Vinyl floor bubbling - rising damp?

[petemc]

About 2 years ago our kitchen flooded. Insurance company came out with a dehumidifier and ran that for a very long time. The guy came out to check our house was dry and said "Its an old house. These things are never perfectly dry so I can't give you a dry certificate. It's close enough though." So we had them fit a new vinyl floor in the kitchen.

Since then it's bubbled. They came out, tested and said "You've got a damp problem." Tested various points in the kitchen with a device and it showed damp. They said it was a pre-existing problem so it absolved them of repairing the bubbling floor.

Untitled

• petemc
• 22 Jul 2013
• 1

They believed it was due to the flags in the yard, laid by the previous owner, having been placed at internal floor level. So the DPC became useless. We've now got a 2 brick deep trench around the kitchen. It's been there for about 10 months.

How do we know if the damp issue has resolved itself? How do we know if the previous owner properly did the DPC? They did it after the flags so whoever installed it didn't leave a 2 brick gap between the flags and DPC. I've been told I should redo the DPC as its been breached/failed. I just don't want to waste time and money on something to find out that its just a badly designed kitchen that traps moisture.

 

[petemc]

Any ideas anyone?

 

[dann09]

I suppose that you've researched dampness issues on here and the building forum?

Posting internal and external pics will tell far more that words.
The posted pic doesn't tell anything - its blurred and dark.

What was on the floor before the flood?
What do you mean by "flood"?
What condition was the original flooring in prior to the flood?

Does your, presumably, solid floor have a membrane?

Are the walls solid?

What condition is the skirting and plaster in at the moment?

How was the vinyl laid - loose flop down, or full sheet stick down etc.?

 

[petemc]

I suppose that you've researched dampness issues on here and the building forum?

I've read some things. Generally the big debate about the mythic rising dampness

Posting internal and external pics will tell far more that words.

Can do.

The posted pic doesn't tell anything - its blurred and dark.

It's in focus and lit enough to see the issue. You can see the bump and the shadow caused by it. If the floor wasn't bubbling it would be flat.

What was on the floor before the flood?

Tiles or something. I can't recall exactly. Not vinyl.

What do you mean by "flood"?

There was a heavy storm. Alley drains blocked up. Rain water came in through our back door into our kitchen. They brought dehumidifiers to dry it but couldn't get the place to certification levels but the guy said that was due to it being an old house. He said it was close enough. They ran the dehumidifiers for about 6 weeks.

What condition was the original flooring in prior to the flood?

Tatty.

Does your, presumably, solid floor have a membrane?

I'm not sure. I think the insurance company people just came out, took away the old flooring, re-plastered the surface or something so it was one big smooth floor and put vinyl down.

Are the walls solid?

2 bricks thick as far as I can tell.

What condition is the skirting and plaster in at the moment?

Some of the wallpaper is bubbling in places too. Skirting boards looked ok.

How was the vinyl laid - loose flop down, or full sheet stick down etc.?

I think they just stuck the edges down to the skirting boards.

 

[dann09]

Thanks for the reply,

Rising damp is capillary action - its not a myth. The "myth" or con, is the claim by D&T companies that most every DPC they inspect has "broken down" and requires expensive injections etc.

It sounds like they poured a SLC on the slab, and rising moisture from below the slab is lifting the sheet vinyl - is it also lifting the SLC? Moisture could be rising because you have no membrane below the concrete.
Your vinyl was perimeter stuck down.

Remove a length of skirting and:
1. examine the skirting back for decay
2. look for a lapping membrane
3. note if the wall plaster touches the slab.
4. look for a DPC( internally & externally)

The bubbling on the wall will be indications of excess moisture and contaminating salts in the plaster.

Is the ground level outside approx 150mm below your kitchen floor?