what floor covering/prep for concrete floor?

[AkiraDIY]

I recently pulled up a bunch of old lino that was laid directly over bare concrete. The lino was completely mouldy underneath, presumably due to the lack of breathability and high moisture levels.

Is there any type of flooring/underlay that can breathe or am I looking at a liquid DPM + self levelling compound route?

 

[crazydaze]

What type of flooring are you laying in the area and how level is the concrete?

 

[AkiraDIY]

The concrete is pretty level. The type of flooring is what I'm asking. I'll lay whatever is most suitable

 

[dazlight]

Carpet

 

[AkiraDIY]

carpet will just get damp and mouldy surely?

Debating using some kind of liquid DPM but the floor area is around 60m2, so could get quite expensive. Also one room has quite a damp wall that I can only assume is rising damp (no pipes in the area and internal wall too) and concerned a liquid DPM might make it worse.

 

[dazlight]

Always best to Dpm it yes. How old is the sub floor?
Is the land outside higher or lower then the inside floor. ( water table )

 

[AkiraDIY]

Always best to Dpm it yes. How old is the sub floor?
Is the land outside higher or lower then the inside floor. ( water table )

the land is higher by about 1.5m, it's a half basement / sub ground floor, also 100m from the sea. Super old building, pre-1800s. The upstairs neighbour stripped wallpaper and found 1679 written on the wall but I don't believe it's that old. I think the basement was dug out in the 1970s or 80s. Done by an island contractor so who knows if a dpm was laid, probably not or since then failed.

Attached a picture of one room, best picture I got on my phone. My mother had a small flood back in January but going by the black mould, moisture has been a longstanding issue and the lino direct on top didn't help matters. I'm assuming there's some bridging going on as the plasterboard is damp where it touches the floor.

Really don't know the best way to do this without spending a fortune going back to brick and doing a full dpc.

 

[dazlight]

Now you have the vinyl up it will dry out a bit.
Looking at that I’d say ardex Na or similar then a epoxy Dpm

 

[AkiraDIY]

Now you have the vinyl up it will dry out a bit.
Looking at that I’d say ardex Na or similar then a epoxy Dpm

sounds more affordable than stripping all the plaster off the walls and starting again!

I saw a lot of efflorescence/salts around the edges where the vinyl met the wall and also on the lower part of that damp internal wall I mentioned before. I can only assume the ground level is below or close to the water table considering the distance to the shore. Is there any concerns that sealing the floor with a liquid DPM might push moisture up the walls instead?

Any recommendations on an epoxy DPM or they much the same?

The concrete is pretty level and relatively smooth already, can I ask why the Ardex NA and not just the epoxy DPM directly to the floor?

 

[dazlight]

The liquid Dpm lets moisture through at a slower rate.
I’d get that down and up the bricks an inch. Ardex DPM1c is the best one I’d say but they are mostly similar

ardex DPM1c
Fball F77
Tilemaster one coat Dpm