new carpet lifting in places - damp problem?

golden_eagle

We had a new carpet fitted 2 months ago replacing an old one in the kitchen. Originally we were going for a laminate flooring but when the guy who was going to do the work lifted the old carpet he told us he wouldn't recommend a laminate flooring as he discovered damp under the carpet. The old carpet never showed any signs of damp but when it was lifted the screed underneath was "blown" (so the guy said) plus it concrete was damp to touch. He recommended another hardwearing carpet instead of the laminate. Alternatively he suggested we would have to remove all kitchen units etc and dig out the concrete then lay a water proof membrane which would be much more expensive. Since we are planning to extend the kitchen in the next 2-3 years we didn't want to spend too much money at this stage and went ahead with the carpet as we were told the carpet would be really hardwearing and wouldn't let the damp through.

I noticed this morning that the carpet began to lift in places in the middle of the floor - like a "bubble wrap" effect. I called the guy who fitted it and he said it must be due to the damp problem. He couldn't explain why the old carpet never had this problem and the new carpet does just 2 months after laying it.

My question is - is there any waterproof thin material which could be laid under the carpet to stop the "bubbles" from appearing. We only want the solution to last for 2-3 years. Or is the only option to dig out the concrete, lay the waterproof membrane and start again?


Sorry for this loong message but trying to get as much information down as possible in case it's relevant.

Chunks

You can get something like this:

http://www.carpet-underlay-shop.co.uk/damp-proof-membrane-dpm-20-m2-32-p.asp

The cause of the damp should probably be investigated asap (might be something like a leaking pipe and easily fixed).

It could be that the rate of ingress of water has increased , which is why it wasn't noticed before?

Getting the underlay is only a sticking plaster solution but if you cannot afford to correct the underlying problem, you may have no other alternative......:(

keystone

golden_eagle wrote: »

We had a new carpet fitted 2 months ago replacing an old one in the kitchen..................as we were told the carpet would be really hardwearing and wouldn't let the damp through.

Better fetch him back again then because it has and his solution hasn't worked so you paid your money for what? But you do need to fix the underlying problem before doing much more. So find the cause - digging up the concrete is only a solution if you have rising damp. Are you sure there isn't a leaking pipe and water is finding its way between the screed and the concrete? The minimum must be to chop out the blown screed and see if there is water underneath.

Cheers

golden_eagle

Stupid questions but how do I find out if there is a leaking pipe? Who do I call? Builder? Heating engineer? We did have a leaking pipe in the kitchen about 3-4 months agok but this was sorted out (at least I think so because it no longer manifest itself in the area it did before).

Chunks

Hi GE,

Look in the obvious areas first, you may strike lucky (it’s the MSE way) Sorry, the carpet has to come up........

The leak you had before where was it and what was the cause (i.e. did you have some work done, if yes what)? I read your last post but look carefully in the area of the leak. Could it be that that leak caused all the damp and the floor just needs to dry out completely (explains the dryer patch)?

A few further thoughts:

Track the pipe work, look at all joints dry any condensate (on cold pipes) with paper towels see if the joints are weeping; if you can, remove kick boards, have a look under kitchen cabinets where the pipe work runs. Any puddles?

Water is a swine inasmuch that the leak in one corner can show up in another especially if the floor (screed) is uneven. Is the floor uniformly damp (pay closer attention to the areas of greatest dampness)?

How old is the house? Did you have any damp issues before the leak?

Do you know if central heating pipe work runs under the floor?

Sorry for all the questions but it might give a clue.

golden_eagle

Hi Chunks - thanks for your message. The house is 100 years old so not that dry but no major damp problem (eg on the walls etc) - just has that damp smell sometimes when it's been raining a lot.

Anyway, we have had lot of work done on the house earlier this year including redoing all the central heating. Not sure if there was a damp problem in the kitchen prior to the leak - there was a carpet on the floor but we never noticed any damp until the leak. The leak was then fixed (at least it would seem that way as no more damp patches). A few weeks or so after the leak was fixed we had the old carpet removed and that's when the carpet fitter noticed the dampness all over the floor- so maybe it was all connected with the leak and we never let the floor dry out - new carpet went on within just a couple of days so probably not enough time for the concrete to dry out. I'll speak to our heating engineer about the pipes etc. also, the carpet fitter is coming over within the next 2 days to have a look at the carpet. Thanks very much for your help

Chunks

No worries GE. If you didn't notice damp before basis what happened between the leak and now I am very firmly leaning towards simply letting the floor dry out (no covering; let it ‘breathe’). You can speed up the process by hiring a heater/dehumidifier but that will cost....

Since we are entering the period when central heating fires up, if you can live with a bare floor for a few weeks, I would let it dry (the heat from the CH will speed the process). You should notice a difference (lighter patches) after a few days.

When it looks (and feels) dry, the floor should be a uniform(ish) light(ish) colour. If this is the case, you have probably cracked it. The longer you can leave it however, the better. Go for the membrane under the carpet anyway, it's not that expensive. After refitting the carpet, check the floor is still dry. Lift a corner somewhere and see how the sub floor looks. If you have condensation/damp under the membrane, your problem may be DPC related (but equally it might be a weeping pipe under the floor...).

My fingers and toes are crossed for you.

C