is there a moisture barrier for underneath the floor?

Question

i get a lot of water underneath my house and my kitchen tile grout keeps coming out. my contractor seems to think its because of the moisture. is there something i can put under my house that will help prevent this

Answer 1

Is your home on a crawl space? Is there standing water in the crawl? If so you may need a sump pump installed. If not have vapor barrior installed. Make sure all your vents are open and clear of debris. Also make sure your contractor check to see that you have enough vents.In your home.Have the v/p instaled on the ground to keep the moisture thats in the ground there. Your wood is like a sponge and will suck up moisture. Even in dry conditions the wood can absorb up to 16 gallons of moisture a day leading to things like rot, termites, and ants.

Answer 2

If you have a wood floor and a crawl space under the house, the best and easiest thing to do is to lay a vapor barrier (sheet plastic) on the ground and seal it around the perimeter and any support posts the house has. An alternate approach is to tack (staple) vapor barrier to the underside of the floor joists, again, sealing it around the perimeter and supports. This might cost more, but your contractor should know which approach is better. Also, make sure that all the crawlspace vents are clean so that air can circulate under the house. I assume the floor is insulated.

Answer 3

It might be easier to lift the tile and re-install on a waterproof tile membrane (Home Depot). If it's a concrete floor, it's the only way. If it's a wood floor and there's moisture, you have much more expensive problems to deal with.