Damp floor

bsr · 21 Nov 2020

Hello

This living room (1930s house) suffers from damp and condensation. Placing any furniture against the external wall leads to mould on it. Not black spots but actual growths!

Taking the carpet up shows this. The gripper is badly rusted and the underlay has rotted where there is damage to the hard lino tiles.

When I change the carpet what is the best solution? Do you agree there may well be a failed damp course and I should epoxy damp proof the screed? Above or below the lino tiles? I suspect the tiles are held down with bitumen which may be acting as a waterproofer.

Thanks

JohnD · 21 Nov 2020

is it a concrete floor?

if you draw a line between the external stopcock (next to where the front gate was, when the house was built) and the internal stopcock (underneath where the kitchen sink used to be, when the house was built), does it pass under or through this wet floor?

What is on the other side of the wall?

tel765 · 21 Nov 2020

Mould or dampness on items placed close to external walls indicates a severe condensation problem. There's masses of info and pics about this - much of it posted recently if you search.

Some kinds of "growths" on walls can be signs of a more serious rot problem - can you post pics of the growths on your furniture?

Are the vinyl tiles covering an old chimney breast hearth area?

Is the floor(s) solid?

Why not post pics showing the exterior at ground level?

Dont do anything until you've discovered the cause or causes.

dazlight · 21 Nov 2020

Get the tiles all up.
Do the ardex NA Dpm system.
Screed floor at 3mm ardex NA
Apply Ardex DPM1c on floor and up a couple of inch on the walls
Ardex NA again.

JohnD · 22 Nov 2020

but don't do that before you've found out where the water is coming from, and rectified the source.

Covering up damp does not cure it.

bsr · 26 Nov 2020

Thank you all. It is a concrete floor. The pictured wall is external. Floor level is elevated 30cm-50cm over oustside ground level (the house is built on a slope). The mains water pipe does run under to, or adjacent to, this room but the damp doesn't seem significant enough to be a burst water main.

I plan to turn off the water main in the house one night and check if the meter runs on, however the house stop tap doesn't close properly.

foxhole · 26 Nov 2020

Mould would suggest little or no ventilation.?

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Damp floor

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