Damp concrete floor - need advice on what to do

Ellie8

Hi,

I'm new here and initially post this as a question, but have re-posted it as a discussion. I've a damp concrete floor in my 20 year old ground floor apartment, due I think to rising damp from below. There is a DPM, but a damp-proof company surveyor thinks it wasn't done correctly. I don't have a leak and the ground outside is at the correct level. I plan on getting a hole made in the floor to investigate further, but am looking for advice on how to treat the floor. There are patches of raised moisture meter readings in all floors and my 2.5L dehumidifier fills within a day and a half in all rooms. All the walls, except for in one room are dry, so the moisture is coming from the floor.

The surveyor said he'd ideally recommend re-doing the floor or epoxy resin as the next best option. I've decided I'm not re-doing it, but am worried that if I put epoxy on it that the moisture could come up the walls. I've also read that you can't put laminate or carpet on top of epoxy, which is what I'd planned on using. Another builder suggested putting polythene 1000 gauge on top of it, air-tightened up under the sb and using foil-back underlay, but I'm also afraid that moisture could come up the walls with that.

I'd appreciate any advice!

The Continental Op

Forget the moisture meter readings, they are the biggest building trade con going. They can only tell you the amount of moisture on the surface and 99% of surface moisture is from condensation. Thats if it really is moisture thats being measured.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tea3uknHOVc

If the walls are dry the chances are any moisture is condensing on the coldest part of the building, the floor.

So put it another way I need some convincing you have damp as nothing you have said so far indicates rising damp.

Ellie8

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122583216#Comment_122583216

I've heard that, but this is the second damp proof guy I'd had and they both found raised readings in the same areas. The last guy spent an hour and a half surveying the apartment and his meter was pretty advanced. He told me it read 4-5 cm into a surface and it also calculated surface area temperature, relative humidity, did thermal imaging etc. There's moisture veins on the floor, the laminate is lifting in my living room and hall and anything I leave on the floor is getting damp. I really think it's coming from the floor.

Calahonda52

My money is on a leak so more intel pls on plumbing set up: heating hot water cold water etc

How do you know you don't have leak

Are all pipes above ground: including the shower bath sink whb outlet.