Hi, I have a 1930's ex council house. Under the carpet are quarry tiles(marley). According to a damp proofer I had around the house, he thinks underneath will be hardcore/rubble/soil etc.. Proves to be a problem as id like to install a real wood floor. His advce was to take up tiles, dig out 10" and re -lay damp membrane, screed, underlay and flooring. Any ideas on a better/easier/cheaper way to go about it? Anyone had any experience with such a floor? thanks, Jack
As you are putting underlay down, im assuming the wood flooring is getting floated. If so, all you need is a plastic sheet dpm under your underlay, before you lay your flooring. But if you have major dampness in your room, i guess there is a more serious moisture issue, which will have to be addressed more drastically.
Yes thats what I was going to do. However, the damp proofing guy reckons the subfloor will sweat and cause further problems. A builder friend of mine said "Well he would say that wouldnt he, he after business!" Is it still ok to float a real wood floor directly over quarry tiles? Obviously with a dpm & underlay? Thanks again, Jack
if there is no working DPM then you should sort the floor. Installing a sheet of plastic is masking the problem and can cause a large build up of moister underneath that will lead to smells etc and can actually lead to pooling water depending on how bad it is. Installing a plastic sheet under floating floors is designed as a 'Vapiour Barrier' on a subfloor that has a working dpm. Basically you are controlling the amount of moister being absorbed by the subfloor or it letting out through the season changes that happen every year. Dont forget that if the floor has a working DPM it wont have rising moister working its way through the subfloor, it will be changing its Moister content to match the air around it.
