concrete floor

[marsaday]

i am going to lay a concrete floor on top of the old floor in the basement. this time i will be damp proofing with visquene.

question: will it be ok to lay down a load of floor tiles i have acquired from an office refurb. the idea is these will act as a cushion for the visquene (instead of sand).

Is this something i am ok to do or will it create a problem i am not aware of?

 

[hotrod]

Put a proper sand blinding down. It's a minimal expense. If you lay the DPM on tiles you may puncture it with a sharp edge. The sand blinding will ensure this doesn't happen.

 

[marsaday]

if you do get a puncture how do you know? do you get a spot of discoloration on the floor somewhere?

 

[noseall]

if you do get a puncture how do you know? do you get a spot of discoloration on the floor somewhere?

You would need to have some serious amounts of water beneath the floor in order for a mere puncture to become evident on the surface of a 100mm thick concrete floor slab.

 

[^woody^]

Yes, but this is in the basement where water pressure will be higher and most likely enough to get through any puncture

Back to the OP, blinding sand fills voids and not just forms a level surface.

If these mats will not separate leaving gaps, or don't get deformed over time - leading to puntures and gaps, or don't degrade over time, then they could be used.

 

[marsaday]

they are rubber backed carpet tiles with the felt on the other side.

i think i will give them a go. the current concrete floor is ok and probably wouldnt puncture the membrane, but i will put these down.

how long before i can lay my lino? the conrcete will be about 80mm thick.

plus we are at the top of the hill and so all water is going to run away from the cellar. it has been used as a kitchen for ages and isnt that damp.