Help with 1950s hardwood floor on concrete

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Hi all

Can anyone help me?

We have recently bought a 1950s house that needs everything.

On the ground floor (under carpet) are hardwood floors like parquet but in small batches of 3 fingers about 10mm thick. These are stuck to the floor with what looks like bitchumen at first glance. A fair amount of the hardwood pieces are loose, broken or completely detached. So I'm looking to replace it all with a new solid wood floor.

I have looked online and gather that in the 50s bitchumen was used on concrete floors as a moisture barrier or dpc and the hardwood floor stuck to it . I've read that you can't cover the existing floor with a new wood floor if there is a risk of moisture being present and the bitchumen perished as the moisture will come up and rot the new floor!!

I've looked at what we think is the bitchumen and it appears to be in black squares and not poured as I thought it may be for the 50s. See pics.

Can anyone identify the black stuff in the pics.

Anyone have a similar experience with this and re flooring over it.

Thanks


Scaff
 

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I suspect that it is bitumen but either it's taken up the form of the finger parquet after being brushed onto the concrete or possibly was applied to the wood before laying? possibly with a release paper or even "ironed on" with some device?
I don't know but my mid 50's house has solid floors with bitumen as the DPC and I used synthaprufe to remix some of my parquet after issues. I understand that bitumen isn't allowed in homes now but if I were you I would contact a flooring guy and ask advice both on doc and sticking the floor down.
There must be something that acts as a doc and is ok with engineered wood but you don't want to use the incorrect stuff.
 
until you've removed all the parquet you cant make a call for what to do next.
remove it all and come back on here with a few photos.

there might be quite a few variables to take into account with any new wood flooring.
 
gents

we removed the fire place and hearth {orrible thing it was} and theres nothing under the hearth, just concrete no bitch, nothing. so im guessing the black stuff is just the adhesive??

thoughts


thanks
 
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Looks like DPC to me, moisture testing the exposed concrete with a Protometer or Hydrometer would give a definitive answer. Best way to deal with it would be to scrabble the bitumen as best as possible, then use a specialist Self Leveller that can be used over bitumen such as Arditex NA, then deal with the DPC by applying a liquid DPM over the screed, then re-screed over the Liquid DPC. Once this is dry and measured with a hydrometer, you can start thinking about fitting a new solid or engineered floor.
 

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