As the famous Ranevskaya liked to repeat, “the weaker sex are rotten boards.” Yes, the situation is actually one of the worst pleasant - the wooden floor has served you faithfully for decades, and at some point they begin to resemble ship planks: in some places they wobble, in others they bend, and in others they even break through... Going through the floor is as easy as shelling pears. But, even if you buy expensive and water-resistant wood, install more solid waterproofing and even hang a hygrometer, this will not save you from repeating the same situation in a few years if you make the same mistakes again during the arrangement. Therefore, let's learn how to solve such problems even before such labor-intensive repairs begin.

First, look at what happens if you don’t do everything wisely in time:

Let’s make a “diagnosis”: why did the floor turn to dust?

But let’s first learn how to “diagnose” rotten floors. So:

1. The boards have turned to dust, but you don’t feel any obvious moisture? And does the wood look clean? This is not a rotten floor, but a floor that has been eaten by bark beetles. How to deal with them is in another section of our site.
2. The boards are rotten, no moisture is felt, but there is some kind of plaque and something like white foam on the boards themselves? This is a fungus that does not always appear due to dampness; rather, it is introduced with already diseased boards.
3. Do the boards turn to dust and even turn black in places? This is a sure sign that your floor is rotting, and it is rotting because of water. And water can get to it in a variety of ways, and this is not necessarily just groundwater from the basement. Everything here is much more complicated, and now we will gradually figure it all out.
4. Are the boards rotten and the insulation soaked in water? Well, if moisture comes from the house (for example, the walls are to blame), then this will be noticeable first of all by the wet insulation. In this case, you need to work with the house - at least for the first time by installing a modern dehumidifier.

Have you determined what happened to the boards? Go ahead.

All about the rotting process of wooden floors

The source of rot for any wooden floor is water. Constant access of moisture and air to this material has a detrimental effect on it, especially frequent wet-dry cycles.

To determine the exact cause of rotting floors in the house, you should note the following factors:

1. History of construction. What and from what, whether the blocks were dry, for example, how the foundation was waterproofed and what the roof was covered with.
2. Weather. How often does it rain, and is there slush?
3. Age of the house.
4. How is air exchange organized? Eg, In order for the vents to work correctly, the diameter of each of them must be at least 25 cm.
5. Were all standards observed when installing the floors?

The first signs of the beginning of floor rot are the swelling of the boards and “playing”. Already at this stage, the floors can be saved - without completely re-laying.

The most common sources of moisture in the underground are rising damp currents from the ground (especially if groundwater is located high) and too humid air from street ventilation. How to understand what exactly you have? Do this simple test:

1. Close all vents well.
2. Open a hatch in the underground or create a small hole near the wall to establish air communication between the room and the underground space.
3. Place heaters in the underground so that the air temperature there becomes the same as in the room. Those. align it.

Now check whether the air in the underground remains as humid - if so, then the source is moisture from the soil. You can isolate it modern materials, laying them on the ground and covering the foundation from moisture. We also note that many of the types of oils that are coated with floorboards before installation also contribute to wood rotting.

The most common causes and solution to the problem

Let's look at the most common options that cause the floor to rot:

Option #1. The products don't do their job

There are too few vents in the house, up to 6, and they are located low to the ground. This makes airflow almost impossible and the environment becomes too humid over time. The joists and floors are rotting.

What to do: instead of insulation in the floor pie, lay a moisture-proof membrane that will control the movement of water. Next, organize a ventilation gap using counter slats across the beams. There should be a gap and ventilation slots on the ventilated baseboard. This will dry out any possible moisture. And, if the vents are not working enough, there should be some other ventilation under the floor. Usually this is a metal corner in the floor with holes - that's enough.

Option #2. The ground is too close

The wooden floor is laid on logs, and underneath there is earth, at a distance of up to 20 cm. Such a floor will deteriorate very quickly. And it’s precisely these kind of designs that would-be builders often make in private homes – quickly and angrily, as they say. Sometimes, however, instead of earth you can find wet clay there, and the result is the same.

What to do: definitely redo the floor: waterproof it into a pie, raise the floor itself higher to regulate moisture, and protect it well from dampness. Another option is to put geofabric on this soil, and sand with good compaction on it. It will not conduct water upward, even if there were no geofabric (this is prevention) - just like the sand on the seashore is dry, but if you dig deeper, it is wet.

Here is an example of the joists being close to the ground, and they were raised during the process of replacing the floor:

Option #3. Hopelessly damp basement

It will be difficult to remove moisture from it, and it will still (even with good ventilation) reach the floor boards. High groundwater is especially dangerous for floors.

What to do: in this case, it is better to abandon it completely, foam the air and completely fill it with clean river sand. Water each layer generously and compact it well. Place on top of the sand cushion plastic film and insulation, then - plywood, and on top of that - the floor itself. And, most importantly, remove the water as much as possible from the house itself - using external drainage. Usually even pipes around the house are enough, but sometimes people build small storage tanks nearby groundwater- deep holes. It’s not even difficult to pump water out of there.

Option number 4. Vapor barrier installed incorrectly

It often happens that a certain material is laid the way the floor was designed, and then the boards suddenly rot. This happens because the person laying the floor did not study the instructions for the vapor barrier itself - different manufacturers There are very different requirements for its installation. Thus, materials of one brand should fit tightly to the insulation, while others should have a ventilation gap between them.

What to do: when changing gender, you can use the same one insulating material, but this time, study all the information about it well. You can take a closer look at everything in this same section of our website. And keep in mind that a vapor barrier can be done on the underside of the floor pie when the underground itself does not differ in temperature from the room. But if it is cold, then only the soil itself can be waterproofed, and good ventilation will need to be provided above.

In this photo instruction, the rotten floor in the bathhouse was due to incorrect application of the membrane, and now it has been completely replaced:

Option #5. Always wet insulation

The insulation gets wet, which is why the joists and floor boards in contact with it begin to rot.

What to do: remove the vapor barrier from the bottom of the insulation and attach a membrane in its place. If this does not help, remove this insulation altogether, and instead insulate the base and blind area, completely plugging all vents. There will be no more heat loss, and the problem will be completely solved. And the very first thing to do is determine where the floorboards began to pick up moisture. So, it can come from underground, or from the house itself.

Look at the example of how a rotten floor was replaced and its pie was correctly arranged:

Option number 6. There is a real swamp under the house

For example, today they are actively selling plots with a former swamp for private development. And problems with the floor – already in the first few years. No matter what you cover the floor with, moisture still gets to the boards, and they rot over time. There is only one way out: good vapor barrier from below.

What to do: arrange a special drainage with a separate pump under the floor, and another one - external, without a pump, just with water drainage. The problem will be solved.

A hole for targeted drainage of water in the base of the foundation can be made as follows: either using a reinforced concrete screed with a slope, or simply laying roofing material with an overlap along the edges. In addition, if your underground is damp, under no circumstances should you put laminate or linoleum on a wooden floor. They simply will not allow moisture to pass through, and the floors will begin to rot. When laying a new floor instead of a rotten old one, be sure to treat the boards with an antiseptic at least twice.

Here's how to protect such a floor - this one also rotted from the swamp under the house:

Option #7. The floors were insulated too hard

Yes, all the warmth remains in the house, but under the floor will now freeze so much in cold weather that it will thaw all summer - and until the fall. Result: a huge amount of moisture.

What to do: review the insulation design and simplify it a little.

Option No. 8. Excessively humid air inside the house

Let's explain in more detail. If ventilation, namely the exchange of the walls of the house with external environment is arranged incorrectly, then in warm time this has not yet been felt for a year. But at the very first fire, internal vaporization increases significantly (moisture is released from the walls and ceiling), warm air goes up, as we know from physics, cold goes down. And condensation forms on the floorboards, and precisely in the coldest place - on the insulation. Pay attention: do your walls get wet where external moisture could not get in? And for accuracy, buy a regular hygrometer and measure the humidity of the air inside the house in winter.

Another clear sign that the air in the house is currently very humid is frost on the walls during the first kindling.

What to do: if the phenomenon is temporary, then open two windows in the house, close the vents, and in this way expel the humid air to the street.

Option number 9. From old age

It happens that the floors rot even in a very old house. This is the property of wood.

What to do: just replace it. Just be careful when using the jack - if the house is made of wood. And carefully examine the logs - if possible, they should also be replaced.

This is what literate looks like complete replacement wooden floor due to rotting due to old age:

Option No. 10. No ventilation gap between the floor and the wall

Those. the floors are made close to the walls, which in itself is a violation of all technologies. This design is especially vulnerable in wooden house– the lower crowns will begin to rot first, and then the floor itself. The log house itself will not last long without intervention either.

What to do: completely change the floor plan and throw away the rotten boards (not all of them could have gone bad). It is advisable to replace everything with a good concrete floor, especially if we are talking about a bathhouse. So, for a Russian steam room, use the following floor pie:

1. Sand pillow.
2. Crushed stone.
3. The screed is 3 cm thick.
4. Waterproofing film.
5. EPPS.
6. The same film.
7. Reinforced screed 10 cm thick.

Why film? It is needed both below and above, because There will be a washing room or steam room above the floor, and these are especially wet rooms. Secondly, it will not let cement laitance into the insulation during the process of pouring the screed.

Option No. 11. Only the beams rotted

If you find that only the beams are rotting and the floor is not touched, most likely the foundation freezes heavily during the cold season, and condensation accumulates on it from the inside. Beams are the first to be distributed, of course.

What to do: here it is necessary to dismantle the old beams. Next, where the boards come into contact with the base of the foundation or the walls of the house, waterproof them with rubemast or glass insulation in several layers.

Using a geomembrane as waterproofing under the floor should generally be done during construction, as an axiom. Glue its edges to the foundation with double-sided bitumen tape, and forget about underground dampness. If you also change the joists, make them with a slight slope to the side - so that the condensation that appears no longer lingers on them, but flows down. And for this water to escape, it is also advisable to make a drain under the foundation.

Option No. 12. The floors are rotten in the apartment

This is a sure sign that they lack ventilation.

What to do: organize required holes not difficult - you need one under the battery and one on the opposite side.

Products: necessity or evil?

By the way, recently underground spaces are increasingly being built without ventilation. Thus, the masters call this “a Russian tradition - first driving humid air underground, and then actively expelling it from there.” Therefore, today, more and more often, the foundation and floor are simply well insulated - and that’s all. This way the floor will never rot. What does this design solve?

Let's take a closer look at this point. For example, in the spring the air outside is much warmer than underground, and besides, it is also humid (the snow is melting). And this warm and moisture-saturated air penetrates through the vents under your floor and immediately settles in the form of condensation on the cold boards. And they spend a lot of time in this dampness - until the summer. Is it any wonder that in a few years wooden floors completely rot? And through the same vents, rodents sneak into the house in hordes in the fall. That is why today others are actively used Constructive decisions, and ventilation is carried out in a slightly different way - through the house itself.

Such an underground is called closed air-conditioned, i.e. mechanically ventilated. The fact of the matter is that if the temperature of the underground and the room does not differ much, then condensation on the floorboards will not occur. On the other hand, if your underground is and will be ventilated with vents, the movement of air from it through the floor must then be completely blocked.

These are the solutions to this problem - everything is actually very simple.

So, here's the problem: We are building a wooden house from timber. House on strip foundation. We already have a roof, windows, doors, a rough floor has been made (see) with insulation and we are starting to lay the finished floor. In the spring, after the snow has melted, I notice that the boards lined from below to subfloor became damp and even became covered with mold and mildew (despite the fact that they were treated with bioprotection).

What to do in this case, if there is dampness, humidity, or even mold under the floor in a wooden house?

After looking at a bunch of sites on the Internet, talking with experienced summer residents and individual developers, I have put together for myself the following set of relatively simple measures to get rid of dampness under the floor. Which is what I want to write about now.

Firstly, it should be noted that there are two reasons why the floor is damp:

Moisture penetration. Water passes through the ground outside, under the foundation strip, and rises inside to the surface, hence the dampness.

By the way, I already wrote how I did it. So, the inside walls of the foundation also need to be covered with mastic for waterproofing. So that moisture does not “rise” along them.

Poor ventilation. In our normal climate, there will always be moisture (in the air, in the ground). If you do not arrange proper ventilation, then this moisture will not be removed from under the floor, hence the feeling of dampness, mold, mildew, etc.

It is to eliminating these causes (or more precisely, minimizing their influence) that you need to direct your efforts.

I will note that I have the opportunity to crawl under the floor, because... it is raised above the ground, although not very high. This just allows me to do something. The second thing I have provided is hatches in the floor through which you can go down. But what I didn’t do (but could have been done) was not removing the layer of black soil from the ground under the house, not pouring expanded clay. They say this could improve the moisture situation in the crawl space.

So, what can you do if there is dampness, moisture and mold under the floor?

The activities are listed below, but they do not have to be done in the order listed here, and some things can be omitted at all if the effect is achieved without them.

1. Place polyethylene on the ground

It is better to take thick polyethylene with a thickness of 150 microns. In theory, it should protect against the evaporation of moisture from the surface of the earth and prevent plants (if not removed) fertile layer) to germinate. Polyethylene can be replaced with roofing felt. But crawling under the floor on roofing felt is much less comfortable. Another option is steam and waterproofing (type C or D), especially since it, as a rule, remains during the construction process.

Take the polyethylene in a roll and roll it out so that it overlaps, i.e. so that the pieces overlap each other by 15-20 centimeters.

There is one more observation - moisture can not only come from below, from the soil, but also condense from humid air. As a result, puddles will appear on the polyethylene (roofing felt) that cannot go into the ground. You can get rid of them only a) by poking a hole and releasing water into the ground, b) due to normal weathering, simply put, a draft.. So covering the surface of the earth without ensuring proper ventilation (see point 3) is not very good good idea, which may even make the situation worse.

2. Get rid of mold if it appears inside under the floor

As I said, I have mold.

Trying to cover wooden surfaces something like tar did not give anything. Then I bought anti-mold (I think it was Neomid), took a Zhuk sprayer (this is one in which you pump air, and then, as if from a spray bottle, you spray everything you need under pressure - boards, trees, bushes, etc.), climbed with it under the floor and sprayed all the boards underneath.

Yes, don’t forget the respirator and even with it on you can control your well-being without being under the floor!

If the mold does not disappear immediately, the operation will need to be repeated. Pay attention to choosing a sprayer that is not small, but not large - it will be more difficult to crawl with a large one. And, of course, you need to provide yourself with protective equipment - glasses, a mask. And (important) - make sure that air flows under the floor, taking breaks in time (again, see point 3.) so as not to suffocate there.

3. Provide ventilation under the floor

Make additional holes - vents in the foundation. This key moment to ensure ventilation so that moisture and dampness are ventilated from under the floor.

It is clear that it is necessary to provide for ventilation when pouring the foundation, in my case this was done. But it turned out not enough.

There are standards and formulas for calculating the number and area of ​​vents; information about this can be found on the Internet.

I will note that construction crews, as a rule, they do everything without taking these norms into account and in general, it seems, they don’t care about such norms and rules.

In general, in my case, the foundation was a rectangle with a wall in the middle and a part attached to it for a porch-veranda. And there were only three vents with a diameter of 110 mm.
I solved the problem simply - I invited specialists with a diamond drilling installation, who in a couple of hours added several holes in the foundation with a diameter of about 120 mm (however, the cost of each hole was about a thousand rubles).

The diagrams show what happened and what happened to the vents in the foundation.

It should be noted that after these additions, a breath of wind was already noticeably felt under the floor. Although, now I would make even more products - I could add through holes also across long side Houses.

4. Make a blind area

Perhaps the main step after ventilation to get rid of dampness under the floor is a blind area along the entire perimeter of the foundation. The farther we divert the water in the ground from the foundation, the less of it will pass under the foundation into the house.

If there is a lot of water and the blind area does not help, you will have to make additional irrigation ditches in the ground. The general idea is this - water from the house, from the walls, from the roof, and simply from rain along the blind area, moves away from the foundation and ends up in a specially made groove or pipe along the blind area, which can be hidden underground. And then it flows along it somewhere further to the side. Do not forget to provide the required slope for such drainage.

By the way, a blind area can be made relatively simply without pouring concrete, using a profiled membrane, this video shows how:

The next photo shows a fragment of the foundation, on which two options for closing the vents are visible (they are different, because the vents were made at different times and turned out to be different diameters), plus not yet brought to finishing blind area from the same profiled membrane:

5. "Clay Castle"

Moisture and dampness can pass under the foundation not only along the surface of the earth, but also inside, along the ground. This is especially true in cases where the site has a slope, and even the ground under the floor is below the surface level of the site. Water from rain or melting snow in spring naturally passes under the foundation strip and rises to the surface inside the house, under the floor. As a result, the floor is damp and damp. In this case, a conventional blind area will improve the situation, but may not eliminate water completely. Irrigation ditches may seem cumbersome and difficult to install. Try the following.

To eliminate this path of moisture penetration, a so-called " clay castle" - that is, they make a barrier to water in the ground from compacted clay. If this is not done immediately before the foundation tape, then it can be done after installing the blind area. We dig a narrow ditch along the area to be strengthened, deep to the clay layer (in our territories this is usually within 50 cm) and pour the clay there, compacting it.

Instead of clay, you can use the same membrane - just install it vertically and order it. Thus, forming in top layer The soil forms a wall that does not allow water to pass through.

It is clear that these activities are carried out where the soil itself consists of such parts as the upper fertile (water-permeable “black soil”) and the lower, clayey and water-impervious.

6. Make gutters

Another important point, which can significantly reduce dampness around the house (even if there is already a blind area) are gutters. If you still don’t have gutters installed on your roof, then they definitely need to be done. Then the water from the roof (and there is a lot of it in rainy weather) will flow through the gutters away from the house.

7. Protect the floorboards below from moisture using a vapor barrier

Another additional option action, which I have not tried yet, allows you to protect the boards from below from dampness and moisture evaporation from the ground.

This option was suggested in the store - buy a vapor barrier film (type B), for example, isospan B, and attach it to the boards from below. Thus, the boards will be protected from evaporation from the surface of the earth, will not get wet and will not become moldy.

In order to ensure ventilation, the vapor barrier must be attached with sagging, this will ensure air movement between the film and the boards.

Which side to make the film down - smooth or rough? I will say unequivocally that it does not let steam through either way. Roughness is designed to ensure that tiny drops of moisture accumulate on an uneven surface, collect into large drops and eventually fall back down. Thus, it is better to make the rough side down, and the smooth side towards the boards.

However, you won’t have to protect the boards from moisture if moisture doesn’t collect at all. But if all the measures have been taken, but it was not possible to completely get rid of moisture, then this point can become the last line of defense.

A note after the passage of time: if making a vapor barrier from the bottom of the boards is difficult and labor-intensive, give up on this matter - it doesn’t seem to be of much use.

By the way, are the boards impregnated with bioprotection?

In theory, all your subfloor boards should have been treated with bioprotection before installation. Note that this does not prevent mold from forming on top of the boards. But if biosecurity has not been done at all, treatment must be carried out. Be sure to use a respirator and be extremely careful under the floor, staying as little in the underground space as possible.

That's probably all. It should work. If you can offer your ideas, materials and actions to get rid of dampness under the floor, send them to stroim@site for publication here.

P.S. What if nothing helps?- Try it forced ventilation. In stores that sell all kinds of fans and ventilation pipes, you can buy a fan - from the simplest one, which is placed in the bathtub at home, to more powerful ones. You can try the simplest one, but it will be of little use (although, for small areas the effect will also be noticeable after a day or two of work). Insert the fan into the hole in the foundation from the inside so that it draws air out, make an extension cord and run it for a long time. Can also be placed underground heat gun and try to dry it with it. It is clear that you will not turn it on all the time, only for a while and not forgetting about electrical safety in a damp room.

P.P.S Once again I would like to draw your attention to the fact that it is worth installing hatches in the house when constructing the floor. And in such quantities that you can climb through them into the desired part of the room. However, remember that in winter these hatches will require insulation, so do not overdo it.

Unfortunately, they did not indicate what kind of floor covering is planned in the future - you are not going to walk on concrete floors barefoot. You are probably going to lay laminate or parquet.
To protect against dampness flooring it is necessary to arrange a reliable waterproofing floors, which protects the overlying layers from the penetration of groundwater. Preparation is carried out depending on the type of soil. Wet soils, which predominate in the Moscow region, have a soft base, so concrete preparation soft base arranged on a bedding layer of crushed stone with a thickness of at least 40 mm. For installing floors in residential buildings the crushed stone is pressed into the ground with a tamper or roller until a roller weighing approximately 70 kg leaves traces of passage on the ground. It’s a good idea to saturate the crushed stone bed with a uniform, continuous layer of hot bitumen primer about 6mm thick, on top of which you can lay a carpet made of rolls or film waterproofing materials.
Using compacted crushed stone preparation, an underlying layer of M-300 concrete is made. And in this case, it is advisable to introduce special hydrophobic additives into the concrete composition to ensure increased water resistance of the floors. The thickness of the concrete layer is taken depending on the planned loads on the floors. If no production equipment will be installed in the basement of a residential building, floors can be used with a thickness of 100 ÷ 200 mm. Laying concrete mixture must be carried out continuously: the break between the completion of compaction of one layer and the laying of the next layer should not exceed 1 hour. Special attention should be given to compacting the concrete at the junction of the bottoms and walls, as well as at fittings and embedded parts. By concrete preparation penetrating waterproofing can be done.
Then the floors are covered with heated bitumen with a layer thickness of at least 2 mm. After this, a coating of waterproofing or other similar material is spread in strips over the unhardened primer layer, connecting the strips with an overlap of 100÷200 mm and coating the seam with bitumen. After this, a second layer of soil with a thickness of at least 5 mm is applied to the floor, leveling the mastic using a toothed rack.
On top of the hardened bitumen waterproofing Without violating its integrity, it is necessary to make a protective reinforced cement floor screed with a thickness of at least 50 mm. In this case, the reinforcement must have a protective layer of at least 30 mm. Without allowing complete drying cement screed, it is necessary to “ironize” it - grouting the top layer of the floor with dry cement.
Because concrete covering the floor in wet soils works “to tear off”, so it is necessary to reinforce it with wire mesh, laying it between the layers of waterproofing and the protective floor screed.
It is advisable to waterproof surfaces in order to prevent the leakage of moisture from the soil into the body of the foundation. From the right choice waterproofing materials and the technology of their application determine the positive impact measures taken on the structure under construction: capital strength and durability of the building, reduction in operating costs for its maintenance and energy consumption, comfort of living in the house and its appearance.
Insulating the outer surfaces of the foundation will help retain heat in the house and make the floors warmer. Thermal insulation must be waterproof, water-resistant and sufficiently durable. The thickness of the insulation layer is calculated based on the requirements of SNiP 23-02-2003 “Thermal protection of buildings”. Plates, for example, from Penoplex, are placed on top of the waterproofing, while they protect it from mechanical damage. Used for gluing boards bitumen mastics and other adhesives that do not contain acetone and other solvents that destroy the insulation material. Installation of thermal insulation begins no earlier than 5 ÷ 7 days after completion of waterproofing work.

Added: 01/27/2012 23:12

Discussion of the issue on the forum:

How to make a floor correctly so that it is not damp and cold? Tell me, which pie is optimal in my situation? Is it necessary to insulate the foundation on the street side and carry out waterproofing if there is no basement?

Excessive dampness often becomes a diagnosis of private houses, city high-rises and dachas. In the cold season, it manifests itself as mold on the walls and windows. Many owners begin and end the fight only with the fungus, because it has a sharply negative effect on the health of the residents. In this case, the root cause is high humidity- is ignored, so the mold soon returns. Only an analysis of the situation and an integrated approach will help you get rid of dampness.

Causes of high humidity

There are several hundred types of household mold in nature. Main factor their appearance in a living room is due to excessive dampness. The fungus forms in places with poor ventilation on surfaces prone to sudden temperature changes. In other words, if there is a cold wall in your house, a dark coating will appear in poorly ventilated corners, as soon as you turn on the heating system.

In high-rise buildings, mold can occur due to global disturbances in the air circulation system. Check your cravings ventilation ducts by using an ordinary match. Its weakening or cessation occurs for the following reasons:

• mistakes made by builders even at the stage of building a house;
• illegal interference in the integrity of the channels of your vertical neighbors;
• failure of parts of the system due to the old age of the house.

It is difficult to eliminate ventilation in a high-rise building. Building management companies, as a rule, do this only if a global restructuring or reconstruction of the building is planned. You'll have to hope for folk remedies eliminating dampness in the room. In the private sector, such problems are relatively easier to solve, because everything depends only on the owner.

Attention! On the first floors of apartment buildings or in private houses, dampness may appear due to flooding of the basement due to a burst of water supply, groundwater, or poor thermal insulation between the wall and the foundation. Mold forms at the bottom of the wall.

Step 1. Fight against fungal plaque

To get rid of dampness, first of all you need to identify and eliminate all fungal plaque on the walls. Delay can cause the development of diseases. Fungal spores enter the lungs with air and disrupt the functioning of the respiratory system. Dampness and mold can cause acute respiratory infections, bronchitis, asthma and other respiratory diseases, including tuberculosis. In addition, it suppresses the immune system. For residents of the house, especially children and the elderly, this manifests itself in a deterioration in health, allergic reactions and exacerbation of all kinds of ailments.

Attention! The dark coating that appears due to dampness may not be immediately visible. But a strong musty smell will immediately give away the problem.

During the cleaning process, it is important not only to clean, but also to disinfect all surfaces where there is fungus. Use any suitable means:

• chlorine bleach and other chemicals;
• vinegar;
• hydrogen peroxide;
• soda;
• ammonia;
• tea tree oil, etc.

Attention! Wear gloves and a mask when working with any type of cleaning agent against dampness and fungus.

It is important that close contact does not introduce large quantities of spores into your respiratory tract. When using special store-bought products, never mix one with the other. This may cause chemical reaction with dangerous consequences for you. The video will help you understand in more detail how to combat mold and dampness.

If mold has extensively covered the surface of the wallpaper, get ready to rip it off the wall. The mycelium of the fungus is located under the paper layer. There are no means to kill it without damaging the wallpaper itself. In this case, the plaster will probably also have to be removed. First, thoroughly clean the surface of fungus, and then treat it with an antiseptic. For example, aqueous solution office glue (1:4) or urea. Before any further work To get rid of dampness, the wall section must dry completely.

Advice. For the disinfectant to work effectively, heat the cleaned walls to +50 °C.

Step 2. Finding and eliminating the root cause of dampness

Diagnosing the problem is the key to getting rid of dampness. Take the glass, press it against the wall and fix it in this position. After 2-3 hours, remove and check the surface:

• dry - source of humidity indoors;
• damp - dampness penetrates from outside.

In the second case it is easier to understand. Your task is to reduce the temperature difference from which the walls suffer due to dampness. There are two ways to do this. It's better to use them in combination.

1. Thermal insulation of the wall. Cover it with breathable insulating material. Today many people choose external insulation, but experts advise first of all to carry out work inside.
2. Check and, if necessary, upgrade the heating system. Perhaps it is cluttered or not powerful enough to warm up and protect certain corners of the house from dampness.

Advice. Often, large-sized furniture becomes the cause of the formation of harmful plaque if it interferes with the normal ventilation of the wall adjacent to the street. Do some rearranging.

Traditional methods to get rid of dampness due to poor ventilation:

1. Place bags of sugar or salt.
2. Place small containers of potassium chloride in the corners.
3. Heat the bricks and lean them against the wall. Repeat until the surface is free of dampness. Use 1 brick no more than 3-4 times, then it should dry.
4. Treat the wall with 2-3 layers of decoction laundry soap(100 g/l bring to a boil and cool). After drying, apply the following solution with a brush: 100 g of alum per 6 liters of water.

Attention! Do not use sprays or other antifungal agents, and use air conditioning to dry your home.

You can get rid of dampness only by accurately determining its cause. When you eliminate the fungus and moisture, do not forget about further prevention.

How to deal with dampness in a room: video

When living in a private house, you may encounter dampness under the floor. This thing is unpleasant and harmful to health. When such a problem persists for a long time, fungus, mold, and other microorganisms appear that cause diseases in those living in the house. There can be several reasons for the appearance of dampness. Some are quite difficult to believe because they are hidden under finishing materials.

Causes of dampness

Underfloor dampness can appear immediately after the house is built or after many years of living in it. The main reasons leading to its appearance:

• Insufficient floor insulation
• Cracks in the foundation
• Poorly executed blind area around the outer perimeter of the house
• Lack of drainage
• The appearance of moisture in basement
• Irregularities in the floor structure
• Incorrectly installed home ventilation

In each individual case, it is necessary to carefully examine the structure of the floor, foundation, and basement and establish the cause of dampness. Only after this can you begin to eliminate it.

Lack of underground ventilation

Some builders don't install ventilation holes in the underground space. This causes the appearance of summer time dampness, mold, fungus in the warm season. During heating season these manifestations may disappear from the floor surface. But their destruction of the floor covering will continue.

This cause of dampness can be eliminated by installing vents. In the opposite walls, the area of ​​the underground space, holes Ø 60-120 mm are made. It is better to place them diagonally from each other. To protect against rodents, openings are closed metal mesh. Options for the location of the vents can be made in accordance with the figures below.

Insufficient floor insulation

Savings on materials, poor-quality insulation, and improper design of the underground space lead to the appearance of dampness in it. And after some time, its unpleasant companions will appear on the surface of the floor inside the house. Having discovered this reason for the appearance of moisture, you will have to additionally insulate the underground space. In this case, dismantling the finished floor surface is inevitable. Dampness will disappear only with proper insulation.

Incorrect blind area around the building

Failure to comply with the requirements for the implementation of the blind area, its absence, entails the penetration of atmospheric precipitation into the basement, domestic water. Having established that this is the cause of dampness under the floor, the blind area is redone. The standard width must be at least 70 cm. It is taken into account that it must exceed the overhang of the cornice by 20 cm. A blind area is made with a slope from the house of 2-3 degrees.

Correctly executed blind area in accordance with standard or economical option will prevent moisture from entering the basement and preserve the foundation.

Poor foundation waterproofing

In areas where there is a possibility of groundwater rising, it is possible to block its path into the basement or underground space with the correct waterproofing equipment. Therefore, if it is not there, and soil moisture begins to penetrate the walls, the appearance of dampness under the floor is inevitable.

Having discovered this problem, waterproofing is created from scratch or complemented by existing ones. To do this, a trench is dug around the house, the walls are cleaned, and vertical waterproofing is installed. It can be rolled or coated.

If you have a basement, you need to pay attention to its humidity. The appearance of dampness, fungi, and microelements in it warns of the need to take action. remember, that concrete structures also hygroscopic. And over time, the problem will move underground. To eliminate this, waterproofing of the floor, ceiling, and walls is carried out in the basement. If several causes are detected, comprehensive work is carried out to eliminate them.