"Sweating" lino

frugglewump

We had a damp firm in yesterday to do the work on the new house. When he lifted up the lino in the kitchen there was a film of water underneath it.

It appears the lino was laid directly onto tiles which were applied directly onto the concrete floor of the extension. It's not stuck down at all - I could probably just pull it all up. This explains why it has sealant around all the edges and why it has ballooned up in the bathroom.

I believe it is possible the water got under the lino as rainwater coming down the wall from the broken lead flashing over the join between the 1 storey extension & the main house. Repairing that flashing is the next job - we're just waiting for a quote (and hoping this time the for a quote for the required work not for replacing the whole flat roof). These repairs though won't deal with any water already under the lino.

Other than ripping out the lino & getting someone in to do it all over again what are my options?

Volcano

If the tiles are solid (undamaged and intact grouting) then hopefully the damp won't have gone through to the concrete floor. Pull up the lino (all of it!) and make sure the room is heated and ventilated. Once the floor has dried (and assuming that the flashing is fixed and was the original cause of the damp) then you can put the lino back down.

If the tiles are damaged and the water has soaked into the concrete floor, it may remain trapped there and you might have to take off the tiles to ensure the floor dries out properly.

catkins

How old is the house? Is this an original floor?

frugglewump

catkins wrote:

How old is the house? Is this an original floor?

The lino is in the extension - about 30 years old. The floor is the original concrete as far as I know.

shammyjack

It's possible that the original concrete floor has no damp proof membrane under it or that it was torn during construction .

The best way to find out if this is the problem is to drill a few test holes about 50mm deep either using a very fine masonary drill through the grouting or by carefully lifting a tile preferably in a corner where it will not be seen if you crack it and using a larger drill to go down to the same depth .

If the powder from the drillings is in anyway damp further proffesional help may need to be sought.

You could do a test drilling now and in say a month after removing the lino and see if it improves but if the concrete is damp it is unlikeley that it will dry out much with the tiles covering it .

shammy