I just oved into a 60 year old ranch built on a slab. The bedroom walk in closet is an addition with an uneven concrete floor that wicks moisture from outside.
I want to even out the floor AND waterproof before laying vinyl tile.
Will self leveling compound do both or is there an extra step needed?
Suggestions please.
Thanks,
Carlos
Replies
Carlos,
If you use leveler on that moisture wicking concrete you might expect the moisture to push it off (break the bond).
Best bet is to see if you can find the source of the moisture first and deal with that.
A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
Thanks for the quick reply. The addition is built on a continuation of the house slab. No foundation that I can see. The moisture comes from rain and groundwater seeping in.
Carlos,
sounds like they failed to put the polyvapor barrier under it, without that you are likely to continue to wick moisture up.
Does the siding offer any "protection" to the edge or top of the slab? In other words, could you deal with the detail where bottom plate meets the top of the slab, and / or insert some kind of flashing that would go from up behind the siding and down over the edge of the slab?
If the edge of the slab is taking on moisture you might be able to apply a masonry sealer (not Thompsons) to help repel the water.
The only reason I mention taking care of the moisture entry is that I've seen leveling compounds lift in basements where the slab moisture pushes it off.A Great Place for Information, Comraderie, and a Sucker Punch.
Remodeling Contractor just outside the Glass City.
http://www.quittintime.com/
All good suggestions. An examination shows that the last owner piled on the mulch too close to the house. Next spring everything gets pulled away from the foundation and a sealer gets applied.
Inside I plan to put down a waterproofing memberane with thinset and then apply the tile on top.
Thanks for the hlep.
Sounds like it's time to time to think about a new, larger addition. Demo the entire thing and start over...or...close off the closet and add an exterior door to make it an outside storage space.
One other possibility comes to mind; dig a trench around the addition and put in a french drain with a sump and a pump. That's kinda lame (a sump pump dedicated to keeping a closet floor dry, ha-ha) but it'll work.
Edit: Depending on soil conditions and relative elevations, there's a possibility that a carefully installed french drain might work without the sump and pump. Worth a try.
Edited 12/4/2007 11:35 am by Hudson Valley Carpenter