Parquet floor and moisture level

[MatthewC]

concrete is NOT impermeable which is the whole reason for the OP. Concrete if fully dried will come into equilibrium with its surroundings by absorbing or emitting water vapour. Air, concrete and wood have different water holding capacities for any fixed temperature and pressure in a closed system (like a well insulated house)

Toby

I'd like some clarification on this statement please, as at first glance it turns my world upside down. On this forum we often regard concrete and all other cement products as impermeable but I presume you are really saying that there are grades of impermeability? Limestone and lime putty products are (in my simplistic view) many times more permeable than cement products, and this is what allows an old house to breathe, whereas cement/gypsum trap the moisture in because of their (relative) impermeability. My own house, before and after restoration, is a good illustration of these principles and if I've misunderstood I'd like to know how it does work!

Also on this sort of subject, I'm unclear about the permeability of NHL and anything which uses hydrated lime. I suspect that these fit in the scale between lime putty mortar at one end and concrete at the other.

You seem to know a lot more than the rest of us about the science of this so could you please give us some more explanation of these principles?

Thanks

Matthew

 

[stuart45]

It depends on how strong the mix that determines how much moisture will pass through it. If concrete was totally impervious you wouldn't need a DPM under the slab in new builds. For mortar a mix of 3/1 is considered to be virtually impervious, as the binder (cement) fills all the voids in the sand.
However, a strong cement mix tends to crack more as it shrinks, so there will still be a passage for moisture. Lime mortar has more of a honeycomb structure so air and moisture can pass through easier.
There are some cements, such as cement fondue used in drain repairs, that expand and are more waterproof.

 

[stuart45]

I still don't know what I said to attract Toby's wrath. I've never been attacked like that on a web forum before.
I'd better avoid giving answers from my experience, in case I get it wrong again or end up hijacking a thread. It's a pity, because I've enjoyed the friendly off-topic banter in here for the past three years.

I wouldn't stop giving your opinions on a forum because of someone having different ones to yours. I get it all the time on a DIY forum. Remember that what you say is only correct to another person if that agree with what you say. At the end of the day it's only words on a computer screen.

 

[Penners]

I still don't know what I said to attract Toby's wrath.

Keith, you mustn't be over-sensitive about this slight altercation - and I emphasise the word "slight". It's nothing more than a difference of opinion over what constitutes on and/or off topic.

Toby is a rare visitor on this forum. Most of the rest of us tend to allow threads to wander about all over the place, sometimes drifting far from their moorings. That makes for a relaxed and friendly chat, rather than a rigid adherence to a narrow topic.

 

[Flyfisher]

Hear hear!

If we drummed people out for a bit of digression then tumbleweed would be all that the new visitor would find when they popped their head around the virtual door, which would benefit no one.

Anyway, this gives me the ideal excuse for my own bit of digression, albeit relevant in it's own way . . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJ5-_qNNibI

 

[Penners]

Good grief! I can remember watching that OGWT!

My flawed memory suggests that it might have been the same edition that had Peter Frampton singing Show Me The Way. Any idea if that's right?

There was SO much good music on that show!

PS: I trust Keith will get the message... :wink:

 

[Flyfisher]

I don't recall an OGWT with both Frampton and Lofgren, which doesn't really mean very much, though this list doesn't suggest it either.
http://hardprog.pagesperso-orange.fr/old_grey_whistle_test_episode_guide_107.htm

But it's an impressive list of music. Happy days.

 

[Keithj]

Well stone me! I'm (nearly) speechless. Thank you.

 

[Keith Bowman]

Well stone me! I'm (nearly) speechless. Thank you.

But what a good thing that 'of the permeability of concrete' is not one of the 39 articles - then you really would be in trouble! :lol:

 

[Flyfisher]

Well stone me! I'm (nearly) speechless. Thank you.

"Speechless" wasn't really the intention. :wink:

 

[Keithj]

I'm already in trouble with the 39, so don't worry too much Number 24 is a challenge to an Essex boy, and I can't find a copy of number 35

 

[Penners]

They just don't write numbers like that any more.

 

[JHD]

The hall floor is finally down!

 

[Penners]

Looks wonderful, JHD! What did you finish it with?

 

[paulb33]

Looks lovely. Are those railway arches original?

 

[Penners]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pejQAaj7MDM

 

[JHD]

I used Osmo. It's given the oak a nice honeycomb colour and brought out it's character.

The "railway arches" are original, but I'm not 100% sure what their original purpose was. I've been told that there were 2 bread ovens. Maybe the bottom arches were for the fuel and the top arches were for the bread? I don't know why the house would have two ovens. It's possible that it was originally 2 cottages, but they wouldn't have been symmetrical.