Underfloor system, flooring problems, advice please...

[HashHarry]

For my interest in your situation it would be good to lift up a corner or drill a small hole to test the mix.

But I am pretty sure that what I have suggested is going to be correct.

After so long I would expect all or most of the moisture will have dried out.

But I would still expose all the chipboard and leave it open for a few weeks.

Tony

Thanks your suggestion to get back to where we can re install flooring sounds good ... I just want to check my understanding is correct as follows:

1. when you say "expose all the chipboard" do you mean remove the layer of ply or remove chipboard as well and expose joists and the "biscuit mix"?

2. builder said he used moisture resistant chipboard, do u think any excess moisture from the mix will have been able to make it's way up to the ply?

 

[HashHarry]

A simple test to see how much moisture is still in the chipboard is to place a sheet of glass about 600 x 600 or larger on top of the chipboard over night and see if there is condensation on the underside in the morning.

Also a probe type of timber dampness meter would give an indication. They are not terribly accurate though.

Tony

I dont have a sheet of glass but assume a sheet of foil or cling film will be ok as a vapour barrier to test as you recommend? I'll do it tonight!

 

[Agile]

I would remove the ply if that is easy and expose the chipboard.

You can try cling film and foil but I don't think that it will work!

But you can use a mirror perhaps.

For reasons that I don't fully understand it seems to work well with glass. Possibly connected with why glass always feels cool?

If you can get some condensation on the glass etc. then you can use that as a benchmark to know when most of the moisture has dried off.

It is classed as "moisture resistant" chipboard. But it is not a moisture barrier! I think the main characteristic is that it does not go soggy when exposed to damp air when it is used for flooring over a suspended floor.