Late Victorian terrace cellar maintenance advice

[Mpcunningham]

Hi all,

I’ve recently moved into a late Victorian end of terrace house in Sheffield. I’m currently trying to make the cellar useable (just as normal damp cellar storage) as it has not been touched for quite a long time.

The cellar is a mixture of brick/stone walls, with external walls a bit damp and internal ones generally quite dry. At some point, one of the previous owners laid sheets of plastic on the brick floor and loose carpet on top of the plastic. The carpet is filthy and damp in places and I’d like to get rid of it. The brick floor is understandably wet as it’s been sat under plastic for years. It smells very earthy and damp underneath.

Does anyone know why the previous owners left might have done this? Can anyone foresee any potential problems if I remove the plastic? I’m concerned about potentially causing damp problems - I’m not expecting the cellar to be dry but don’t want to cause issues elsewhere.

I’m also hoping to re-lime wash the walls as this hasn’t been done in a long time. The walls are crumbling and when I’ve brushed away excess lots of pointing has just fallen away. Does this need repointing before being lime washed? Any tips for treating walls to make the space tidier/cleaner much appreciated.

Thanks in advance for the help!

Best wishes
Myles

 

[LadyArowana]

My advice would be to get rid of all the nasty stuff on the floor over the bricks and give them a light scrub. They will probably dry out quite well. If the surface is a bit uneven and you want to make it look a little bit tidier but not compromise the breathability then I can recommend “grass stabilisation mats” I put those down in an underground area. Because they are rubber they shape over my rather damaged flagstones but being an open grid design still allow moisture to evaporate, or in a wet area damp just goes underneath, keeping what’s on top dry-ish. These are mine, but other suppliers available https://www.coruba.co.uk/rubber-grass-mats/

For tidying up the walls limewash is great. I got “Wyetish” from Mike Wye. Top tip include a shower cap in your PPE gear and use a drop cloth on the floor.

 

[Cubist]

The first and best thing you can do is to get rid of that plastic and the carpet. The previous owner did you no favours and the only reason for it to be done is that he/she did not want to get their slippers wet or feel the cold. The plastic is trapping moisture rising through the cellar floor and is also perhaps allowing it to transfer into the wall. Once the floors surface is exposed it will be necessary to let nature take its course and let floor materials dry as much as possible for a while so that you can assess the next best steps. Additional ventilation down there will help a lot with the drying process and a dehumidifier would accelerate the process. Then leave it throughout the coming winter to observe how wet conditions outdoors may affect the floor - you may see puddles appearing - before deciding how best to proceed with your current ideas.