HEELLLP!!! Screed has blown and bubble up :(

[kjacko]

So....the floor had marley (?) tiles on and after plenty of advice i used f-ball P131 (snot green stuff) primer to cover it all. Some tiles were loose so they were removed leaving a black bitumen type paint underneath.
I rolled the primer on and left it to dry overnight.
My mate who is a floor screeder by day laid up to an 8mm screed across about 7sqm.
A week later i laid down vinyl planks (similar brand to karndean)
Then 2 weeks after that, almost overnight part of the floor started to bubble up like a huge upturned bowl pushing its way up about 1.5". I could no longer close the toilet door.
Having spoken to a builder friend he says that the primer hasn't taken to the old bitumen paint underneath and the only way he's tackled this before is to scrape off (scarify(?)) the black stuff.


Its now happening to an area in front of the door and if i dont break it out quickly it will stop the door from opening.
If i knock on the floor i can feel the areas where the screed has blown (similar to dried out plaster), so i assume its only a matter of time before that lifts too
Fookin gutted. It took ages due to it being the downstairs hallway and toilet where all and sundry walk (2 dogs, 3 cats, 3 kids, wife) and once i'd finished it look really nice. Skirting was fitted on top of the planks as well, so pulling the planks up is even more arduous.
Now, i seemingly have a mammoth task ahead of me.
Does anyone have any advice about the best way to tackle this please, kinda feel depressed about it all.

 

[dazlight]

Plenty of advise off who mate?
Your mates a floor screeder? Is he?

1st of all what screeding compound did he use ?
How old is your house?
Does it have a damp proof membrane under the floor ( not in walls)
If no DPM under the floor then it needs one like Ardex DPM1c

If DPM ok then
The old adhesive should of been removed.
Then a primer like the one you have at 4-1 then if needed another coat at 2-1
Then use the correct screed

 

[kjacko]

Plenty of advise off who mate?
Your mates a floor screeder? Is he?

Err, yes he is a screeder. I laid the primer down, he screeded, using the stuff i bought.

1st of all what screeding compound did he use ?

This one

How old is your house?

1970s i think

Does it have a damp proof membrane under the floor ( not in walls)

Think so. Someone else suggested that the bitumen paint would have acted as one (as well as adhesive for the marley tiles).

If no DPM under the floor then it needs one like Ardex DPM1

That aint happening if it means ripping up the whole floor. Unless there is an easy way.

If DPM ok then
The old adhesive should of been removed.
Then a primer like the one you have at 4-1 then if needed another coat at 2-1
Then use the correct screed

Used the primer neat as guidelines suggested. Only one coat though.

Out of the 7sqm of floor i guess about 1.5sqm has blown. The rest sounds solid when i tap it.
I'd rather burn the frikkin house down than have to take all that lot up to completely redo it.

Guy at work suggested plugging and screwing some ply down in the areas to be fixed with a featheredge covering to bring the level right(?)
My concern now is that if i do manage to fix it its not gonna be easy matching the level of the existing screed and if i'm even .3mm out then i'll feel the difference under foot.

 

[dazlight]

wrong screed for the job mate.
Should of used
Ardex NA
Stopgap 1200

Basically a bag and bottle screed. Water mixes don't like adhesive or moisture.

Think you will need to rip it all up mate and start again

 

[kjacko]

thanks for the advice. So far nothing else has blown so will patch repair as necessary. I simply don't have the will to rip it all up and start again whilst 3/4 of it is sound (for now).
So you don't think the fball P141 primer was the right stuff? Or are you saying the screed AND primer was the wrong stuff?

 

[dazlight]

You should always use the manufactures primer an matching screed.
For me P131 an say stopgap 1200.
Hard to say without seeing the floor.
Was the old adhesive well bonded?

 

[kjacko]

When you say 'old adhesive' do you mean the bitumen paint?
I primed straight onto that. Then screeded. When it bubbled up it pulled the primer up with it leaving the bitumen paint intact
The majority of the floor that is ok was primed on top of the marley tiles. It seem the only place where tiles broken away so i removed them and primed directly onto the bitumen painted concrete.

 

[dazlight]

Was primer Dry ?

 

[kjacko]

yes mate, its was tacky dry. But since that time i've had differing 'advice' on whether tacky is actually dry. Some say it dries tacky, others say it should dry properly dry to the touch.
My head hurts.

 

[dazlight]

Tacky is fine mate.
Weird.
Dont think the screed helped though. All tiles should of come up.
Are you should no moisture is coming through the floor. The bitumin can hold it back but it's not strong enough as a DPM.

 

[kjacko]

yeah, pretty sure there's no moisture, first thing we checked as the patch in the pics is next to the toilet and in front of the down pipe connections.
I'd been told on numerous occasions to use the P131 primer to cover fixed tiles. Ripping them all up would have been a nightmare. Oddly the tiles areas are where the screed has taken well. Its the bare bitumen painted areas where the screed has blown.

 

[kjacko]

Hi all, just revisiting this as:
1) I'd buried my head in the sand, cos i didn't want to think about it again.
2) its now bubbled up under the radiator, so i had to 'pop' it and smash the bubble out to stop it hitting the rad pipe.
Coincidentally my floor screeder mate rang me yesterday to say he's got some spare sealed bags left over from a big job and i can use them as he's never in over 10yrs seen a problem like mine. Remember i used wickes screed, so it may simply have been the wrong stuff.
But, i'm almost tempted to plug'n'screw 4mm ply down then apply a thinner screed on top of it. But, am i likely to feel the difference under foot between full screed and a thinner screed on top of ply?

 

[WabbitPoo]

so, what fraction of the floor is left (apparently still OK)? If less than 3/4 of it then I reckon you'd have more peace of mind doing it properly....you know you would, and we know you would, and your wife will be thankful (eventually) cos anything else is likely to be a bodge

 

[kjacko]

Lol, well out of 7sqm i reckon that i have to redo maybe 3sqm. Yes, it could spread. Its anyone's guess seeing as i 've now spoken to other screeders who haven't come across my bubbling effect before.
When i tap on the floor there does seem to be more areas where its blown now.
God, i'm so NOT looking forward to ripping it all up. The skirting will have to come up which means the paint/caulking will bodge up too. Plus i have the nightmare of keeping the animals/kids away from the one floor that everyone walks on as it leads to every other downstairs room.
Then there's the good chance that hte vinyl planks, or at least some of them will be fubar, and i don't have any spare!

 

[WabbitPoo]

I feel for you, honestly.