Damp floorboards under floating wooden floor

[debstarcrazy]

Hello all

I am a newbie to this forum but having looked around I thought you guys might be able to help me. I have recently bought a house built in 1905 and the previous owner has fitted wooden flooring throughout the ground floor. The original floors are the usual suspended timber floorboards, so out of curiousity I lifted one of the new boards to see what state the old boards were in, and noticed three concerns: 1. the floating floor is not glued together, neither does it click, it's just a male and female edge slotted together, 2. there are (consequently?) many gaps all over the floor, and 3. the old boards feel damp to the touch (this was confirmed by the damp proofing guy and his meter). I left the boards off for a couple of days and they seemed to dry out a bit, so I can only assume the new flooring is somehow causing a build up of moisture, also there is a cupboad off the living room i which the same old floorboard layer is dry as a bone. I just don't get it. I have checked the vent bricks and there is a noticable draught coming up through the exposed gaps between the boards in the cupboard.

Any ideas?
Thanks
Debbie

 

[WoodYouLike]

Between the new and old floorboards, what type of underlayment has been used? (If any?)
If they have installed a combi-underlayment containing a DPM layer (plastic) that could have caused condensation on the old boards.

 

[debstarcrazy]

Thanks for your reply. It is a thin foam which is white on both sides, that's all I can say!