potential damp concrete floor

[simontr]

Hi

Just about to embark on a new kitchen in my old house. The concrete floor is currently tiled with no obvious signs of damage. I would like to just take the existing tiles up and put new porcelain tiles down but two builders i have had in to quote for other work have expressed concern that their is no damp course so we should also take the concrete floor up

seems a big expense for no massive reason. Is there anything i can do to put on top of the concrete ( a membrane?), or is there a specific cement i should be using to adhese the tiles when you are dealing with an older house

cheers, appreciate any help

Simon

 

[Gazzer]

Hello simontr, welcome aboard TF.

 

[Ian]

Welcome along to Tf. Are there any obvious signs that the floor is damp?


Sent via Tapatalk for iPhone

 

[Andy Allen]

what type of tiles are already on the floor..

 

[simontr]

no, just the walls suffer a little, again no damp course, but no damage of the floor - the concrete is around 6 inches deep

cheers

 

[simontr]

tiles are ceramic ( i think ) - around an inch think. Actually quite nice but the mrs want them up!

 

[Andy Allen]

inch thick....sure there not quarry tiles?

 

[peteablard]

You could use a liquid dpm, latex over it then tile...

 

[simontr]

thats sounds good, I want it to last but digging up the floor etc will probably add on a £1000 so this seems a good solution,

 

[bugs183]

Mapei do a product called Mapelastic, its for waterproofing dams, cellars etc, it's not cheap but works, try their technical department.

 

[White Room]

Another product called Zypex which can be used on concrete floors.

 

[simontr]

thanks for that, i presume the Zypex or Mapei are DPM's - do i have to use a specific adhesive ( i presume that is DIY speak for latex) to go with these products or should i use i use a normal good quality adhesive recommended by the tiling supplier. I was going to use tonsoftiles, as reading the web that seems to have a good repututation

cheers

 

[Ajax123]

Liquid dpms are Not suitable to combat rising damp only for suppressing residual moisture. Xypex is probably a better idea.

 

[Robb o]

@simontr

you will also need to think about any 'breech' against external walls if this is the DPC that your talking about.
If not then tank the floor and tile away!

Welcome to the forum BTW

 

[simontr]

i think the external prob is fixed - previous owners had not painted for years and the water rushed in, prob is that the walls are damp in places but short of extensive work i am happy to put up with a bit of damp - its been there for 150 years and looks ok

think i shall prob use the opportunity when the walls are re-rendered inside and plastered to paint some of that xypex on aswell - looked on their website and its looks a really clever product. Not sure my builder was aware of such products

if anyone wants to come to Devon for a weekend they can do it for me ( sorry if offering up jobs on a forum is not allowed)

 

[Robb o]

Is the wall rendered externally?

 

[acetiled]

How long has the original installation been down? any signs of moisture? These are the questions that come to my mind. If the floor has been down for a long time, then paint on waterbarriers do work when choosing correct one and installed correctly.
An easy test for moisture or hydrostatic pressure is..... Tape or secure clear plastic sheeting down to substrate and check for condensation after 24hrs or longer