Is it worthwhile installing a damp proof membrane when I build a concrete base for a metal shed? The concrete base will be the actual shed floor.
- posted
16 years ago
Is it worthwhile installing a damp proof membrane when I build a concrete base for a metal shed? The concrete base will be the actual shed floor.
Definitely.
Never make things damper than they need to be.
You don't tell us how big a shed and what you're going to use it for, and also what the subsoil is like.
Apart from the cost of the membrane material, peanuts in relation to the whole package, the only work required is to blind the surface the concrete is going to go onto. Unless this is a huge shed for cows or the likes, then I can't see what the problem is.
Get on with and don't be a mean lazy git. :>)
Rob
I would suggest yes, but you also need to consider how you intend shedding the rain which might run down the outside walls and then track into the shed along the concrete base.
Thanks for all the tips, a membrane it is then. The manufacturers recommend sealing the base to shed with mastic to stop ingress of water from the outside walls. Also the base will be about 10cm longer and wider than the shed, I will also have gravel around the base as a way of draining the water. It will be used mainly for storing garden machinery.
If rain is falling on the external concrete, it will still soak through the concrete mass and dampen the whole slab. You might wish to either add a waterproofing additive to the concrete mix, or else saturate the external apron with Thompsons WaterSeal or similar.
Concrete - as opposed to screed - is relatively waterproof.
It will dry out as fast as it gets in probably.
I've always avoided this problem by building a dense concrete block wall a block or two high, pouring the concrete inside it (with dpm) and then sitting the shed on the wall with a dpm and suitable drip arrangements. A bit more work but it avoids the problems the OP is finding and gives a floor that is guaranteed to be dry. It also saves me the hassle of trying to arrange shuttering for the concrete pad.
Rob
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