What to do with my cellar

[compact]

Hi I've read various posts here regarding different ways to waterproof a cellar.

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• compact
• 29 Apr 2015
• 1

Asyou can see from mine, it's is pretty dry, with a bit of damp at the edges.
Neverenough to worry about, basically a sweaty armpit after a 26 mile run.

Athe moment it has a washing machine tools etc.
Whatdo you suggest regarding making it cleaner .
I'dlike to lay a cheap floor maybe simple stud wall or repaint. We'd like to put more things in it for extra storage . So what to do?

Someonmentioned tanking slurry.
Another a membrane floor.
Over to you.
Thanks
P. S. Thwill be done diy and not looking to spend thousands but maybe hundreds to make it useable and good for storage.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Is the cellar ventilated?

 

[compact]

Hi yes there is a coal chute to the right of the photo with a small metal door with holes.
There are some air bricks at the back of the house in the crawlspace. With a small crawl hole between the two.
Is this sufficient.
We'rthinking of plumbing in a radiator if that helps.
I've never had problem with damp

 

[endecotp]

Just paint the walls?

 

[compact]

If I want to lay a floor (i've been given some cheap wood flooring) though what would I do with the damp bits in the corners and edges?

Is scrubbing off the paint and using that slurry stuff the right idea?

Thanks

 

[JohnD]

if you put wood on a damp floor (or wall) it will rot.

Cheapest way to keep it reasonably dry is to increase the ventilation so the water vapour is swapped out for cold dry air.

 

[compact]

I understand the rotting part.
However in the photo the damp is the corners and edges where the walls reach the floor.

I'd lay the wood flooring, so that would block any airflow.

As it isn't water seeing through, just a small bit of damp, the only ideas I have had are
1) Sealing in the damp partial - Clean and tank with the slurry on the floor and walls (1 foot up & 1 foot out), so this covers the area (which seems to be 2 inches of damp up/out))
2) Sealing in the damp full - Clean and tank with the slurry on the floor and walls (whole floor and walls)
3) Someone mentioned a 3d ribbed plastic to create air spaces to allow water to flow/dry which you lay on floor and wall (seems more expensive??)
4) Ignore, paint walls, lay flooring but leave a 6 inch gap around walls (definitely the bodgers solution)

 

[theprinceofdarkness]

That looks like the problem I had with a Victorian outhouse that was half buried at its back. I cleaned the lime wash of the bricks to a height higher then the damp. I then made good the pointing and flaws in the bricks to give a smoothish surface then put on a few coats of SBR/cement slurry. Then stabiliser and masonary paint. It worked very well. The only point of failure was around the original door frame, because I did not "paint" behind it. So the caveat is about any penetration of this tanking, pipes, power feeds, wooden frames etc.
I doubt if ventilation would work as you need the air flow at floor level and not across the ceiling.
Frank

 

[JohnD]

water vapour is lighter than air, so it rises towards the ceiling.