HAving just ripped up 1 stinky bedroom carpet & underlay there appears
to be the remains of damp patches on the concrete floor.
1970's built no insulation, just what seems to be about 3" or screed on
a black membrane on-top of base.

Ra5ther than digging up entire ground floor and doing the job properly,
would it be an option to put a laywer of polythene sheet (glued?) on top
of screed before laying new underlay/carpet to reduce any damp that
"may" be travelling upwards?

I am not convinced it is damp going up, more damp/condensation from when
we first moved in and didn't realise there was a serious lack of
ventilation until mould and significant condensation appeared on walls,
furniture, clothes in cupboards etc etc.

Thoughts appreciated.
Cheers

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Pet @ www.gymratz.co.uk ;¬) wrote:
HAving just ripped up 1 stinky bedroom carpet & underlay there appears
to be the remains of damp patches on the concrete floor.
1970's built no insulation, just what seems to be about 3" or screed on
a black membrane on-top of base.

Ra5ther than digging up entire ground floor and doing the job properly,
would it be an option to put a laywer of polythene sheet (glued?) on top
of screed before laying new underlay/carpet to reduce any damp that
"may" be travelling upwards?

I am not convinced it is damp going up, more damp/condensation from when
we first moved in and didn't realise there was a serious lack of
ventilation until mould and significant condensation appeared on walls,
furniture, clothes in cupboards etc etc.

I had the same problem, and received several replies - see
http://tinyurl.com/9v9v6

In the end I'm afraid I just had new carpet and underlay fitted directly
on to my 'dodgy floor' without further ado, so can't report back on the
effectiveness of the solutions which several folk kindly suggested. But
tbh, after a few weeks of exposure to the atmosphere the floor did
improve a lot, and I think there were considerable condensation-type
issues too (plus the place had been unoccupied for yonks). All seems
fine after nearly a year but I don't particularly feel like lifting the
carpet to check what's going on underneath!

David

Pet @ www.gymratz.co.uk ;¬) wrote:
HAving just ripped up 1 stinky bedroom carpet & underlay there appears
to be the remains of damp patches on the concrete floor.
1970's built no insulation, just what seems to be about 3" or screed on
a black membrane on-top of base.

Ra5ther than digging up entire ground floor and doing the job properly,
would it be an option to put a laywer of polythene sheet (glued?)

That's what I'd try first, assuming it's flat and you've improved the
heating and ventilation situation. Would you need to glue it?

Pet @ www.gymratz.co.uk ;¬) wrote:
HAving just ripped up 1 stinky bedroom carpet & underlay there appears
to be the remains of damp patches on the concrete floor.

Before taking action, ascertain whether or not you've a problem.


1970's built no insulation, just what seems to be about 3" or screed on
a black membrane on-top of base.

How do you know that?

Ra5ther than digging up entire ground floor and doing the job properly,
would it be an option to put a laywer of polythene sheet (glued?) on top
of screed before laying new underlay/carpet to reduce any damp that
"may" be travelling upwards?

There are various options.

HAving just ripped up 1 stinky bedroom carpet & underlay there appears
to be the remains of damp patches on the concrete floor.
1970's built no insulation, just what seems to be about 3" or screed on a
black membrane on-top of base.

Ra5ther than digging up entire ground floor and doing the job properly,
would it be an option to put a laywer of polythene sheet (glued?) on top
of screed before laying new underlay/carpet to reduce any damp that "may"
be travelling upwards?

I am not convinced it is damp going up, more damp/condensation from when
we first moved in and didn't realise there was a serious lack of
ventilation until mould and significant condensation appeared on walls,
furniture, clothes in cupboards etc etc.

Thoughts appreciated.
Cheers


Got a similar problem with smelly concrete floors. They have been tested
and are no longer damp. Whether there was a problem in the past or lack of
ventilation we don't know. The thing is, once they get musty and smelly,
they always seem to be that way. When we first moved in, and started
renovations, we left a couple of rooms empty for about 6 months with plenty
of fresh air over a summer. The floors seemed to be ok so we carpeted them
with the underlay being put on top of (can't remember what it is called but
it is black and a bit like greaseproof paper). The smell came back once it
was covered.

We have wondered whether to tile over the concrete using some type of glue
that would create a membrane. Otherwise I fear all the floors should be dug
up and relayed over a new membrane.
Two weeks holiday and the house smells pretty bad on our return.

"Pet @ www.gymratz.co.uk ;¬)" wrote:
Having just ripped up 1 stinky bedroom carpet & underlay

Provided that it's just a smell and doesn't have an underlying cause, it's
actually easy to completely remove a smell for good. Have a look at;
http://www.prochem.co.uk/deodorisers...sanitizers.htm

These products are easily available at any janitorial supplier - check
yellow pages - and they work!

Dave

On Mon, 19 Sep 2005 18:40:48 +0100, Stuart Noble
wrote:

Ra5ther than digging up entire ground floor and doing the job
properly, would it be an option to put a laywer of polythene sheet
(glued?)

That's what I'd try first, assuming it's flat and you've improved the
heating and ventilation situation. Would you need to glue it?

More importantly, what would he glue it with? Polythene has a very low
surface energy, so it is difficult to get an adhesive to grip it
convincingly. Lots of tackifiers in the formulation help but these make
the adhesive liable to creeping In any case the nails in the gripper rods
will quite probably suffice, especially if the edges are turned back under
them.

John Schmitt

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In article ,
wrote:
On 20 Sep,
"david lang" wrote:

"Pet @ www.gymratz.co.uk ;¬)" wrote:
Having just ripped up 1 stinky bedroom carpet & underlay

Provided that it's just a smell and doesn't have an underlying cause, it's
actually easy to completely remove a smell for good. Have a look at;
http://www.prochem.co.uk/deodorisers...sanitizers.htm

These products are easily available at any janitorial supplier - check
yellow pages - and they work!

Why do all these products contain a 'fragrance'.
They don't. But it's harder to find those without.

They get right up my nose.
Is it because they don't work, and are disguising the smell with a stronger
one?
Possibly.

--
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Qercus magazine FAX +44 (0)8700-519-527 www.finnybank.com
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Pinot Grigio wrote:

Ra5ther than digging up entire ground floor and doing the job properly,
would it be an option to put a laywer of polythene sheet (glued?) on top
of screed before laying new underlay/carpet to reduce any damp that "may"
be travelling upwards?

bad idea. Trapping damp in an airgap tends to cause toxic black mould.
On an uninsulated floor it might also trap condensation.

There are 2 possible fixes.

1. is to leave the floor bare for several weeks with good ventilation
and warm weather, or if its real persistent a dehumidifier. In a lot of
cases this is all thats needed.

2. If that doesnt work, painting the crete with watersealant will do
it.

I really would not use a surface membrane. Health is too valuable.


NT

Lobster wrote:

In the end I'm afraid I just had new carpet and underlay fitted directly
on to my 'dodgy floor' without further ado,

:¬)

Just got back to catch up on the thread.
carpet and underlay was fitted yesterday on the old floor, so we'll just
have to wait and see.

The old carpet did reek of dog/cat **** (Amonia stentch) and I know the
previous owners had up to 6 dogs at one time so fingers crossed.

besides, if I do dig up the old floor(s) i'll be refitting with UFH to
match upstairs, at least I have bought a little relaxation time away
from major projects.

:¬)


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John Schmitt wrote:

More importantly, what would he glue it with? Polythene has a very low
surface energy, so it is difficult to get an adhesive to grip it
convincingly. Lots of tackifiers in the formulation help but these make
the adhesive liable to creeping In any case the nails in the gripper
rods will quite probably suffice, especially if the edges are turned
back under them.

It's been re-fitted with gripper strips, didn't have time to get the
polythene down.


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Chris Bacon wrote:

1970's built no insulation, just what seems to be about 3" or screed
on a black membrane on-top of base.


How do you know that?

because the C/H pipes run under the concrete and bits of the edge have
gone all crumbly.

I'm re-running pipes above floor level sometime very soon.


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http://trade-price-supplements.co.uk - TRADE PRICED SUPPLEMENTS for ALL!
http://fitness-equipment-uk.com - UK's No.1 Fitness Equipment Suppliers.
http://gymratz.co.uk/hot-seat.htm - Live web-cam! (sometimes)