Penetrating damp - DIY solutions?

[Flying machine]

Anyone had any experience of trying to cure this sort of problem?

[anonymous-user]

A few more details may help!

[Vron]

I'd be interested in this - solid walled house, ashphalt / bitumen floors & has an injected DPC. Had all the plaster hacked of to about 1m and a waterproof render a few years ago at the recommendation of a surveyor.

There is damp on interior of one external wall that isn't a massive problem other than there is a 2p sized black mould spot appeared thats going to get worse. The other wall is internal but solid again and here the salts have come out of the plaster and are forcing the wallpaper off. Without wanting to go through the mess of hacking off the plaster agin as that hasn't worked can you paint something on the wall on the inside to seal it?

[Wacky Racer]

Obviously, you need to get to the root of the problem really, but I have had great success in the past by painting on a few coats of "Damp seal".......The damp can't seem to penetrate that....

[eps]

Indeed, more details.

Such as :

Is the damp coming from outside or inside?

Is the wall a cavity one?

Is it due to faulty or blocked up drainpipes or other drainage?

Has anything been done "recently" which may have induced the problem? Such as concreting over an area outside or other building work?

Is there a DPC? Is there a DPM?

What's the age of the property?

etc...

[TooLateForAName]

I would avoid all the damp seal type products. All they do is cover the internal surface which is damp. They do nothing to deal with or cure the underlying problem.

You need to identify the source of the damp and deal with it.

Common issues are condensation, gutters, external ground levels, drains, etc, etc

[shirt]

agree re: damp seal. only use it once the problem has been cured so it doesn't show through the paint.

simple way: get some builders in to quote for a repair. if 3 of the magree on the source then you've cracked it.

first port of call would be guttering. i was chasing a source of damp for ages [ground floor level] which turned out to be due to next door's guttering falling away to the wrong side, creating overspill that ran down my wall and found a few cracks.

[page3]

I think we have a classic case of damp in our two years old's room.



This is on an external wall.
Behind storage boxes.
Opposite the bathroom.
Fairly new double glazing, without vents.
Window used to be locked slightly open, but not since it became the babies room.

This seems (to me) all to point to internal issues and not damp from outside (exterior wall 'looks' fine). Interior wall is cold, but not really wet.

I'm planning on getting a de-humidifier and also to air the room whenever the baby is not asleep there.

Does this all sound sensible or should I be taking any other action?

[Busamav]

>checks calendar for April 1st <

I will take the bait
IF , that really is your babys room , I would move them now and not let them sleep in there untill it is properly cleaned and the problem solved .

You mention about the bathroom being behind that wall ,I would check to see if there is a leak within the bathroom area first off .

[page3]

Busamav said:

>checks calendar for April 1st <

I will take the bait
IF , that really is your babys room , I would move them now and not let them sleep in there untill it is properly cleaned and the problem solved .

You mention about the bathroom being behind that wall ,I would check to see if there is a leak within the bathroom area first off .

Why april fools Looking for honest advise.

The bathroom is not against that wall, but across the hall, directly opposite the room. The wall photographed is an external wall. No other damp anywhere else. The cot is at the far end of the room against an internal wall.

Yes, this is our 2yr old's room. We only discovered the damp today, so are exploring what we can do about it ASAP. One of those courses of action is to ask advice here!

The management agent has already been round, and his opinion is that the outside wall is fine and that the damp is internal.

I will pick up anti-bacterial cleaning agents today on my way home. I can get a de-humidifier tomorrow. For now, we're venting the room and waiting for a builder to come round and give an opinion.

I'm not sure what other action I can take right now.

[Busamav]

So that is the corner of the house...?

Is it at ground floor level and is there a rwp or soil pipe the other side of the wall.

Good luck in getting a speedy solution

[page3]

Busamav said:

So that is the corner of the house...?

Is it at ground floor level and is there a rwp or soil pipe the other side of the wall.

Good luck in getting a speedy solution

Hi, thank for the reply. It really was an honest question

Yes, corner of flat, and ground floor.

Concrete floor. I'm at work right now, but once home intend to pull up some of the wooden flooring to check underneath to see if any damp is there.

We have just had new radiators installed and the boiler fixed, so the flat is much warmer than it used to be. Will check the outside tomorrow, as it will be dark by the time I am home today. A builder is coming round today to check the outside though.

We've moved the cot to the furthest corner of the room, against an internal wall. Hopefully that'll be ok.

[Busamav]

I think bleach would be a good make shift cleanser for that area .

Consider putting the baby in your room for a few nights

[Road2Ruin]

page3 said:

I think we have a classic case of damp in our two years old's room.



This is on an external wall.
Behind storage boxes.
Opposite the bathroom.
Fairly new double glazing, without vents.
Window used to be locked slightly open, but not since it became the babies room.

This seems (to me) all to point to internal issues and not damp from outside (exterior wall 'looks' fine). Interior wall is cold, but not really wet.

I'm planning on getting a de-humidifier and also to air the room whenever the baby is not asleep there.

Does this all sound sensible or should I be taking any other action?

That's a simple one. It's a lack of air circulation and condensation. The corber of a room where two walls meet, particularly two external walls is going to be the coldest part of the room. This will atract condensation, especially if the air is blocked by things placed in front of it, ie boxes, wardrobes etc. Clean the wall down with a mild bleach solution and remove any obstacles in front of it.