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Moisture problems with underlay and engineered wood flooring

Posted by Lucky Kemibigha, on
I recently had engineered wood flooring laid and within a week I noticed swelling around joint areas. Flooring was removed and underlay was damp and silver backing had disintegrated. I had a plumber come to inspect and check pipes etc and nothing was found, they even dug up concrete and still nothing. Damp proof membrane was put in place and new concrete put in. I left it open for a few days to dry and that part now looks ok. However this evening I could smell damp and then peeled back more underlay and saw damp patches which dried up within 30mins of leaving it uncovered. Any ideas on what could be the problem? Could it be the wrong type of underlay? I have no other damp or condensation issues in the room.
Ricky Tutton

Ricky Tutton

Try a DPM Damp proof membrane It comes in a 2 part mixture that has to be mixed very well, Then using a roller apply to the floor. All the best R.T Flooring
Gregory Whittaker

Gregory Whittaker

Hi If you've had a new concrete floor laid then you need to leave it to dry out before you cover it with anything. This takes approx one day per millimetre of depth of concrete. E.g. 50mm thick concrete will need 50 days to dry out. Then you must do a damp test on it to ensure it is dry enough for your chosen floorcovering. Hope this helps.

martin wilburn

Hi Lucky Sounds very much like you haven't got a damp proof membrane which is essential when laying wood or laminate flooring over concrete

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