Help & Advice needed please. Have and old 60's house, it did have old vinyl tiles stuck down with bitumen as a dpm but these have been removed. I now need to apply a liquid DPM which will go over bitumen residue without any issues. So it's been recommended that I apply Ardex Arditex NA, followed by Ardex dpm 1c then apply a final coat of NA. This is not the cheapest product I've seen but I have no experience with liquid DPM's. Are there any other alternative (tried & tested) products out there that would do the job as good as the above Ardex or in combination with the NA, that may work out less costly but just as effective? Thank you in advance
Ardex products are well recommended for sure but if trying to save the pennies then; Blackjack Liquid DPM (from T.St) SF don't sell it Then you need couple coats of diluted SBR to aid adhesion between DPM and leveller Look at Mapei Ultraplan from SF, currently on offer as well and 25kg bags compared to Ardex 20kg, so a good saving What’s finished floor level gonna be ?
Who removed the "vinyl" because pound to a penny they were Marleys and likely contained asbestos. The bitumen they were laid on was used not as a dpm but as an adhesive generally. If you do need a liquid dpm now. Wickes Liquid DPM is cheap and works very well. 2 or 3 coats with a roller. Whats going on top as a finish?
Thank you for your reply. I have plenty of room to play with up to 30mm if needed...the floor with then be mainly carpeted and lino or laminate in kitchen area. I would still need to seal over the bitumen...so NA first?
the floor with then be mainly carpeted and lino or laminate in kitchen area I didn't take up the tiles the previous owner did :-/
It was a bitumen adhesive but I was told that this formed part of the dpm along with the tiles....is this not correct?
Would think no to sealing first as the bitumen tile adhesive is ‘similar’ to the Blackjack Liquid DPM I am guessing a bit here tbh as I’m diy, but have used products I’ve recommended on a few floors prior to tiling and all good Whatever DPM you go for, give company tech advice line a call and check with them perhaps But defiantly SBR over the DPM prior to pouring the self leveller. This gives a great bond between the materials Price up suggested materials and makes your choice
Do you have any signs of damp where the old tiles were took up? Do you have any floor height discrepancies you need to correct? If both answers are no then I personally would just crack on with laying the finished floors. If either answer is yes then I would give it a couple of coats of Wickes Liquid DPM. Then a Setcrete Primer, then a suitable Setcrete levelling compound to bring it up to required height. As KIAB says bitumen can be used as adhesive and a damproofer. Is it restricted to just where the flooring was or does it continue under where the old skirtings and door thresholds were.
The whole ground floor had tiles at one point up to the walls. Under the block walls there is dpc and this was under interal timber walls too. There were a couple short lenghs of wood in contact with the floor that were once part of a cupboard and they had a 'tar like' substance painted underneath. Looks to me like all walls were erected first then they tiled. There is no sign of damp, however I had to drill into the floor in a couple places and about 4 inches down the bit started to struggle (just slightly) which to me indicated moisture. Apart from a couple very small patches and a few slight raised adhesive strokes the floor is pretty much level The floor will eventually be mainly carpeted with vinyl or laminate in the kitchen. I need to get it right first time as I don't want (and can't afford if I'm honest) to do it all again if it all goes wrong. Thanks for all your advice
If all floor heights are level then that is going to save you a lot of money and hassle straight off the bat. If its a concern about the dpm then just apply a coat or two of that Wickes one. In all honesty if it was mine I wouldnt bother. But if it gives you peace of mind then crack on. If you are umming and aahing between laminate and vinyl I would steer you down the vinyl route and specifically towards Livyn. I do very little laminate these days. 80% of floors for me are Livyn. Quick to lay, looks super, lasts well, waterproof, good value and is a good "troubleshooting" solution
Thank you so much for the info. The quick step livyn flooring looks amazing and it can be glued with a waterproof glue! Maybe I could just that instead of all the other messy stuff as that would need vinyl or carpet on anyway...this way I could just glue it down, hopefully it would hold back any damp and not have to worry extra flooring. it looks expensive but in the long run I think it would save money, time and my knees. Wonderful looking product, thank you
No need to glue. Its a click vinyl. As in it lays the same way as a laminate. Super super product. Woodgrains look best in my opinion You will need to use the correct Livyn underlay with it for it to work correctly.