Help! Floor fitters have put DPM down. It won't dry!!

[HamCob]

We are having Karndean put down in our hallway.
It's been a nightmare from the start. We took up old carpet and found an original quarry tiled floor. Most were broken so the fitters advised that we take it up and they would put down a damp proof membrane before screeding.
Underneath the tiles in some places was crumbling concrete so this had to be patched.

About 2 weeks ago they came to put the Damp proof membrane down - a whole tin supposed to cover 30sqm was used to cover 8m2
Its basically an epoxy resin - a black tar like substance. It was supposed to be dry in 5-6 hours but 2 weeks later patches of it are still wet! We've had lay planks across the dry bits but have young kids so this stuff is everywhere and has ruined paintwork and damaged carpets.

The fitters have just said it can take a while sometimes, call us when it's dry, We'll I don't think it will ever dry!!

Does anyone have any experience of this - did the floor dry or what are my options if it won't. I'm worried I'll end up with the floor being dug out.
Obviously I'll be calling the fitters back to sort it but I'm not sure I trust them now!

I’m wondering if they’ve poured too much and that’s why it’s not drying.
30sqm tin for an 8sqm area will be ‘deep’.

Assuming the pour is both a DPM and a leveller.

Are you allowed to heat the hall to speed the drying?

Are they approved Karndean fitters? I too am wondering if the damp proofing screed cannot cure because it's too thick. I thought the damp proofing got rollered on all over then levelling screed went down afterwards, with the lvt laid in top of that. Have you paid them any money?

Two weeks is insane -
Call them again and tell them to sort the problem out as it doesn't take two weeks plus to dry

I had cowboys fit my Karndean who were supposed to be approved fitters. Not only did the screw up the screed so it was uneven, they blocked my drains with resin and a brand new sink had to be replumbed.

I should have complained but didn't get around to it. Naturally the Karndean destroyed within 5 years due to bad fitting.

I would put my foot down now if I were you.

are you sure it is epoxy resin?

how was it mixed?

We had DPM put down before screed - it definitely didn't take anywhere near that long to dry (sorry).

I worked for a waterproofing company for a few years and had epoxy in our range.
The coatings come as Base and Hardener ( if solvent based epoxy ) , you mix them with a drill mix for a set amount of time and apply it with a brush or roller. Needs to be applied quickly as the chemical reaction is in progress after mixing / the tin becomes hot if mixed correctly.

The reasons why it doesn't set can be :

• Forgot to add the hardener ( happens often as people forget to use second tin )
• not mixed properly, just mixed by hand and the chemicals don't react
• applied way too thick

If it didn't set, it needs to be scraped up and cleaned with a solvent as per manufacturer instruction and then reapplied correctly ... It is an expensive product, I would be upset if I was their boss There are other kind of epoxies as well such as waterbased, those are the cheap and cheerful options, I do not know much about them.

Sounds as though they've cocked up on the damp proofing then. I suspect you have someone who doesn't know what they are doing working on the job.

@NewHouseNewMe

I had cowboys fit my Karndean who were supposed to be approved fitters. Not only did the screw up the screed so it was uneven, they blocked my drains with resin and a brand new sink had to be replumbed.

I should have complained but didn't get around to it. Naturally the Karndean destroyed within 5 years due to bad fitting.

I would put my foot down now if I were you.

I had similar and did complain- Karndean didn't give a shit. Ended up ripping it up and binning it. An expensive nightmare experience.

Funny enough we are fitting Amtico, and it’s a bloody pain in the arse too. I wish we’d gone for a different flooring. It seems like it’s only suitable for a newer build house with perfect underfloors despite the self levelling compound.

We had to completely bust out one floor, and have it refloored as it was too damp for the stupid flooring. The whole thing has put our timings on our renovation out massively.

We've had polyflor laid in an older house in a room where there was part solid floor and part floorboards. A good fitter makes all the difference.

Thanks all. Yes they are approved fitters and told me how important it was that the prep was right or the Karndean would lift so I didn't expect such a cock up!
Anyway we have spoken to them today and they have agreed that it should be dry by now and are going to contact the manufacturer on Monday to ask advice.

In answer to some if the questions, it's definitely epoxy resin (they've left the tin outside!) It's a one coat product.
It does appear that they have used both tins, however they ran out halfway through and had to go and get more. We are wondering if the second tin wasn't mixed correctly as those areas are the stickiest.
I was at work whilst it was applied but my husband seems to think the fitter used a trowel type tool not a roller?!

It does sound likely though that it has been applied incorrectly. Just hoping they come up with a solution. I need my hall back!

We have had Kardean flooring in our very much less than perfectly floored house for the past 25 years.

It's been amazing and has seen us through raising our two now late teen DC and numerous pets. Now we are replacing it as it had started to show wear and has faded in places. In my view it has lasted brilliantly and doesn't owe anybody anything.

We had new Amtico oak plank flooring put down in our dining hall, around the gallery landing and down the staircase last week. The fitters were amazing - removing the old flooring, prepping the floor, laying a fast drying latex screed, smoothing and prepping again after the screed had dried, then obsessing over the sight lines and matching the grain of the planks as the flooring went down.

It's not the LVL flooring that is the problem - it is poor fitting. You need to go with someone who does a lot of LVL, has had the proper training, has a real eye for detail and cares about how it looks when it's all done.

It is fab stuff to live with, warm underfoot, so easy to keep clean and has stayed looking like new for over 2 decades in our case.

I can only sympathise and hope you get it sorted, OP, but I don't agree with a pp that Amtico is only suitable for newer houses.

It's been perfect for years in my Victorian house, in the kitchen, bathroom and hall.

Neighbours have Karndean equally successfully.

Our fitters are from a very reputable local firm and are very experienced in all aspects of laying LVT.