Q. My property has a 6' void under the floor similar to a cellar but I believe its purpose is for a soak away, as the property is at the bottom of a slight hill. There is permanently about 8 inches of clear water at the bottom of the void. Rainfall seems to have little effect on the level, and if I pump the water out it returns in a few days. There are no visible leaks down the walls so the water appears to rise from the concrete floor. Could this be the water table? If so could the floor level be raised to overcome the problem, rather than tanking the whole space?

Submitted by: BR 

Q. We have recently moved into a semi-detached bungalow which has had the cellar converted (plaster boarded walls and tiled floor etc), but when we get a really heavy rainfall there is water penetrating the floor tiles in one corner of the room. The water coming up is clean and disappears the next day. There is also water stain marks on the walls around about 500mm high. Is it possible to rectify this and would the work carried out be guaranteed?

Submitted by: SS

Q. We are in the process of buying a Victorian stone built end terraced cottage and have just received the surveyors report. The surveyor comments on the plaster walls in the kitchen showing high signs of damp. The kitchen is above a 'tanked' cellar. Could the tanking of the cellar have caused any damp to rise? If so, what is the solution and would you advise continuing with the purchase of this property?

Submitted by: V 
 

Q. We have a cellar that is not tanked. There is evidence of damp on the cellar walls. If we leave the cellar as it is and not tank it, over time can the damp rise to affect the walls of the floor above?
Submitted by: Anon
 

Q. Is it possible for me to damp-proof my basement myself?

Submitted by: Unknown
 

Q. What is meant by ‘Tanking’?

Submitted by: JA 

Q. My builder has told me of a product called Cellarcoat. This is cheaper than Sika and does not require a specialist to install it. Can you tell me if it comes with a guarantee, and if you have experience of this product and its success rate? Many thanks.

Submitted by: NG 

Q. I have a Victorian house that has coal bunkers under the pavement.  I would like to make these damp/water proof.  I believe that Sika 1 has already been applied to all the walls, ceiling and possibly the floor. However, too much moisture penetrates to allow the rooms to be used for storage. What should I do?

Submitted by: O
 

Q. We live in a terraced house about 100 years old. The downstairs wall, at the back of the house, where it joins next door has always had a damp patch on it, however recently moisture (appears to be clean water) is coming up through slight cracks in the asphalt floor, which seemingly was put down many years ago to cover the original flag floor. There are no water pipes in this area at all - is it possible for rising damp to actually do this? And to cure this would we need a damp proof course on the one wall and a new floor fitted?

Submitted by: JK 

Q. I have recently bought a Victorian terraced house and the surveyors report said that the cellar floor in one of the rooms had "crowned". Please could you tell me what this means and is it easy to fix?

Submitted by: DEP
 

Q. I’ve recently moved into a detached house with a reasonably sized cellar which I intend to convert into a useable living space. My problem is that the cellar has some damp coming through the brick floor and external brick walls, (to the point where the walls feel slightly clammy to the touch). I've done a lot of online research and it seems that a reasonable solution would be to "tank” the cellar floor and walls with an epoxy coating (as it seems a membrane and channel drain system would be too complex and expensive to fit and would seem slightly OTT for the small amount of damp). I've seen the product Cellarcote mentioned on the net, and it seems to be more suitable than other epoxy based waterproofing compounds due to it's high strength, but I'm not sure (as suggested in a previous question) whether it would be perfectly suited, or would any epoxy based waterproofers, as the cellar walls and floor are brick with mortar, not concrete. I have cleaned all loose materials from the walls and floor with a wire brush and I need some advice as to whether you think Cellarcote, or a similar product would perform better if I had the floor screeded and the walls plastered before applying them, or whether the epoxy would simply pull the screed /plaster up due to the hydrostatic pressure? Any advice you can give would be much appreciated!

Submitted by: LM