Vinyl floor - damp concrete - - - HELP

[fatmantrev]

Hi folks,
After six years of looking haplessy at the vinyl on my kitchen floor going more and more patchy in appearance, I decided to rip it up and lay new.
Aha, I thought, whats all this damp looking bloom on the concrete sub-floor, perhaps that was the cause of the vinyl gradually miscolouring, it was certainly in exactly the same places.
A night uncovered allowed the floor to supply out peRfectly, so perhaps the vinyl was causing the floor to sweat.
Now I'm on the verge of laying some new vinyl, but is there anything I can / should do before-hand to prevent the staining coming back again?
Many thanks
FMT

 

[JIM456]

If there is dampness rising through the subfloor then the last thing you should lay is sheet vinyl as it will completely seal the surface and trap the dampness, which will build up over time and destroy the adhesive bond.
The only option if you must use sheet vinyl is to install a proper d.p.m..
The alternative, if it is only a minor problem, is to lay vinylised floor tiles ( the type that break when you bend them...e.g. Armstrong's 'Rhinotex' or Marley 'Marleyflex' or 'Econoflex') with an asphalt tile adhesive. These are much more stable in damp conditions and the asphalt adhesive provides limited protection against the damp.
Otherwise you might also consider quarry tiles.

 

[breezer]

i was wondering why is the "damp" there, leak in a pipe?

 

[fatmantrev]

Thanks guys.
When the floor has had the old vinyl removed, the surface dreied out within 6 hours or so, so it's not as if its "major" rising damp, I think it may be more of a s"weating" problem.
Last time it took 2+ years before any marks started showing, so its not as if its going to happen overnight.
I was contemplating coating the floor with a damp proof paint (the sort you put on walls to stop ingress of stains).
Do you think that would help at all?
FMT

 

[breezer]

i think you are trying to cure the effect , not the cause.

its only my opinion, but say you do use this paint you mention, all you will do is prolong the inevitable, water coming up will just take longer to get through, and when it does.............

but lets see what others think, i may be wrong

 

[masona]

Breezer's is correct, find the cause of the dampness first otherwise you will be spending ££££££ in the long term.

 

[nstreet]

You can test the floor by cutting a square of polythene 50cmx50cm and placing this on the concrete floor. Tape around the edges. If you get condensation forming under the polythene after 24hrs, you still have a damp problem.