Hi,
I've spent the last coupld of years renovating my house room by room and have finally come to one I've been dreading. It's the only room in the house with a terracotta tiled floor which gets quite damp. The neighbours garden path to the side of the house is 2 feet higher than the floor level. When I first moved into the house, they were kind enough to let me dig out the path, tank the outside to below the internal floor height and put all back afterwards. But I think it's becuase of this height, we do get damp - I read on a lot of other threads about 'finding the damp source', but I can't stop our damp source. Although what I haven't tested is, if the damp reduces the further away you move from this outside wall.
The room was originally carpeted with a rubber underlay, at which point we had no knowledge of the damp issue, but after using the room as an office, and having a plastic sheet on the ground for the chair to roll on, when we took it up a couple of months later there was thick, scrape with your nail, mould. I then took the carpet up to find the tile. It doesn't look good due to rubber residue, glue, salt and what I believe to be mortar.
From reading these forums, I'm of the understanding that I essentially have 3 options:
1. Clean up the tiles with some manner of acidic or alkaline cleaning product, then seal. I then have a cold floor that I can't do a lot with or put much on. I believe I could put a natural undelay and carpet down, adding warmth, but could never put any furniture that will cover the carpet as moisture will build up and mould.
2. I can dig down, install a base, PIR boards, then screed. I can do this, just the thought of it makes my back hurt! Additionally, doesn't this still just force the moisture up the sides? I know it appears to be frowned upon to use liquid DPM on the tiles (not only because it's ruining the tiles) but becuase the moisture gets pushed to the walls, but doesn't digging out cause the same, it just starts at a lower point?
3. I could dig out and install a suspended timber floor. Again, I can, but don't want to!
In the end, I'll do what's needed. Do I have other choices? Am I wrong about laying a DPM on the tiles, can this be done?
Thank you for any comments.
I've spent the last coupld of years renovating my house room by room and have finally come to one I've been dreading. It's the only room in the house with a terracotta tiled floor which gets quite damp. The neighbours garden path to the side of the house is 2 feet higher than the floor level. When I first moved into the house, they were kind enough to let me dig out the path, tank the outside to below the internal floor height and put all back afterwards. But I think it's becuase of this height, we do get damp - I read on a lot of other threads about 'finding the damp source', but I can't stop our damp source. Although what I haven't tested is, if the damp reduces the further away you move from this outside wall.
The room was originally carpeted with a rubber underlay, at which point we had no knowledge of the damp issue, but after using the room as an office, and having a plastic sheet on the ground for the chair to roll on, when we took it up a couple of months later there was thick, scrape with your nail, mould. I then took the carpet up to find the tile. It doesn't look good due to rubber residue, glue, salt and what I believe to be mortar.
From reading these forums, I'm of the understanding that I essentially have 3 options:
1. Clean up the tiles with some manner of acidic or alkaline cleaning product, then seal. I then have a cold floor that I can't do a lot with or put much on. I believe I could put a natural undelay and carpet down, adding warmth, but could never put any furniture that will cover the carpet as moisture will build up and mould.
2. I can dig down, install a base, PIR boards, then screed. I can do this, just the thought of it makes my back hurt! Additionally, doesn't this still just force the moisture up the sides? I know it appears to be frowned upon to use liquid DPM on the tiles (not only because it's ruining the tiles) but becuase the moisture gets pushed to the walls, but doesn't digging out cause the same, it just starts at a lower point?
3. I could dig out and install a suspended timber floor. Again, I can, but don't want to!
In the end, I'll do what's needed. Do I have other choices? Am I wrong about laying a DPM on the tiles, can this be done?
Thank you for any comments.
