Hi all,
Pulling up vinyl tiles in the kitchen (which had been there since the 60s I reckon) showed the concrete slab beneath. Not sure if this is the full thickness of the slab visible from outside (about 30 - 45 cm) or not.
The slab is covered with some BLACK STUFF which is now coming off. Am I right in thinking that that was how they damp-proofed in these days? Laying the slab and painting it with bitumen or something on top? The reason I suspect this is that when the interior wall (non-load bearing, but made of brick) came down the bricks were sitting on a bed of slate (just like the damp proof in the outside walls).
How do I deal with this? There is a very very faint smell of damp, but no visible dampness, so I suspect that it could be a problem at some stage.
Can I just paint the whole thing with a bitumen-based sealer and lay carpet?
Pulling up vinyl tiles in the kitchen (which had been there since the 60s I reckon) showed the concrete slab beneath. Not sure if this is the full thickness of the slab visible from outside (about 30 - 45 cm) or not.
The slab is covered with some BLACK STUFF which is now coming off. Am I right in thinking that that was how they damp-proofed in these days? Laying the slab and painting it with bitumen or something on top? The reason I suspect this is that when the interior wall (non-load bearing, but made of brick) came down the bricks were sitting on a bed of slate (just like the damp proof in the outside walls).
How do I deal with this? There is a very very faint smell of damp, but no visible dampness, so I suspect that it could be a problem at some stage.
Can I just paint the whole thing with a bitumen-based sealer and lay carpet?
