What flooring for a damp property

[velvetsy]

I live in a ground floor flat and need to put down new flooring. I'm on a tight budget.

The property Victorian, has concrete floors, is prone to dampness and has high humidity levels (average 50-60%, sometimes even higher). I use a dehumidifier and ventilate to keep condensation and mould at bay. Seems to be a typical problem for houses along the road and on investigation I found out that there is an underground river under the road.

Anyway, back to the flooring...I would love wooden flooring but a) can't afford it and b) I guess it wouldn't stand the humidity. Was thinking of carpet but I only like really light colours and it doesn't seem practical with kids and cats.

What other options are there? Would laminate survive fluctuating humidity? What's Karndean like? Any other suggestions I could look into?

Gosh, that really sounds very damp. If it's something that can't be fixed then I can recommend karndean- we have it in our kitchen (floor also pone to damp in some areas) in parquet- it has fooled everyone we know thinking its real wood. It's pretty indestructible with two dogs.

Can the floor be tanked and a pump installed to reduce the damp levels?

Concrete floors in a Victorian home might have been put in to replace defective wooden floors. Can you see old airbricks?

Is it owned or rented?

It's owned.

I don't know anything about tanking! There are some old air bricks, they're up high

Tape a piece of clear plastic tightly to the concrete floor. After a few days observe if water has collected under the plastic. If it has, water or water vapour is coming up through the concrete.

If you put a dpm on top of the concrete, it will protect your new flooring from damp, but it may rise (further) up the walls.

Tanking is the process of applying a waterproof layer, usually on cellar walls. It does not make the water go away, cellars in particular need to have a drainage system on the wet side of the barrier, and may need to be pumped out.

As you own the flat, it is worth spending money on it, but there are lots of crooks in the damp-proofing trade. Avoid anyone who suggests injecting chemicals into the walls.

Look at the base of the walls very carefully. There might be a slate layer in the mortar course about 6-9 inches above where ground level used to be when the house was built.

Ok, I'm going to try the plastic test. I don't want to push damp into the walls though :(

Problem is I need new flooring ASAP and I definitely can't afford damp work plus flooring right now.

Is the humidity too high for laminate?