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Hello
I'm new here seeking advice. First, let me describe the problem. In our typical 30s house with suspended timber floors, there are a few places on the ground floor that smell of dampness. The place with the strongest smell is the understairs cupboard with raw floorboards and large gaps in between. I guess it's the ground below that can be smelled quite strong. See the first attached picture.
The second place is in the reception, where the laminate floor and a brick wall meet under a built-in bookshelf, that can't be removed without much destruction. Brave excavation work revealed that luckily the shelf does not sit directly on the laminate, but there is an inch high gap, where one can reach in (over the edge of the laminate and down, see second picture) and feel the holes in some crumbling concrete (?). The draught can also be felt and hygrometer says 70%, while it's 55% elsewhere in the house.
At both places, the plan is to seal off the void under the suspended timber by:
- in the understairs cupboard, covering the raw floorboards with 6mm plywood and filling the gaps left with caulk (a lot of precise cutting is needed here)
- under the bookshelf, asking my son (who can reach in there more easily) to put some backing rod into the bigger holes and using some kind of concrete filler/patcher (through a short hose to be able reach the corner?). Alternatively, maybe some foam would be easier?
Questions:
Cheers,
Gabor
I'm new here seeking advice. First, let me describe the problem. In our typical 30s house with suspended timber floors, there are a few places on the ground floor that smell of dampness. The place with the strongest smell is the understairs cupboard with raw floorboards and large gaps in between. I guess it's the ground below that can be smelled quite strong. See the first attached picture.
The second place is in the reception, where the laminate floor and a brick wall meet under a built-in bookshelf, that can't be removed without much destruction. Brave excavation work revealed that luckily the shelf does not sit directly on the laminate, but there is an inch high gap, where one can reach in (over the edge of the laminate and down, see second picture) and feel the holes in some crumbling concrete (?). The draught can also be felt and hygrometer says 70%, while it's 55% elsewhere in the house.
At both places, the plan is to seal off the void under the suspended timber by:
- in the understairs cupboard, covering the raw floorboards with 6mm plywood and filling the gaps left with caulk (a lot of precise cutting is needed here)
- under the bookshelf, asking my son (who can reach in there more easily) to put some backing rod into the bigger holes and using some kind of concrete filler/patcher (through a short hose to be able reach the corner?). Alternatively, maybe some foam would be easier?
Questions:
- Are the better ways to fix these things?
- If the plywood solution is okay, how to prevent it from becoming mouldy?
- What kind of filler/patcher/foam to use that's
- easy to work with through this one inch gap
- flexible enough so that the hole remains sealed
- mould resistant
Cheers,
Gabor