Damp and moisture meters
The report mentions a sheet floor covering next to chipboard by the sink. Has swelling the covering is bridging been tested, or only named?
Swelling that the sheet floor covering is bridging has been named, not tested. The report puts that covering next to chipboard by the sink. Chipboard swells and weakens when it gets wet, and a sheet laid over it can hide the raised edge. The survey did not lift the sheet and did not decide how far any swelling runs. The sink is the location of the note. It is not a test that the waste is leaking. The bridged board stays an unopened observation.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
Chipboard loses strength as the particles take up water, and the edge by a sink is a usual place for that to begin. A sheet covering, stuck or simply laid, bridges the swollen patch so the foot may feel only a gentle rise. The surveyor can see a bump, a split seam or a soft spot at the edge. They cannot see the thickness of wet board under an intact sheet. Naming the bridge warns that the eye was stopped. It does not measure the damage.
Tell the solicitor the covering was not lifted, so nobody should price a new kitchen floor from this sentence. If you need the extent, agree a careful lift of the sheet by the sink and have the exposed chipboard looked at. The survey has not decided that the waste is the source, and it has not cleared the rest of the floor. Do not take the sheet up as a casual experiment and then expect the report to describe what you found.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Was the swelling felt at a seam, or only suspected under an intact sheet?
- How close to the sink did the soft or raised area come?
- Did you see a leak, or only the bridged board?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the bridged swelling as something the sheet still hides.
- Tell the solicitor the covering was not lifted.
- Agree a proper look at the chipboard before anyone prices a new floor.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
Is every sheet floor hiding swollen chipboard?
No. The note is about this covering beside this sink, where swelling is said to be bridged. Other covered floors were not part of the sentence. The survey did not lift this sheet and did not test the board. Do not spread one bridged edge across every floor in the house.
Could the bump be only a ridge in the sheet?
Yes. That is still open. A ridge can be a seam, something trapped under the sheet, or swollen chipboard. The survey named swelling the covering is bridging and did not lift the sheet to check. It has not decided the board is wet. Until the covering is lifted properly, the bump has more than one possible cause.