I am going to keep in storage several household items in a basement where the floor is the land soil, i.e., no concrete slab or other flooring.

What type of damp proof barrier or membrane should I get to reduce the moisture ingress from the floor?

I've been looking at the Screwfix range, like Damp-Proof Membrane Black 4m x 25m 1000ga | Screwfix.com

or

Vapour Barrier 2.5m x 20m | Screwfix.com

but I do not know if those are appropriate for the job (some reviews mention usage to keep the rain from a roof)

Other parts of the same basement do have a reinforced concrete slab as flooring. Is it also a good idea to use a damproof membrane on top of the concrete floor?

Thanks,

Antonio

asalcedo wrote:

I am going to keep in storage several household items in a basement
where the floor is the land soil, i.e., no concrete slab or other
flooring.

Apart from the likely problems with condensation and mould why not use a
12.5 metre by 4 metre roll of damproof membrane, 250mu should be ok and
about 30quid, mind it's slippery to walk on though.

I'd probably raise them off the floor on old pallets.

AJH

On Wed, 29 Jun 2011 17:03:12 +0000, asalcedo wrote:

I am going to keep in storage several household items in a basement
where the floor is the land soil, i.e., no concrete slab or other
flooring.

It will be damp no matter what you put on the floor. What ever you
intend to store down there needs to be damp tolerant but not many
things are...

A DPM will stop the damp soaking into things resting on the floor if
they are at porous but it will do very little for the damp in the
air.

--
Cheers
Dave.

[Default] On Wed, 29 Jun 2011 17:03:12 +0000, a certain chimpanzee,
asalcedo , randomly hit the keyboard
and wrote:

I am going to keep in storage several household items in a basement
where the floor is the land soil, i.e., no concrete slab or other
flooring.

Unless you intend to fully tank the basement, i.e., by sealing the
walls & floor, and having somewhere for the water outside to drain
away, then your basement will be damp.

If you intend to put stuff in your basement, a) make sure whatever's
down there doesn't mind getting wet, and b) make sure the basement is
well ventilated to allow whatever's down there to dry out when it
does.

The membranes you linked to are variations on polythene membranes to
stop moisture from the inside getting into a structure that would be
affected by it (i.e., a timber frame or a roof). They are not enough
to keep a basement free from damp by themselves.
--
Hugo Nebula
"If no-one on the internet wants a piece of this,
just how far from the pack have I strayed"?

The humidity in the basement is high, between 65 and 80 %

However, it is fully water sealed. I've kept other things in storage there for long periods of time, but in the area of a concrete floor.

I am now thinking of using the basement area with no floor.

I am thinking that covering the soil on the floor with a damp proof membrane will help reduce some of the moisture directly evaporated from the floor. This is what is recommended for motor vehiches in storage.

[Default] On Thu, 30 Jun 2011 22:16:09 +0000, a certain chimpanzee,
asalcedo , randomly hit the keyboard
and wrote:

The humidity in the basement is high, between 65 and 80 %

If you're in the UK that's about normal for, well, everywhere.

However, it is fully water sealed. I've kept other things in storage
there for long periods of time, but in the area of a concrete floor.

You may be lucky and the place is not subject to a high or variable
water table, and it is well ventilated.

I am thinking that covering the soil on the floor with a damp proof
membrane will help reduce some of the moisture directly evaporated from
the floor. This is what is recommended for motor vehiches in storage.

Probably. It'll reduce the moisture rising directly from the soil to
the upper surface, but it'll condense on the underside of the
membrane. It will still evapourate into the air. But hey, you seem to
have made up your mind what to do, so good luck.
--
Hugo Nebula
"If no-one on the internet wants a piece of this,
just how far from the pack have I strayed"?