Efflorescence

Moisture Coming Up Through Concrete Floor and Fixing Concrete Floor

Concrete floor are the most widely used residential floors that are amazing to be built within homes. The concrete is such a material that is specially designed for buildings and construction purposes. It is basically a mixture of sand, very small sized stones, cement, and an appropriate amount of water.

The floors in the homes are usually made up of this concrete material which is more durable and long lasting. However, there are chances that this concrete floor may start getting moisture and thus start damaging.

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How does moisture come up through concrete floor?

You must be thinking now about how does the moisture come up through concrete floor while it’s a durable floor. Although it is firm and durable, but still the moisture can make its way through it. There could be different reasons behind the moisture coming up through it.

On top of them is that the rain water, underground water, and drainage leakage may become the reason of it. There are a number of internal as well as external sources of moisture coming up through the concrete floor. They have been discussed in the next sections

Interior Sources of moisture in concrete floor

If we talk about the internal sources, moisture may come up through concrete floors in a number of ways. For example, the moisture may come through our own activities such as excessive use of humidifiers.

It could also come up if there is any leakage in the sanitary or drainage system. Similarly, showering, cooking, and unvented cloth drying might be the other reasons behind this. Whatever could be the reason, we must pay special consideration towards it.

Exterior Sources of moisture in concrete floor

Besides internal sources, the moisture may come up through external sources. For example, the rain water or underground water may come up through concrete floors. Sometimes, the removal of trees or slabs near a house also let the moisture to come in.

When you purposely cut-off the nearby trees, they ultimately stop sucking the water from the ground. The level of moisture in the ground will start increasing and it would ultimately come up through the concrete floor.

Steps to make your concrete floor moisture free

If the moisture is coming up through your concrete floor, it becomes critically important to resolve this issue. Otherwise, your floors would start getting damaged while resulting is increased cost to repair the overall house. Carefully follow the below steps to make your floor moisture-free at the right time.

  • First of all, remove all the unnecessary moisture sources from your house, especially from your basement. These may include your extra humidifiers, children water playing toys, unvented clothes dryers, and related things.

 

  • Avoid to ventilate in your home, especially with the warm humid air. This must be especially taken care off for basements.

 

  • Make sure there is no leakage of water under the floor i.e. from the sanitary pipes.

 

  • In case, you doubt that a drainage or sanitary pipe is leaking, make sure to hire a service to repair it. You can also do it by learning about how to repair a drainage pipe.

Once you are done with the above steps, there are two approaches to make a floor moisture free. You must choose one of them and either you will do it or hire a service for it.

  • The first approach is about installing a new damp proof membrane. In order to do this, you are first required to dig up your previous/old concrete floor. Once you are done, apply a damp proof membrane carefully. After that, lay up the edges completely before you replace the slab.

 

  • The second approach is about completely isolating the moisture in the floor. You can use a Surface Damp Proof Membrane (DPM) for it. However, it is recommended to hire a service for it as they are professionals and can do it perfectly.

Most recommended approaches

There are still more recommended approaches to make your floor moisture free. They are as follows as:

  • Once you have removed any internal sources that were creating moisture, pay attention towards the gutters and surface grading.

 

  • Evaluate all of your drainage systems inside and outside your home. If you see any leakage or any issue with them, must take some steps to resolve them first.

 

  • Analyze and correct your downspout system. Most of the times, it becomes the reason for the moisture coming up through concrete floor.

What should I do If the moisture still come up through floor?

If you have done all the measures to make your floor moisture free but the issue is still there, don’t hesitate to hire a service. A professional always knows where is the issue and how to resolve it. Hiring a specialized service is always recommended if all the home measures failed to resolve such issues.

They would charge a little fee for their service but it would worth taking the service. This is because by just spending a little money, your floors would become moisture free. In this way, your home would become more durable due to durable and firm floors without any issues.

Important things to remember

There are some important things that you must know in order to avoid making mistakes. They are as follows:

  • Some people think that the use of dehumidifiers would work great in removing moisture from concrete floor. However, the reality is different from it because they may do it for just a shorter period. As soon as you turn them off, the moisture would again start coming up through the floor.

 

  • Most of the people make a mistake in applying the process. They start implementing the techniques to make the floor insulated without making it dry first. If you are insulating your floor, make sure to make it dry first. If you are using any procedures, make sure to prepare your floor for the procedure.

 

  • Without resolving the issues in the drainage system, you could never resolve the moisture issue in the concrete floor. Therefore, must resolve the drainage issues frst and then move forward.

Manufacturers of quality epoxy and urethane systems offer a variety of long-lasting moisture control flooring solutions to meet the aesthetic and performance expectations of nearly every facility.

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