My new barn is wonderful, nicely built, stays warm, no drafts or leaks. The barn, stalls and indoor are all dirt floor. Come spring, I will be redoing the floors.
However, in the front room the floor is concrete, no cracks, very solid. It is above ground level. During heavy rainstorms, the floor gets damp and wet, but since no water is leaking in I’m not sure how to keep the floor from “sweating”, that’s the best way to describe it. Water isn’t pooling, it just darkens it in parts. It is damp to the touch.
Right now, everything around is is damp because the weather can’t figure out what it wants to be: Spring or Winter, 65* one day or 20* the next.
I’m going to be opening a consignment tack shop in this front room but I’m concerned about the dampness of the floor. I’m putting a dehumidifier in there this morning but I am trying to figure out a more permanent solution.
Any suggestions?
I couldn’t edit so had to add this…
I don’t want to cover the concrete with any flooring and if I seal it, I want something that won’t harm the horses with lingering fumes.
I couldn’t edit so had to add this…
I don’t want to cover the concrete with any flooring and if I seal it, I want something that won’t harm the horses with lingering fumes.
You want to have a floor in a closed up human environment, where only humans, not horses will tread, like a tack shop?
How about tile?
Check prices around, it is not hardly more than concrete stains and sealers.
No I don’t want to put any flooring down in case we do end up wanting to use this area for something else later on. So no flooring, just wanting to deal with something animal safe.
you say this is a new barn, then the moisture maybe no more than the normal curing process of concrete
or this is could be condensation collecting on the cold floor surface
but my guess is when this was built the contractor maybe did not put a vapor barrier under the concrete floor
https://www.concretenetwork.com/vapor-barriers/what-are.html
Dehumidifier and and area rug 
Stall mats?
You have the equal to a foggy windshield. My barn aisle does the same thing when warm air hits it but the floor is still cold.
Try aisle fans if you can, but sometimes when the weather shifts, things just sweat.
Ditto on the condensation. I have an OLD concrete floor (probably 50+ years) that gets condensation in the weather we are having. Cold concrete + warm damp air = condensation on the cold surface.
Stall mats might help if it’s slippery, but I really don’t have other suggestions.
I’d throw vinyl sheet flooring down. You can do a floating installation with no glue if you want it to be temporary and it will also function as a vapor barrier.
Can you find out if a moisture barrier was put down between the concrete and the ground under it? Concrete will absorb water from wet surrounding soil.
Does the roof have gutters and down spouts to send rain water away from the foundation?
If you put down an appropriate vapor barrier on the room side of the concrete you can then put down a ‘click and lock’ floor. It will be easy to maintain and will be easily removed if and when the time comes. If the flooring is taken up carefully it can be used again or sold on to someone who needs it.
Here is an example installed in a basement.
Mine is damp when it’s wet outside and it was also not made with the appropriate grooving for horses to walk on so I have it covered with stall mats. LOTS of mats
As others have said it is caused by ambient temps and humidity levels. This is a “visual” of the meaning “Dew Point”. Not a lot that can be done about it in an space with no “climate control”.
I don’t think the use of a moisture/vapor barrier would make any difference in non climate controlled space. But it should have be installed as a matter of course anyway. Concrete can and does wick moisture from the subsurface/ground.
If this part of the problem and there is no vapor barrier not much can be done other than sheeting with plastic and pour a couple of inches of concrete on top. Some try putting a sealer on top. This doesn’t work for very long “natural forces” will cause it to peal, delaminate.
Concrete can and does have and sweat “salts”. Especially new concrete. Salt acts/is a desiccant attracting water. You could trying giving the surface a good scrubbing/cleaning with an appropriate cleaner. This may cut down on the issue.
