Kitchen floor covering and options.

[JDT2Q]

When we did the kitchen in our house about 5 years ago we were told by the floor fitter that installing a cushionfloor type covering on a bitumen covered concrete floor base was not recommended as, eventually, the bitumen will 'bleed through' as dark stains on the newly installed floor covering. I didn't totally believe him but it turns out to be true, they bled through after a few years. We just live with it.

The situation now though is that |I am about to replace the kitchen floor covering on a property we are renovating, and it has a bitumen floor. I have heard that thick brown paper covering will prevent the bleed through. I've been told, by a flooring supplier, that we need to paint the floor with flooring paint to prevent the problem.

What should I do?

[Stuart Noble]

I've seen bitumen bleed through exterior oil paint, so I can't imagine floor paint will be a barrier. I think I might tile the floor.

[Peter Watson]

Plastic sheet?

My kitchen has a concrete floor that appears to have been painted with bitumen and the tiled (vinyl floor tiles). I took these up, put down plastic sheet as a damp barrier then put down felt tiles and laminate flooring strips.