Damp proofing cellar floor

cromwell · Post by **cromwell** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 11:46 am

Hi- I want to be able to use my cellar as a bit of a study. It has damp but a couple of months with the radiator on down there seems to have really dried the walls out. The problem is the floor- it is just stone paving and the grouting between the paving is really nackered and damp comes through. What can I do with it? The floor is very uneven and really needs a membrane putting down and concreting over which is time consuming and expensive and I don't want to do.
I plan to run a dehumidifier down there. There are no windows or air bricks. Are those liquid paint-on membranes any good? There's also some stuff I've been reading about called Elch Pro Universal Repair / Damp Coating that might do the job, although expensive.
I only plan to be here for a couple of years so a 'permanent fix' is not needed- just something to get me by effectively.
If anyone could share experiences they've had or things they've done it'd be much appreciated.
Cheers.
James

tommyl18 · Post by **tommyl18** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 6:42 pm

Hi you could try putting some membrane down and then laying a raised timber floor on batons but then youve still got the problem of damp coming through the walls because there is no damp proof course so you may want to baton the walls out too and use vapour check plasterboards and plastering still would cost a bit though

leebwk · Post by **leebwk** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 12:22 pm

Hi Cromwell,

Liquid membranes such as RIW or synthaprufe perform just as well as sheet membranes, but like sheet membranes they are designed to be screeded or concreted over or have a floating floor ie battened or joists over the top.
hope this helps

Stoday · Post by **Stoday** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 8:39 pm

Hot poured asphalt is the best.