Can't lay flooring due to wet concrete (new build home)

ichidan

So we finally have the keys to my new house :T:T:T

However, now we have the problem of installing the flooring (Barratt Homes had quoted us a few months ago for flooring, but we decided to shop around).

So we had a private flooring company measure and inspect the flooring. They said the concrete floor is way too wet. They used some handheld moisture meter device, which gave readings of 300 and 500, which apparently is way too high. They reckon it could take months before the concrete has dried.

First question:

Is it normal behaviour for builders to leave the concrete floor too moist for flooring by completion? Can I claim compensation? (I guess most of my neighbours who had Barratt Homes install the flooring themselves either had Barratt Homes dehumidify the flooring for them or their flooring tiles will be coming off in the next year).

Second question:

What can I do to effectively dehumidify the floor?

- Dehumidifiers (run up to 100-200 pounds to extract 5-15 litres/day). I wonder how much water can i expect to extract from the concrete?
- Run a fan blowing either the air outside in, or the air inside out.
- Leave the windows open. (would leave the doors open, but haven't moved into the new place yet)

I'm thinking that we're going to have to perhaps carpet the upstairs, live there, and wait a few months before doing the downstairs (we wanted to install LVT tiles i.e. Amtico or Karndean).

Furts

You are buying a new home built with mortar, and concrete, which include moisture. All new homes have to dry out - this is a fact of life. You have no chance of obtaining compensation for this.

Given time, particularly at this time of year, your floor will dry out. Typically in a few months it will be fine without the need to do anything at all.

maninthestreet

Hire an industrial dehumidifier??

PasturesNew

Just get some big/cheap rugs and be patient. Flooring's a nice to have, but not essential. It'll be exciting and feel like camping!

Jonesya

It's a well known issue - you see it mentioned in flooring books and on installation instructions. There's nothing the builders can do, it has to be laid wet and then wait for it to gradually dry out.

If you try to force dry it, you might need to consider that whilst you can dry the surface there's still moisture in the slab below and that is probably slow to migrate. You could rapidly dry the surface only to find it getting wet again as the moisture migrated up.

27col

Why do people seem to think that they should get compensation for every little inconvenience. The time period required for concrete floors to dry out is a fact of life.
If you had not been in such an understandable hurry to move in, then the damp floors would not have been such a problem.
As someone has already suggested, buy a few cheap rugs. It won't take very long before you can lay whatever fooring you want..

Marktheshark

A "handheld device" can not give a real or accurate reading.
A hygrometer is the correct tool and it has to be placed and left at least 24 hrs.
A simple handheld damp meter is too inaccurate to be of any real use as reading are based on conductivity, which varies with types of screed and sand used.
The reading on the handheld meter may never fall.
Call a proper company that has a hygrometer they can place to test.

robotrobo

ichidan wrote: »

So we finally have the keys to my new house :T:T:T

However, now we have the problem of installing the flooring (Barratt Homes had quoted us a few months ago for flooring, but we decided to shop around).

So we had a private flooring company measure and inspect the flooring. They said the concrete floor is way too wet. They used some handheld moisture meter device, which gave readings of 300 and 500, which apparently is way too high. They reckon it could take months before the concrete has dried.

First question:

Is it normal behaviour for builders to leave the concrete floor too moist for flooring by completion? Can I claim compensation? (I guess most of my neighbours who had Barratt Homes install the flooring themselves either had Barratt Homes dehumidify the flooring for them or their flooring tiles will be coming off in the next year).

Second question:

What can I do to effectively dehumidify the floor?

- Dehumidifiers (run up to 100-200 pounds to extract 5-15 litres/day). I wonder how much water can i expect to extract from the concrete?
- Run a fan blowing either the air outside in, or the air inside out.
- Leave the windows open. (would leave the doors open, but haven't moved into the new place yet)

I'm thinking that we're going to have to perhaps carpet the upstairs, live there, and wait a few months before doing the downstairs (we wanted to install LVT tiles i.e. Amtico or Karndean).

it will be completely dried out when the mortgage as been paid for:)

Marktheshark

Getting some windows open and dry air through the property to reduce humidity will help, it's all relative, if the plaster and slab all have a high humidity level it just goes from one to the other as the room warms and cools, you need to get that airborne humidity out .
A through draft of warm summer air will work wonders.

DRP

Marktheshark wrote: »

Getting some windows open and dry air through the property to reduce humidity will help, it's all relative, if the plaster and slab all have a high humidity level it just goes from one to the other as the room warms and cools, you need to get that airborne humidity out .
A through draft of warm summer air will work wonders.

^yes
it's the summer - a good breeze will work better than any dehumidifier.

paddypaws101

You can buy de humidifiers quite cheaply for less than £100 from Wicks or similar ( and sell off on ebay when you have finished with it) Combining with a fan or two to circulate the air really helps speed things up.
Speak to the floor fitters about installing a damp proof membrane, it comes as a liquid screed which will protect flooring such as Karndean once laid.
I had a leak from a pipe plaid into concrete flooring....insurers kept telling me there was still too much moisture to install a new floor. I got the damp proof screed laid and never had a problem.