I don't think anyone has mentioned breathability in an old house. Does it have a damp course? If you seal the floor and concrete it over you drive any moisture up the walls. The wooden floor could breathe, concrete doesn't. You need lime mortar I think.
replace wood floor with concrete?
- Thread starter legepe
- Start date
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not to bother with the screed and simply leave the 100mm concrete as the finished floor
I remember this thread from last year, about getting a good finish on a concrete floor:
https://www.diynot.com/diy/threads/troweling-slab.480013/
The guy seemed pleased with the results, but maybe screed is the more stress-free way to get a smooth finish! No shortage of advice here in any case.
Thanks for this.. however, my plan is like this.. I will get the hardcore in, compact it, put in the dpm, put in the insulation, then bso comes back, Ill then contract a concrete laying company to do the rest..
Sorry I missed your post on this and was just thinking about what you are saying.. I forgot to ask the bso if its a requirement to inject a dpc cream into the walls? Not sure exactly what you mean with lime mortar?
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Doggit
Right, before you do the concrete floor, I'd still suggest you think twice. Yes it won't rot, but it's more expensive to do, and it'll be colder to walk on. If you can get someone in to do the work, then I think it'll still work out cheaper. If you concrete it, what will you put on top of it. If you decide on laminate, then you'll need a good quality underlay under it, but if you've got wood, then you can use a cheap one. By the time you've got a concrete floor to a good level, I suspect you'll have doubled the wood floor price, and taken just as long.
You'll only need to inject a DPC id there's rising damp, so is there any evidence of that. How old is the house, and is there air bricks, and a dpc above them.
You'll only need to inject a DPC id there's rising damp, so is there any evidence of that. How old is the house, and is there air bricks, and a dpc above them.
The house is around 100 years old... There are no signs of rising damp and there is a damp proof coarse above the vents but I would have to double check.. however, because there will be no air floor once concreted any moisture will be drawn to the walls, or not..?
attached is a revised price comparison-the difference is not that great. I know it will cost a bit more to finish off but it will allow me to get on with other works sooner...
Why are you so much in favor of wood floor and not concrete Doggit?
attached is a revised price comparison-the difference is not that great. I know it will cost a bit more to finish off but it will allow me to get on with other works sooner...
Why are you so much in favor of wood floor and not concrete Doggit?
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Thanks a lot for this legepe I am mulling over doing the same in a 10sq m space so it's been really helpful.
I am no expert here but believe you are right to be concerned about mositure, especially condensation, heading for that cold spot where the concrete meets wall. But the idea is you form an upstand with the insulation board and secure the dpm at the point where it meets the dpc. Getting that junction right is key from what I have read.
I am no expert here but believe you are right to be concerned about mositure, especially condensation, heading for that cold spot where the concrete meets wall. But the idea is you form an upstand with the insulation board and secure the dpm at the point where it meets the dpc. Getting that junction right is key from what I have read.
I had bso yesterday for initial inspection and it surprised me how vague he was on everything... but he did insist on upstand of 25mm insulation. Ive just bought more than enough injection cream for the walls in case the moisture decides it wants to take a trip up there... and Ill probably inject into two mortar lines to be doubly safe..
When you "secure the dpm at the point where it meets the dpc" what do you mean exactly? how do you get that junction right?
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I think you either filet it into the dpc or you stick it to the wall. Unfortunately I don't know the technical explanation for this, just the principle, which is the junction has to be watertight at the point the dpm and dpc meet, so as to keep damp from contacting the wall.
If this is absolutely necessary and unless someone can say otherwise the best/only solution is to apply a silicone based product vertically between the dpm and the wall.. something like
Wykamol Technoseal DPM Wall and Floor Damp Proof Water Proof Paint. but I guess a bathroom sealant would do the same sort of thing and in a tube would be easy to apply
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Doggit
You only have an upstand of insulation when you're having UFH, then you don't want the heated slab leaking heat into the walls. You two are overthinking this scenario. Noesall gave you the procedure, and you just need to make sure that the DPC in the wall, and the DPC in the floor meet each other, so when you lay the DPC membrane in the floor, you'll lap it up the wall so that it goes higher than the walls DPC, and then you'll cut any excess of when you've finished the floor.
Really????
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Doggit
Wow, that was an intelligent comment. Okay, I may be wrong, so now expand and correct me; I'm always happy to learn.
All EXTERNAL walls require an insulation upstand. The only way around it is if you are building new cavity walls and are taking the cavity insulation down and into the sub-DPC trough.
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