Subterranean brick and lime floor under the stairs

[1880sTerrace]

I have an 1889 terrace cottage which I moved into two years ago. Always thought there was a borderline damp smell under the stairs which is partly same level as ground floor rooms but has a deeper area of approx 2m x 1m wide covered over with a floating laminate floor.

I have had a peek under half of this area by removing the laminate floor boards and hey presto, there is an old brick floor. :shock:

I dont have any damp problems, just a salt stain on one wall (adjoining wall of the living room), absolutely no black mould anywhere, nor does the house smell damp.

Because of another very small area at the front of the house where the gas enters the house and where meter is inside a cupboard under the tv I had a damp survey done - and since reading the post on Damp I have disowned it!

My dilemma is, what should I do with these floors? uncovering them may cause an odour, but I understand that they need to breath and covering them causes condensation thereby causing them to be damp.

Should I take them up, re-set them in new lime mortar? What about a membrane?

Please help..

 

[noj]

If it was mine, I'd remove the laminate to let the brick breathe and then do nothing further for at least a few months. Without the sweating under the laminate there should be even less chance of odour. No need to pre-fix a problem you may not have...

I had a running wet brick floor in my utility room (covered with vinyl flooring, with a drain issue and high outside ground level) - removing the vinyl and sorting the outside bits it's now completely dry and odour free. But it did take nearly 18 months to fully dry!

 

[plasticpigeon]

I would clean it and leave it. I bet it will be fine!

 

[Flyfisher]

That's what we did and it has been fine for 7+ years since.

Similar situation, a brick/chalk/lime floor under a flight of stairs (presumably laid directly on earth) with a door to the kitchen. Quite a musty smell when the door was opened and even worse when we cleared out the space of ancient clutter, newspapers etc, right down to the floor (though fortunately no other floor covering to remove) but within a few days of leaving the door open the residual musty smell had gone, presumably as the residual damp evaporated.

I would add that the door is not a particularly good fit so there is ample ventilation of the floor, which might be something to consider.

 

[MatthewC]

Good advice above. Give it time to breathe.

I think that

Should I take them up, re-set them in new lime mortar?

makes that job sound a lot more straightforward than it is. Whilst I would always recommend a limecrete floor where appropriate (been there, done that), it really is a dirty and dusty job which would mess up your house and interrupt your living routine for weeks, so it's best done before you move in.

What about a membrane?

No! :shock:

 

[1880sTerrace]

Hi
Thank you all for your replies.
Tonight I removed the other larger piece of laminate flooring and it is completely dry underneath so really happy
I have swept and cleaned a couple of bricks with a toothbrush (and dried it) - it is lovely (just old sandy/grey bricks I know - but beautiful!). Now I'm wondering if rows of terraces could have been built on brick beds? like a raft? - the land would have been fen land once.

There is no odor either!

There are very few gaps where the grout is missing, so a very small job, most of the bricks are very tightly together too. I would like to try and clean it gently with a wire brush to remove plaster splashes, and maybe oil or wax the individual bricks to make it a feature. I will keep it clear, at the most store the odd bottle of wine down there.

Would love to post a photo



Decided to look into getting my brickwork re pointed, so getting quotes using lime mortar.

Sandra

 

[MikeG]

........What about a membrane?.....

Membranes are fine in the right circumstances. Partial membranes are never fine. If you can't have a continuous membrane under the entire building, lapped with a proper modern (mechanical)* damp course, then don't have any at all. All you would do with a partial membrane is push moisture to its edges, moving your problem elsewhere.

* By this I mean a physical piece of something, not an injected chemical bit of nonsense.