















whether total or partial, consideration to original shape and material should

be given, matching both whenever feasible. Great care should be given to these

materials, as well as all original finishes, as it is these materials that give

the quality of appearance and value to the historic building.



Summary

The preceding paper has dealt with the interior finishes of Floyd Hall and

recommendations have been made as to the repairing and replacement of these

materials. While virtually all of the recommendations involved replacement

of the existing finishes, all work on the building requires consultation with

The Secretary of Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation, as the building is

on the National Register of Historic Places. These guidelines, supplied by

the National Park Service, will act as a reference for the conscientious designer

in helping to keep the integrity and quality of the original building.