Applying a Liquid Damp Proof Membrane to my subfloor, What are the Benefits?

Hello and welcome to another Woodfloor-Renovations Blog Post.

Today I'll expand on a question we were recently asked verbally by one of our clients while carrying out works for him....The question was 'What are the benefits of applying a liquid damp proof membrane to my subfloor ?'

Many people out there will have no idea what a liquid damp proof membrane is [liquid DPM for short] or what it does.

A liquid DPM is basically liquid plastic, a different variation on the thick plastic sheets that builders use under a concrete slab to inhibit/stop moisture from wicking up into the concrete slab from the cold earth below.

Many companies out there produce similar types of liquid DPM products that are good for applying to various types of substrates [subfloors] a very common subfloor that a liquid DPM is used on is concrete.

We use liquid DPM's from two well know companies, and use their excellent products on a regular 'as and when basis' one of the companies is called Sika and we use both their 'Sika Rapid' liquid DPM and their star product 'Sika MB'

The other company we source our liquid DPM from is 'Lecol' and we use their superb single component Lecol PU280 liquid DPM.

The main benefit of using a liquid DPM product would be to stop moisture ingress into a  wooden floor and creating problems and issues for the newly installed wood floor and the homeowner. Using a liquid DPM system is cost effective as it is pretty straight forward to apply and it's application will add another layer of protection and peace of mind for the end user. 

Before I start getting too carried away here and churning out paragraphs of text, I wrote a more comprehensive article which is available for viewing at our main website, follow the  Liquid Damp Proof Membrane link.

Hope this helps.....Thanks for reading

Flooring Lacquer Complaints

Hello and welcome to another Woodfloor-Renovations Blogpost.


Apologies for my poor output of late, but we have been extremely busy in the run up to Christmas...there just isn't enough hours in the day.


I've received some correspondence of late, where end users are making complaints about the flooring lacquers that they themselves have applied and are unhappy with the results, and because it obviously can't be their fault [the end users]...it must be the lacquer !!!!


What many end users just don't do, is to properly read through and understand the manufacturers instructions on how to apply the lacquer, one of the complaints I received was from a gentleman in the UK, who has prepared his parquet floor and applied the lacquer himself, in this case a Silk Matt finish.


The complaint was basically that the finish on the floor didn't look consistant and that it looked shiny at one end of the room and silk at the other...In my book this is a classic case of the lacquer not being shaken properly prior to being used.


Wood flooring lacquers are made up of many different components, and they need to be properly mixed together before being used, if the can of lacquer isn't shaken then the different components settle at the bottom of the can, and when you pour the product onto the floor to apply it, its just not mixed properly and the chances are the first part of your floor will look glossy, as the matting agents [some of the many components] are at the bottom of the can, unmixed...Its not rocket science is it.


As I have mentioned many times on this blog, read, understand and follow all the manufacturers instructions and you will have a pretty good chance of a successful outcome for your project...ignore or disregard the advice at your peril.


Another issue that was emailed in was from a lady who was asking if it was 'really necessary' to add the hardener into a high traffic lacquer.....the answer is a resounding YES IT IS...its a 2 component lacquer for a reason, you pour part B into part A, give it a shake up for 2 minutes and you are good to go...Now if you DON'T pour part B into part A and use the product, your floor will be good for nothing as it just won't go off without the hardener mixed in...You have been warned... :-)


Thanks for reading...Regards Gary


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