by yoozername »
Tue Feb 26, 2008 10:40 am
[quote="stevo46"]my daughter has just bought her first home and the kitchen/utility room has a solid concrete floor wheras elsewhere the ground floor is boarded.
there are signs of damp in the room and she has been told that the membrane has failed the floor has to be dug up and the membrane replaced... is there a cheaper way of doing this or could she have the floor done with joists and boards etc,[/quote]
[size=18][color=darkblue][b]Digging up the floor sounds a bit OTT, :shock:
although damp can be very bad for houses of course.
Im NO expert by any means - but Ive had DAMP AND concrete floors together - where no membrane ever existed - and treated the probs in various ways.
There is no way in the universe - that I could come up with sufficient dosh - to dig up my concrete floor - anyway - its very solid and flat, itd be a shame to dig it up.
I dont think it EVER had a membrane.
1)There are different damp proofers (clear liquids) available that, applied with a brush or roller, seep right in and create damp protection- I treated my toilet wall - which had a lot of mould and green bits - with one - which Ive sadly forgotten the name of - and never saw damp there again. The floor was covered in ceramic tiles.
I think RUBSON do a big range of damproofer liquids.
(theres a Rubson website)
And they will give you better advice than I can.
2) A *good* elec. dehumidifier - can get rid of damp, and dry out a room very well. Running costs are not big - make sure theres adequate ventilation too.
3) there are different kinds of damproofer that can be injected into walls and floors - its not a huge job - just needs a decent heavyweight drill - and you just pour the stuff in the holes with a little funnel...I might do that with one room Ive got that is very damp - I live next to a river - and dont hope for too much.
As for floor covering - Im thinking about a layer of water resistant composition sheets; they have to be the special damproof kind - with something else on top...not sure what yet - perhaps just a thick coat of floor paint - or very hard varnish...thatll be my question... :D
best wishes - hope you and your daughter find a good solution[/b][/color][/size]
