Living With Limecrete Floors

[freddie328]

We have recently bought a Grade 2 timber framed cottage that has a hotch potch of concrete floors and a partly rotten soleplate which we are replacing. The floors are cracked so we have decided to lay new insulated floors and have looked at limecrete as a good breathable material, does anyone have any experience of living with this? We plan to carpet over the top and are a bit concerned about any damp and/or musty smells coming through the floor. The other alternative is an insulated concrete floor with a DPM that extends to underneath the soleplate. In either case, a French drain will be placed on 2 sides of the property.
Thank you in advance - first post so please be gentle lol!!

 

[plasticpigeon]

I have a kitchen limecrete floor covered with quarries. I imagine if I covered it with carpet it might trap moisture that would otherwise evaporate from the floor, but I've not tried. The guys at Ty Mawr, say that the mass of porous insulation in the form of foamed glass covered by a limecrete slab acts as a moisture bufffer or sink, so even if the covering is impervious and no evaportaion happens from the surface, it will still help with keeping the ground beneath it less wet than a conventional floor. I wouldn't take this is gospel, even though this is info from the invenors of the system, but in an old house it seems a sensible option, and it is not so expensive as to be prohibitive. I think mine cost about £1800 for materials and labour for a room 15ft by 9 ft.

 

[JanJonWestWales]

Hi, we replaced a very damp tiles-over-earth floor in our hallway with a limecrete floor and flags...its much drier (despite the through traffic from outside).
We have put rugs down, but I wouldnt hesitate to....works a treat !!

www.blaencwmbychan.blogspot.co.uk

 

[MatthewC]

I've for a 18' x 10' limecrete floor in my kitchen which I laid in 2011 (where has the time gone?). It is covered in limestone flags (unsealed of course) and has a large woven mat near to the range which has never shown any sign of moisture underneath; however, the mat has no backing (from CarpetRight) which I reckon helps as usually the backing is impervious.

 

[88v8]

In late 2011 we had a limecrete floor put in our sitting room to replace concrete/dpm. It has flags on it, laid and pointed in lime. Around the edge, a double border or quarries so that there are more joints, to increase breathabilty. There is a small loose rug with no underlay, no mould underneath it.
I wouldn't carpet up to the edge, I think it would invite problems, and in any case fitted carpet in a period property just looks wrong to me.

In the dining room we have quarries laid on mortar dabs on scalpings, lime pointed. Under the table/chairs we have a Turkey carpet/large rug with felt underlay, again it doesn't cover the whole floor.

You may get away with carpet depending on ground water pressure, but it must be wool with no backing, and the underlay must be felt so it can all breathe.
http://www.carpet-underlay-shop.co.uk/wool-felt-carpet-underlay-12-c.asp?gclid=CKKSkc6_0LACFVMetAodYTJrXQ

Obviously, any screed would also have to be lime, NHL, not hydrated.

Ivor

 

[freddie328]

So, after a year of planning consent discussions and numerous builders taking ages to quote, we are scheduling to start work in April.
My dilemma is that the existing concrete floors are dry but the lower 0.75m of brick walls and chimneys are damp. The timber frame is dry but the Sole plate requires extensive replacement.
Does anyone have a view through first hand experience on whether the damp problem could be alleviated by using breathable floors? If this wont help the walls I'm not sure if I'm achieving much by replacing the floors, except I could insulate them at the same time.
The property is built on an SSI heathland site that is very well draining.