Plastering drying time speed up for wooden floor?

[honzo]

Hi

I am getting walls and floors plastered/concreted over the next 2 weeks. My question to the wise ones is can the drying time be quickened by using a dehudifier and a heater or some plaster additive?

My house is 300m2 so maybe a lot of drying? We would like to lay wooden flooring asap so we can move in but are told we must wait for it to dry well out first which could be 2 to 3 months

Any short cuts that will not destroy the floor appreciated

 

[marshman]

open the windows and let the air through, that will help you a lot.

 

[honzo]

Thanks I will do that. I was asking about additional methods. Any idea how long it will take to dry? I have been told 4-6 weeks.

 

[JohnD]

concrete floors take a long time to dry. You will need a moisture-barrier between the concrete and the wooden flooring. You had better buy yourself some kind of humidity meter so you can monitor the rooms. Do not cover the floor until the last possible moment, to allow it to dry out as much as you can. You can use loose woven mats to walk on, this will reduce cement dust but allow evaporation.

Maximise ventilation. It is worth using extractor fans at night or when the house is unoccupied and you can't leave all the windows open.

If you do use a dehumidifier, close the doors and windown in the room where you are using it (otherwise you will be trying to dehumidify the world)

 

[^woody^]

You need a proper industrial dehumidifier, vented to the outside, and keep the doors and windows closed.

From memory, back when plasterers could plaster and boards were for ceilings only, the humidifiers were about 1.5x the size of a washing machine and it took about 2 weeks to dry the houses out ready for decorating

 

[honzo]

concrete floors take a long time to dry. You will need a moisture-barrier between the concrete and the wooden flooring. You had better buy yourself some kind of humidity meter so you can monitor the rooms. Do not cover the floor until the last possible moment, to allow it to dry out as much as you can. You can use loose woven mats to walk on, this will reduce cement dust but allow evaporation.

Maximise ventilation. It is worth using extractor fans at night or when the house is unoccupied and you can't leave all the windows open.

If you do use a dehumidifier, close the doors and windown in the room where you are using it (otherwise you will be trying to dehumidify the world)

Thanks John. The house is a renovation job so basically guys are working there all the time. So basically when you say maximise ventilation in the day...i.e open all doors and windows and then turn on some big mofo humidifier at night in a closed room?

Also any ideas on drying time?