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Damp floorboards in parents house??

12 replies

itsraining2024 · 28/09/2025 23:03

Any advice what do I do and where do I start? Basically who do I call to fix it. We got the floorboards redone 3 years ago and now they’re soaking wet. I’ve attached photos.

Damp floorboards in parents house??
Damp floorboards in parents house??
OP posts:
AnOldCynic · 28/09/2025 23:46

I’m assuming ground floor? Is that corner an external wall or either or both sides? If it is what’s on the outside and is the ground level 150mm lower than the internal level?

MarxistMags · 29/09/2025 00:06

Wow that is bad ! No advice I'm afraid but hope it's sorted soon.

Autumn1990 · 29/09/2025 00:33

A joiner to replace the floor boards but you need to find out why they are getting so wet.
Are there any pipes or drains that are leaking? Is the house on a hillside and water is flowing through underneath?
Are gutters leaking wetting the wall bottom?

Is the soil level too high out side ?

The underlay and carpet is going to trap any moisture. The joist looks pretty rotten.
How old is the house and what type of construction is it.?
Damp specialists are generally to be avoided. A structural engineer might be the answer as the wooden floors may need replacing with concrete with the appropriate DPC.

PigletJohn · 29/09/2025 00:50

You're showing us two corners. Are they adjacent, on both sides of the same internal wall?

The wet patch seems very localised. Is the radiator leaking?

I would expect to see a void under the joists but it looks like earth is just under the floor. Is that right? How old is the house?

PigletJohn · 29/09/2025 00:51

P.s.

Do not allow anybody who sells silicone injections anywhere near your house.

PigletJohn · 29/09/2025 00:53

P.p.s.

The pictures suggest to me that a previous person had a go at patching up the rotten floor without identifying and rectifying the source of water.

itsraining2024 · 29/09/2025 03:44

Yes it’s an internal wall of 2 rooms joined together (by a single wall) in the middle. The wall at the top of the photos is connected to a neighbours wall.

im not sure when the house was built but I’ve had a look online and it says between 1900-1910.

yes one of the rooms floor was redone 3 years ago. But I don’t think the root cause of the water was seen or it wasn’t this bad.

OP posts:
itsraining2024 · 29/09/2025 03:51

So do I call a structural engineer or a contractor? Sorry never dealt with this before and parents are worried.

OP posts:
DavidPeckham · 29/09/2025 06:52

Are the joists wet as well? Can’t imagine the floorboards have got that soaked and the joists haven’t been affected too. If not an escape of water from the plumbing then you’ve got a damp issue somewhere I’d suggest. Won’t be a structural engineer. I’d suggest it’s either a general builder or a damp specialist, but as per the above be wary of generic damp companies selling you damp treatment. Go for an independent.

DavidPeckham · 29/09/2025 06:57

Just to add. That joist in photo 2 looks completely rotten so I think youll be looking at replacement. Not a difficult job but the floor will need pulling up either fully or partially to take out the rotten pieces. If it is laid directly onto the soil then this will be why it’s all happened. Water has tracked up through the joist and everything has gone rotten. Your joists should be supported into the brickwork / on piers (dwarf walls).

PigletJohn · 29/09/2025 10:49

It's a small building job. First thing is to identify the source of water. It might be a leaking pipe or drain. It looks to me worse and more local than damp caused by blocked airbricks.

Having cured the damp, the subfloor void needs to be ventilated to dry out. This needs airflow, not heat.

Quite likely you will then need to dig out the earth and lay some concrete pads so the new joists can be supported on bricks, with a piece of DPC under the joists.

All that is easy for a competent builder, and not a big job. But you need an established and experienced reputable person. Try to get personal recommendations. For some reason parish magazines are often good sources of reputable local tradesmen. Even an old chap who has retired from heavy work could do it.

Curing the damp is the most important thing. Do not believe anyone who tells you it can be done with magic beans, or silicone fluid, or ceramic sticks, or special plaster, or by covering it up so you can't see it. Damp is water and it does not spontaneously occur. It always comes from somewhere.

Some people will tell you to cure damp by pouring concrete over the wet earth. This usually covers up, but does not repair, the source of water, so it later appears in the walls and other rooms, and is a hundred time harder to rectify since the concrete has to be dug out to get to it.

TMMC1 · 30/09/2025 15:47

There is a leak somewhere. A pipe, a radiator, a gutter….
you need to find that first then let it all dry out for a few months before replacing the floorboards.

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