relaying laminate in damp kitchen

[Whitling2k]

Now then!

After lifting a load of laminate from a kitchen that suffers from bad condensation and has mould on the walls behind the kitchen units..

Which I believe to be partly caused by a huge gap between around the edge of the floor and the wall - leaving a gap between the crawl space and the kitchen - which is about to be filled...

Untitled

• Whitling2k
• 7 Oct 2013
• 2

The old fibreboard felt really damp - to the point that cutting it with a very sharp blade just caused it to kind of tear and bunch up...

I am wondering if it would be a good idea to lay a sheet of damp proof membrane plastic over the floor boards, then lay the fibreboard, then finally the laminate.

Any thoughts?

Whitling2k[/img]

 

[crazydaze]

That would be very bad idea, the poly sheet will trap any moisture and cause further damage to everything underneath it.

Best to resolve the moisture issue and fit as per manufacturers instructions.

 

[Whitling2k]

thats a fair point. What do you think could be causing the damp air thats causing the condensation?

I have recently cleared all the air bricks to the sub-floor space - and any day with a slight breeze - does give an air flow through the void.

It is quite damp down there - in the winter months - all the soil is damp and wet though - and I have noticed condensation on the outside facing bricks (on the inside of the space if that makes sense)

Ventilation within the kitchen is not fantastic too - there is mould forming in the parts of the room that will get the least ventilation (top corners etc) - but I plan to replace the windows soon and get a better extractor soon (it does currently vent outside - but it's a 110cm cooker with a very weak fan.

There is also mould behind the units (mostly on the external facing walls - but some on internal walls too). It's mostly a sealed space behind the units - (sealed kick-boards, siliconed work-surface, sealed edges); that is apart from the gap I mentioned straight down to the damp crawl space.

Finally - whilst there was no mould. The old underlay felt damp and tore like it was some damp old soggy cardboard.

So - I think there are two sources of damp air.


1. cooking & living - causing it on the exposed walls above the kitchen units

2. damp air from the outside and sub-floor space that is warming as it sits in the void, rising then causing condensation behind the kitchen units and in the fibreboard.


But that's just my opinion!

Does it sound logical? If not - what else could be causing it? Can I do anything to stop the damp air rising up from the sub-floor space? (this is what I thought the damp proof membrane might achieve)

Thanks in advance

Whitling2k