Lifted laminate floor and the subfloor is sodden!!!!

[thomo2710]

Morning all,

My laminate has been down in my living room for 2 years.

It was laid ontop on a foam underlay with a vapour proof barrier in it.

The last few month though some of the joints in the centre of the room started to blow, and looked a darker colour, so auto thought moisture - blamed the mrs at first for mopping it!!!

Got to a point where i decided to tale it up last night and immediately saw the issue.

The concrete sub floor was soaked!!
It had penetrated the joints of the underlay but has also seeped through the underlay onto the boards!

When peeling the underlay back the floor looked like a sweaty surface.

The moisture is brown and really sticky, and of course smells damp!

The floor is like it, spread from the inside, out and stops at the skirting boards, where the edges are dry (presumably as it airs under the boards)
Also there is a different part of concrete in front of the chimney breat and that is bone dry and water hasnt penetrated that part.

The subfloor is fed by an air brick on the outside which appears clear.

What would appear to be the issue?

Can upload pics if needed.

**edit - i dont have any leakind CH pipes as my sealed system doesnt loose presure.
Also i dont believe that a mains water pipe runs under the living room floor looking at the meter points of mine and next doors house in the path.

 

[WoodYouLike]

Any patios outside that are flush against the house without a gap? Any "accidents" by pets?

Sounds you have a moisture problem, finding the cause of it will be detective work.
The last heavy rains could have triggered this "moist" if the DPM underneath the concrete has been breached

 

[thomo2710]

The garden is raised, drops down about a foot onto a 4 foot slabbed area that is just below the dp course. The kitchen then immediately follows which is tiled, then into the living room where the concrete subfloor was wet.

Living room is 20x12 ft and it all was wet.

Floor had vinyl tiles ontop of the concrete, its wet under then too, so its deffo rising up.

How do I go about investigating this?

Had a friend around earlier who dabbles in a lot of diy and hesuggested its water running of three garden, under the kitchen which dpm isn't breached and into the living Ron which dpm us breached. Area is clay soil.
Suggested digging trench soak away across width of garden to divert water away from the house

Neither neighbour had had any issues, both lived in house 20 + years.

Rang insurance company they basically told me to bugger off as they don't cover damage caused "by rising ground water levels"

Am really stressed

**edit - kitchen was an early 80s extension. House was built early 60s

 

[tony1851]

It's possible the solid floor doesn't have a dpm under the concrete. I'm not sure this was mandatory in the 1960s.
Maybe prviously the damp could slowly air off but when you cover it with impervious materials, it gets trapped.

 

[dazlight]

Do you have any pics mate. Tony is spot on there. What age is your house mate and whats on the subfloor. Seen it loads of times when I've taken up laminate. Floor sweating underneath. You might have rising damp in your floor. But this can be sorted by applying a surface damp proof membrane.

 

[thomo2710]

I will upload some pics tomorrow.

House is 60s.

Concrete subfloor that's covered in a layer of vinyl tiles.

 

[dazlight]

Are the tiles black or brown and measure 9" x 9"

 

[thomo2710]

Are the tiles black or brown and measure 9" x 9"

black and yes about that size

 

[thomo2710]

piccies of floor

View of garden from kitchen patio door (living room is off the back of this kitchen

Random airbrick on front of house under floor level airing a concrete floor!!!???

 

[dazlight]

Wow alot of moisture there mate. I'd get them tiles up so the floor can start to dry out for starters.
I think that air brick is for the walls and not the floor mate. But could be wrong. Anyone know?
I would get a pro to look at it mate to be honest but if you don't fancy that you need to either-
Dig up the floor and install a new sand & cement subfloor or
Let floor dry out then apply a coat of ardex NA screed followed by a coat of ardex dpm 1c.
That would suppress any damp coming through the floor.

Why is the ground wet outside?

 

[thomo2710]

Ground id wet outside as that patio area is covered but if the rain comes in at a right to left diagonal then it catches the first row of slabs. Gutter and drain for the kitchen extension roof is there so no water sits there

 

[dazlight]

Can you post these pictures up on www.theflooringforum.com mate. So some more floorlayers can try to help

 

[mattysupra]

Can you post these pictures up on www.theflooringforum.com mate. So some more floorlayers can try to help

Hi, followed the link - http://theflooringforum.com/showthread.php?6630-lifted-laminate-and-i-have-a-Damp-concrete-subfloor back here to try and help out.


Just so happens im a old school member on here anyway



Just to clear some bits up.

The air brick = that is venting your walls not the subfloor.

The vaporous underlay = it is what it says it is, a vapor barrier. It is used to stop sweat from a concrete floor providing the subfloor is below a certain moister content. (below 75% RH) . It is not a DPM barrier.


Im going to take a guess here, is your front garden higher than the DPC level of house? you are on a hill maybe?

If the answer is yes then this is bad case of rising damp (or capillary action if you want to call it that)

If the answer to above is NO, then you appear to have a little to much moister there. Might just be a leaking pipe (mains pipe not CH or could even be waste so wash your hands! )

Need a answer on above question tho before we can go any further.

 

[thomo2710]

Front is lower than dpc. Back garden (grass area) is higher, patio level is slightly lower.

Front is half tarmacced drive, half stone drive

Picture above is of back garden

 

[tarkett85]

that's rising damp mate, need to dig up subfloor new concrete base, dpm leave 30 days then screed and surface membrane that should help fix the problem. You could asphalt but it will eventually fail one day and you'll need to do it again although it is the cheaper immediate option. also see if you can get a decent gardener look at the outside see if it needs to be re-graded and also check your brick doesn't require re-pointing that can be a massive contributor. If a pipe would have burst I would expect more water damage than can be seen, plus huge water bills.