I have been laying floors in traditional buildings for over 30 years now and I know that the main problem when converting old buildings is how to bring them up to modern day standards of comfort while maintain the building’s character.

Traditionally stone floors used to be laid directly onto the earth below. Then any moisture that accrued below the floor simply rose to the floor’s surface and evaporated.

If a modern concrete insulated floor with a damp proof membrane (DPM) were to be laid the moisture beneath may still continue to try and rise but cannot now reach the floor’s surface as the DPM forms an impermeable barrier. Instead, it may be pushed towards the walls where it could rise and appear as damp spots.

What is needed is a ‘breathable’ floor and that is where limecrete comes into its own. Limecrete is a mix of natural hydraulic lime (NHL5) and sharp sand.

Glass fibres may also be added to the mix to give a more durable surface.

The advantages of a limecrete floor are:

• It prevents damp penetration
• It provides insulation
• It maintains breathability
• It provides a solid, durable floor
• It is in character with the original building

It is an expensive option, however, and the material is not easy to work with. It does solve the problem of moisture being pushed into the walls, though, by allowing the floor to breathe and remove the moisture naturally.