Membrane Installers

[chapel]

Hi all,

Finally want to get round to our cellar this year and as its borderline damp down there i think the best bet is to have one of these membrane systems. It used to be a living room, it has a window, but time has taken its toll and the previous means of keeping damp at bay (an block work wall inside the old rag and earth one) has been breached. With only occasional weekends available for me to do it, i know it would take an age, so may get someone in for this.

Just wonder whether anyone has had this done and can recomend an installers somewhere around Kent/E.Sussex/SE London?

Best, Paul

 

[Penners]

Paul - I'm afraid I can't offer any help with recommendations. I just wanted to suggest, at the risk of stating the obvious, that you take the greatest care in checking the specialist credentials of whoever you offer this work to. There's a considerable potential for doing the wrong thing and making an unsatisfactory situation worse.

Apologies if that's a completely un-necessary comment.

 

[chapel]

Not at all unnecessary Penners! Couldn't agree with you more.
Paul

 

[robgil]

Your CO wont be able to recommend some3one but he/she might be able to give you a list to work from.

 

[MatthewC]

our cellar ... used to be a living room

But before that it was originally a cellar? How long has it been a living room? I think that damp in cellars is a bit like King Canute trying to keep the sea back (although to be fair he was demonstrating that he was NOT able!).

 

[Gareth Hughes]

I note it's "borderline damp", which to me doesn't sound like a potential disaster - being damp is often one of the ways you can tell it's a cellar :wink: and I certainly wouldn't rush to solve a problem that may not actually be a problem, especialy not with an expensive "solution" that will be impossible to undo completely when its 15 year guarantee runs outs and it fails. The blockwork wall wasn't actually solving the damp either - just hiding it: it may be a "problem" that doesn't really have a solution beyond keeping as it well ventilated as you can manage.

 

[MattW]

I used Proten Services to install a cavity membrane system in my basement in a mid terrace house, including fitting the batons on the membrane. My own builders had laid the screed floor and were responsible for fixing the plaster board to the batons after the membrane installers had finished.

While this sounded sensible this actually led to a number of problems:

1. The screed floor has to be absolutely flat to ensure that the floor drain flows in the right direction. Proten blamed by builders for not laying a flat enough floor, my builders said they weren't told the tolerances until the floor was laid.

2. Fixing the batons onto the wall through the membrane has to be done carefully so that they are securely fixed on and also completely even, so that the plaster board is flush will all the batons. Proten rushed the batonning, with some sticking out more than others and also missing some batons near the corners. Presumably they were sloppy as they didn't have to worry about then fixing the plasterboards and had to be called back twice to do it properly.

3. Nearly all the membrane installers use sub contractors, so even if you take a reference on them, you are at mercy of the team that arrives. I'd say I had a good team leader but some of the workers were pretty slap dash.

However the result has been excellent - the basement was previously very damp up to 5' (wet to touch) as my neighbours had both used concrete tanking on their sides of the walls. It is now completely dry, with no smell what so ever. The CO was very pleased as viewed this system as much less disruptive than cement tanking.

So I'd definitely recommend it, but make sure the membrane installers are responsible for the dry lining.

 

[Penners]

being damp is often one of the ways you can tell it's a cellar

That and the fact that it's...er...underground?

 

[chapel]

thanks all. Good to hear from someone who has had this done with good results.

The cellar has been used as a lounge since the mid 1980's - its not a dingy dark space as it has a decent sized double window and the room itself is about 6m x 5m. We moved in a couple of years ago and its just been used as a store room since then. However, with a growing family, more living space will be useful so we want to return it to a lounge.

As i say its borderline damp and it may well me ok as it is, but i dont want to decorate and put new carpets down etc and then have to replace/renew in a year. Membrane seems to be the way to go - its reversible, allows walls to breathe, and it works

Paul

 

[Feltwell]

being damp is often one of the ways you can tell it's a cellar

That and the fact that it's...er...underground?

:lol: Penners, that kind of insight really is priceless to a forum like this. Keep up the good work!

 

[Matt Green]

its reversible, allows walls to breathe, and it works

Reversible apart from the drilled holes in the walls at 20-25cm centres. Not a problem in some walls maybe, depending on your CO, but in cut stone you'd notice. The walls breathe as long as the membrane doesn't silt up; if it does, there's a problem. If the wall surface is friable the surface will become damaged. It works but there are no long term studies. I am a firm believer that it there is a way to check the levels of silting after 5/10/15 years then it should be incorporated where possible.

Matt

 

[Moo]

I'm inclined to agree with Gareth on this one. "Borderline damp" is what our cellar would no doubt be like if we didn't keep it ventilated (by leaving the door down to it permanently open except when small children are visiting).
I'd be inclined to take the cheap and easy route of removing any nasties like cement and getting the ventilation properly sorted, and then living with it through the summer. I'm willing to bet that it would end up perfectly habitable - with the added bonus that your bank balance would be much healthier than it might have been.




ps I'm assuming that you have a radiator down there for the winter months.

 

[Penners]

being damp is often one of the ways you can tell it's a cellar

That and the fact that it's...er...underground?

:lol: Penners, that kind of insight really is priceless to a forum like this. Keep up the good work!

And these pearls of wisdom are completely free, Feltwell. Where else would you get that?

 

[chuckey]

A friend of mine had a house with a closing order on the basement sitting room. He excavated the earth from the side of the house - about 8' deep. This exposed that the wall was "water proofed" with slates mortared on and overlapping. This huge hole he then filled with large pebbles. Totally cured the damp.
Frank

 

[stephenh]

Chapel - I think the word you are looking for is "tanking"

If you google this and further look for firms such as
Sovereign
Peter Cox
Newton

You will find that they have local building contractors who are registered with them as official applicators - they will give you guarantees which are backed by the main firm.

I have used all of the above in the past, no connection etc. and quite satisfied with the results.
All membranes break down after time but the above lot should give you 50 odd years.........

Good luck.