CI/SfB (H16) (W7)

September 1997

Repairing Good Repair

flood damage: Guide 11
ground floors and Part 2
good repair
basements

This Guide gives advice on both older and new types of reinstatement of flooring,
the treatment and repair of floors: suspended timber, is dealt with in conjunction
floors, and the draining of concrete on the ground with the appropriate floors.
guide

underfloor areas and and suspended concrete This guide will help
basements. The type of (including those containing surveyors, contractors and
floor is significant as insulation). Information on insurers to advise building
flooding affects floor drying, ventilation, owners and occupiers.
constructions in different measuring moisture
ways. This advice covers contents, and
Other parts to this Guide
For immediate action after flooding – see Part 1
For repairs to foundations and walls – see Part 3
For repairs to services, secondary elements, finishes, fittings – see Part 4

Courtesy of W A Fairhurst & Partners, Dundee (left); Max Hess, Folkestone, Kent (right)

Priorities
● Inform the insurers, if this has not already ● Investigate the construction and condition of
been done (see Part 1) the floor
● Start drying the building with ventilation and ● Determine any repairs needed and obtain
heating estimates of the cost
● Expose the floor surface and determine the ● Drain under any suspended floors and any
type of floor construction basement areas
2

What to do in more detail

Drying the building and drying the ground floor
Dry the building using the central heating system, with the thermostat at
22 °C or above, and with as much ventilation as practicable. If there is no
central heating, use portable heaters or dehumidifiers. See Part 4 for
information on dehumidifiers.
Expose the floor surface so that it can dry, and air can circulate under fitted
units that are not being removed. Wet carpets left on floors can lead to
swollen and weakened chipboard which will have to be replaced.
● Dry timber, from all sides where possible, to reduce warping and splitting.
● Open up plinths, panels and doors to fitted units, and prop up shower trays,
etc to allow air to circulate.
● Remove any carpets or sheet finishes that are not bonded to the floor.
● Lift any debonded areas of block or stripwood flooring.
● Remove any debonded tiles and adhesive from concrete or timber floors.

Courtesy of Max Hess, Folkestone, Kent Suspended timber floors

Clear the floor to allow it to dry Continuous electric cables in good condition should not be affected by
immersion in water. Mould growth can start within a few days in wet areas,
especially under floors. Some timber deterioration may be due to long-
standing problems reactivated by flooding and may only be discovered by
inspection. Dehumidifiers can quickly dry timber, but use them with care, as
warping can result.

Below suspended floors

Mineral wool insulation between joists may compact, retain water and not
regain its thickness or insulation value. Rigid insulation boards should not
deteriorate but may take several weeks to dry. Aluminium foil insulation may
sag and hold water. Bitumen or pitch ground coverings are brittle and easily
cracked by water pressure.
● Lift boards, or form hatches in sheet flooring, to give access to the
underfloor.
● Drain any water from the area through holes cut in perimeter walls.
Flooring removed to treat and dry the Alternatively, use a pump where all or part of the subfloor is below ground
underbuilding level.
● Check all electrical connections under the floor, and repair or rewire (see
Part 4 for more guidance).
● Drain any water from heating ducts and conduits.
● Replace wet pipe insulation with closed-cell material.
● Remove and replace wet mineral wool insulation. Puncture aluminium foil
to drain off any water. Note: this material’s insulation value depends in part
on it retaining a polished surface; if this is lost, the material should be
replaced.
● Repair any damaged polyethylene covering the ground. If bitumen or pitch
coatings are damaged or the ground is uncovered, disinfect the ground,
level it with sand and cover with heavy-duty polyethylene to reduce
evaporation from the ground.
● Inspect joists and other timber for rot. Replace timber showing signs of rot
and treat adjacent timber to reduce the risk of further spread. Cut off rotting
joist ends embedded in walls, repairing them with treated timber
extensions, supported on joist hangers if practicable. Treat wet but sound
joist ends with preservative plugs.
● Stiffen joists with strutting or battens, where needed, to reduce distortion.
● See Flooring, page 3, for advice on moisture contents. Inspect timber after a
year has elapsed to check for outbreaks of fungal attack.
 3

Underfloor ventilation Ventilation

Adequate cross ventilation of the subfloor is Ensure that under-floor ventilation is adequate and conforms at least with the
necessary to keep timber and timber-based requirements of the Building Regulations and the recommendations of British
products dry. Standard BS 5250: 1989 (see box, left).
BS 5250: 1989 Code of practice for
control of condensation in buildings 9.5.3.1 Flooring
states: Chipboard may be weakened; tests for internal cohesion, impact and bending
‘...subfloor cross ventilation should be can be carried out by the manufacturer, BRE, local colleges or test houses.
provided by openings not less than either Chipboard flooring supporting partition walls, including loadbearing walls,
1500 mm2 per metre run of external wall, or may sag after wetting.
500 mm2 per m2 of floor area whichever ● Replace swollen or distorted chipboard which may be weak. If unsure, test
gives the greater opening area...’
it. Replace chipboard with C4(M) grade.
This open area should also be provided in ● Remove about every sixth timber floor board to relieve any hogging.
internal sleeper walls or similar Tongue-and-groove flooring can be reused if it is in good condition.
obstructions to maintain the underfloor
● Screw chipboard and timber floor boards down so that they can be
ventilation.
Cross ventilation, where provided via
removed to allow the underfloor to be inspected when required.
ducts in adjacent solid floors, should be ● Form hatches in the flooring of refurbished floors so that the moisture
cleared of any obstructions. content of the joists and other timber in the ventilated underfloor area can
be measured until it is 24% or less (see illustration left).
● Preservative salts in treated timber and sea salt can affect moisture meter
readings. In these cases, consult a timber treatment specialist or BRE for
advice.
(a) ● Check the moisture content about two months after enclosing the
underfloor, then less frequently depending on the readings. As a rule of
thumb, moisture contents should be less than 24%, October–May, and less
than 22% June–September.
● Provide extra support with strutting or battens, where needed, below
(b)
flooring that supports load-bearing or partition walls.
● Provide extra support, where needed, for stairs supported on chipboard
that has weakened.

Concrete floors on the ground

The floor construction may influence the length of drying time required. If the
dpm is between the slab and the screed, generally there will be less damage
than if it is located beneath the slab because of relative drying times. Concrete
and screeds do not retain large quantities of water, but once wetted they take
(c) a long time to dry. Where concrete floors are finished with timber-based
flooring on battens, water retained under the flooring, or in any insulation
Measuring moisture content of timber: under the flooring, will not easily dry. Cracked floors or the outward
(a) long insulated probes in pre-drilled holes movement of perimeter walls on the dpc may result from expansion activated
for hidden studs, base plates and by flooding if the floor is on hard-core containing gypsum or unburned
sheathing; (b) standard probes for flooring colliery shale. This is only likely in localities with known previous problems:
and skirting; (c) hammer-action insulated local surveyors should be aware of such problems. Cracking can also be
probes, at least 12 mm in structural timber caused by poorly compacted hardcore as described in the section on
Foundations and structural damage in Part 3.
Testing concrete floors ● If unknown, check the floor construction: drill through the layers until the
Readings of 75–80% from a hygrometer in dpm material is found. The drillings will also indicate if materials are wet.
an insulated box sealed to the concrete or ● Lift chipboard which is supported on battens and allow the concrete to dry
screed will indicate that the floor is suitable after removing any wet insulation. Replace the flooring on a polyethylene
to receive low-permeability floor coverings. or liquid-applied dpm.
● Sand or plane swollen joints in fully supported chipboard/insulation
Insulation, usually polystyrene laminates that have dried.
● Do not lay coverings which restrict drying (eg vinyl sheeting, low-
Hygrometer
Sealant permeability carpet underlays and carpet backings) until tests show the
floor to be dry. Use a hygrometer to test for dryness (see box, left).
Concrete floor ● Re-lay or fit new carpets with permeable backings when floors are surface
dry and the building is to be well heated.
See Digest 364 for details.
4

Sea water Suspended concrete floors

Flood water in coastal areas or near large Hollow clay units, hollow concrete planks and lightweight concrete blocks in
estuaries may contain some sea water, suspended concrete floors can fill with, or absorb water, during a flood. If this
which accelerates corrosion and delays water does not drain out after the flood has receded, the floor will take a long
drying. The risk from sea water is often time to dry and can disrupt floor coverings that restrict drying. The concrete
over-stated as most floods occur when beams usually contain reinforcement which could corrode if there is a high
there is a large flow of fresh water from the chloride content in the flood water. Water can also be retained in the space
land, which dilutes any salts. However,
beneath the floor, which may or may not be ventilated. Any water in this area
successive wetting and drying cycles with
should be drained and the space ventilated to speed up drying.
salt spray will increase concentrations of
salt in building materials.
● Drill through the floor to see if water is retained in any voids in the floor.
● Drain any water by drilling through the bottom of the voids.
● Examine the space beneath the floor using an optical probe via holes or
ventilators in the perimeter wall. Drain or pump any water away and
provide vents at about 2 m intervals in the perimeter walls.
● Arrange for a chloride check on any reinforced concrete where sea water is
involved to help to predict any corrosion risk (see box, left).

Basements
Many basements are only partially below the ground: some of the floor is at
ground level or some of the ceiling is above the surrounding ground. The
additional depth of water in the basement can create problems. A greater
pressure will be generated that could cause structural damage, eg by
dislodging door and window frames. Higher rates of water flow from higher
surrounding areas can scour and deposit more silt. Any damage to the tanking
in the walls and floor coupled with the higher water pressure can give long-
term percolation. Ventilation may be restricted by the small frontages and
large depth typical of many buildings with basements.
● Check if damage to exterior door/window frames has caused structural
problems.
● Pump water from the lowest part of the floor or preferably from a
temporary sump. If water still ponds on or under the floor after the
basement has been pumped dry, investigate whether the water percolates
from cavities within the construction or through the tanking. Make sure the
tanking is not damaged during investigations. Repair defects in the tanking
and consider forming a permanent pumped sump.
● Dry the structure by heating, ventilating and dehumidifying. Ventilation
can be increased by venting vertically through the upper storeys. Clear any
underfloor ventilators and increase the number if necessary.

More advice!
Good Repair Guides are accessible, illustrated Good Building Guides
guides to defect diagnosis, assessment and ● 3—Damp-proofing basements
repair. The GRG series will be available on CD- ● 21—Joist hangers
ROM during 1997. More detailed advice is ● 28—forms a series on domestic floors
available in the following publications.
Guidance on all aspects of construction is also
Building Research Establishment available from the BRE Advisory Service
Digests (Tel: 01923 664664).
● 276—Hardcore
British Standards Institution
● 364—Design of timber floors to prevent
BS 5250: 1989 (1995) Code of practice for
decay
control of condensation in buildings
● 371—Remedial wood preservatives: use
BS 8102: 1990 Code of practice for protection
them safely
of structures against water from the ground
● 373—Wood chipboard
Stationery Office
Good Repair Guide
The Scottish Office. Design guidance on flood
● 11—forms a series on dealing with flood
damage to dwellings. London, Stationery Office.
damage (see page 1 for details)
1996.

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