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I have a cellar which is a little damp and a lot cold due to coal chute being open to elements. My neighbours have merely concreted the floor to find that this dries the cellar out, including the walls, but this is by use of membrane.
I have three pillars in the cellar, put there 30 years ago, and I notice that the concreting around the base is the driest part of the floor. I tested this by putting plastic on them for at least 24 hours, and there was no damp on this.
Does this mean I can concrete the floor with, say, Febmix and concrete to get the same effect as using membrane? I want to do this a little at a time to prevent any disruption upstairs - carrying large loads through etc - so not using a membrane would be an advantage. My aim is simply to close the chute (with airbricks included to keep the air flow) whilst making the space more storage-friendly. :?:

Concreting a cellar floor is not a method of damp proofing and is unlikely to have a significant positive effect., it could increase damp problems. Generally there are 2 extremes proper tanking ideally with a sump or if there is no signif ingress of water lots of ventilation or dehumidifier to remove any gradual moisture build up.It is essential that there is no external defect to allow water ingress however.

[quote="Jim44"]I have a cellar which is a little damp and a lot cold due to coal chute being open to elements. My neighbours have merely concreted the floor to find that this dries the cellar out, including the walls, but this is by use of membrane.
I have three pillars in the cellar, put there 30 years ago, and I notice that the concreting around the base is the driest part of the floor. I tested this by putting plastic on them for at least 24 hours, and there was no damp on this.
Does this mean I can concrete the floor with, say, Febmix and concrete to get the same effect as using membrane? I want to do this a little at a time to prevent any disruption upstairs - carrying large loads through etc - so not using a membrane would be an advantage. My aim is simply to close the chute (with airbricks included to keep the air flow) whilst making the space more storage-friendly. :?:[/quote]

putting concrete on the floor will not cure the problem, use liquid vapour membrane, two coats, blind second coat with sand and then put in a levelling compound, wall should be coated with tanking slurry, see the DIY Projects section on Tanking and contact the compoany there for free advice

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