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Preventing water accumulation on linoleum floor

Q. We have a cabin in northern Vermont that we built in 1990. It is on a cement slab with linoleum flooring over half the floor and indoor/outdoor carpeting over the rest. The flooring is laid directly on the cement. We are having a major problem with water pooling on the linoleum flooring every summer.

It seems to be getting worse as the years pass, and last summer we bought fans to help with the drying. It isn't enough though, and it's becoming a slipping hazard. It usually occurs about the end of July, and lasts for a week or two, then seems to go away.

I spoke with someone at a flooring store, and he said he had not had much luck with using a vapor barrier. I don't understand why the carpet doesn't seem to be wet, nor is it wet on the porch, which is also over the cement. That makes me think it's condensation, but I don't understand the source since by the end of July, the cement is warm.

I would like to replace all the flooring with synthetic wood, but I don't want to proceed until this problem is solved. Can you help?

A. A vapor barrier is not the answer.

The soil under the concrete slab cools off slowly as the cold weather arrives and takes a lot longer to warm up in the spring and summer. By July, moist warm air is condensing on the linoleum floor.

The carpet acts as a sort of insulator, but it may also absorb some moisture and may eventually develop a moldy smell.

As the soil under the slab slowly warms up over the warmer months and the air becomes cooler and drier later on in the summer, condensation is no longer a problem. The outside porch floor is exposed to the ambient air and the soil under it warms up faster than the soil inside the cabin.

Using fans is a good way to help evaporate the condensation, but there is no easy way to end the problem unless you can insulate the floor. If there is room to do so, you could remove the carpet and leave the linoleum on, wait until later in the summer until all condensation is gone and install 1-inch thick XPS rigid insulation (blue or pink boards) over the entire floor. This will, of course, require some adjustment at all doors and may not be possible at the exterior doors.

Cover the insulation with one-half-inch thick plywood fastened to the concrete with power shots or other fasteners, whichever your contractor will suggest, and install the synthetic wood floor of your choice as well as the carpet.

Q. We're experiencing a strong mildew odor emanating from our bathroom - I think it's coming from the tub, but not sure. I've scrubbed the tub and tiles thoroughly and washed the shower curtain in bleach. The odor is still there. Is there a home remedy we can use to get rid of it or will we need to hire an expert?

A. To get rid of the mildew smell, you need to find the source; there may be several:

Water penetration at the joint of the tiles and the tub, if the caulking is failing; at the faucet's escutcheon if the seal is not tight; at the top of the tile wall, as water splashes from the body of the person showering, especially if it is a tall person; at the joint of the tub skirt and the floor.

The joint of the toilet and the floor should also be carefully checked for signs of leakage caused by a failing toilet wax seal.

If the smell is emanating from any of these places, it may eventually cause some structural damage in the walls depending on how long this has been going on. If you cannot detect the source yourselves, you may need the services of an environmental engineer or general contractor familiar with these problems.

Once the source has been identified and taken care of, wet areas behind the tiles may eventually dry and the mildew smell should disappear, but if it does not, try spraying Nok-Out in the bathroom. You can buy Nok-Out at www.nokout.com. Scroll down the left column to Help and click on Contact Us. It is also available in a few stores, if you can find one that carries the product.

Nok-Out works on contact with the offending odor, so spraying directly from its container is not very successful, as its molecules drop to the floor too fast. You need to use an atomizer spray, such as Ava Leisure, for the molecules of Nok-Out to spend more time in suspension in the air. You can buy atomizers in hardware stores or Amazon.

If the mildew smell dos not go away after one heating season, you may be facing a serious problem of decomposing wood inside the walls, which may require extensive repairs.

Q. We recently needed to have some wood floors in our home refinished. This would be the second refinishing of the floors. The first was 15 years after their initial installation in 1993, and then again in 2016. The floors were showing some premature wearing, and our contractor returned recently to buff the floors and apply another coat of sealer. No cost to us, so we were pleased he stood by his work.

Our question is less about the premature wearing, but rather some information that the contractor shared with us last year. We asked to have the floors done with the Synteko Classic sealer as we heard it was the most durable, and we were willing to give it the required drying and curing time. Our contractor indicated he also liked to use the Synteko Classic product because of the durability. He did inform us that due to a federal law of several years ago regarding toxicity, the Synteko Classic formula was not of the same durability of the "original" product from say a decade ago, but he felt it still was among the most durable products on the market.

Is our contractor's information regarding the federal regulations on toxicity on point, and do you have any insights on the Synteko product or its application that may have caused the patches of premature wear?

The areas affected were commonly used areas but not the most trafficked areas.

A. You have a contractor who stands behind his work; it's always good to have.

I am not familiar with Synteko Classic sealer; from what I have found, it seems to be a regional product not available in every state.

It also appears to be solvent-based and requires ventilation. I have also found comments about its noxious smell. I haven't found any mention of federal regulations that would account for what your contractor refers to as a lessening of quality.

The application recommendations I have reviewed specify that it needs to be applied in three thin coats, lightly sanded between the first two (as all sealers should be). Perhaps your contractor didn't apply enough coats, which would account for premature wear.

Sorry, but I can't be more helpful.

• Henri de Marne, a former remodeling contractor turned columnist and consultant, is the author of "About the House with Henri de Marne" (Upper Access Publishing). He continues to take questions from readers for this column and his website, www.henridemarne.com. Email questions to aboutthehouse@gmavt.net.

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