[Cob] Installing vapor barrier in earthen floor: concerns about moisture wicking into walls

[Brian Ziggy]

Hi there:

I've made the decision to tear out my current earthen floor, which lacks a
vapor barrier and insulation. Here in northeast Missouri, we have extremely
heavy, damp soil, and I've been experiencing a large amount of condensation
and mildew on my floor, possibly from moisture wicking up. Homes with vapor
barriers under earthen floors in this area have done well. I will be
following suit.

I have dug out the entirety of the original floor, exposing the gravel
underneath. The next step is to lay down the (6 mil poly) vapor barrier. I
want to seal it to the urbanite foundation around the perimeter of the
house, but I fear that will send the rising moisture straight into the walls
instead. Is this true? Will we be simply sending our problem elsewhere?

As a note: the foundation is urbanite, on a 18" deep gravel trench. The
foundation is exposed and uninsulated.

Any thoughts about this would be very welcome. Thanks for your time!

- ziggy
www.small-scale.net/yearofmud

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