Covering up a damp interior wall ...
Dave L
There's a wall in my house that has been damp all the time I've owned
the place. The damp can be felt up to a height of 4 ft or so. It has
not been a problem for me because I painted it with damp-block paint.
However, I now want to sell the property and I want to cover up the
problem as best I can, so that it won't show up when prodded with a
resistance tester. I don't have the time to try and cure the damp at
it's source. Instead, I'm thinking about nailing damp-proofed battens
to the wall and applying plasterboard to the battens - thus ending up
with a wall that is completely dry on the surface, even when prodded
with a resistance tester. Is this plasterboard-cladding idea commonly
done, and is it efffective?
Thank you,
Dave
BigWallop
"Dave L" <Pro...@nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:41ac6eed...@news.individual.net...
Covering the damp up isn't really a fix. You need to find out where the
damp is coming from and fix that.
Is there a wall butted against the damp wall? Make sure the joint is water
tight between the two walls, and that water isn't lying against the wall
that's damp.
Is the ground level outside at the height, or just below, where the damp is
appearing? Remove the excess soil or rockery planting area that is sited
against the wall, this is more than likely the cause of moisture transfer
through the wall.
Is the roof properly water tight and the guttering doing its job correctly?
Check that water isn't running down the wall from where it should go into a
roof guttering system. Make sure roofing covering is properly water tight
and that any tiling or sealing system is fully intact and working properly.
Etc. Etc. Etc. Don't just try to cover it all up. It won't make it go away.
Dave L
Thanks for your suggestions. The guttering is not sending water down
the wall. It's a very old house with cavity walls but no DPC. The
ground level outside is about where it should be. The outside of the
brickwork is painted in Dulux Weathershield, so there is not likely to
be any rain getting through that. It looks like rising damp.
But does the damp really matter if it's not getting through to the
interior once I install my proposed plasterboard cladding idea?
Dave
BigWallop
> >>
> >>Etc. Etc. Etc. Don't just try to cover it all up. It won't make it go
away.
>
> Thanks for your suggestions. The guttering is not sending water down
> the wall. It's a very old house with cavity walls but no DPC. The
> ground level outside is about where it should be. The outside of the
> brickwork is painted in Dulux Weathershield, so there is not likely to
> be any rain getting through that. It looks like rising damp.
>
> But does the damp really matter if it's not getting through to the
> interior once I install my proposed plasterboard cladding idea?
>
> Dave
>
Once you install your interior cladding idea, your sealing the damp off
from being evaporated into the surrounding air of room. Once sealed off, it
will stink like the devils breath if it is allowed to grow mould in still
air.
This type of damp needs plenty ventilation to stop it getting worse. You
close off the vent, you make the problem worse. Even paints coverings can
create a seal that holds moisture in the wall. This could cause the stone
work to become soft and begin to crumble.
Have you had the floors checked to see if they cross to the outside wall?
This could cause dampness to climb the wall.
Is the under floor dry? Are there any leaking drainage pipes in the area?
Do you have a leak in the original heating system?
You say that the soil outside is in the right place. But is it? Have you
try digging away some soil to see what's behind it against the wall?
Digging some of the soil away and laying roofing felt against the wall, then
back fill the soil to hold it, may help keep water from lying against the
wall and climbing up.
There is more to it than just blowing it with a hairdryer and painting it.
Get to the cause and repair it.
Dave L
<spam.guard@_spam_guard.com> wrote:
>>Once you install your interior cladding idea, your sealing the damp off
>>from being evaporated into the surrounding air of room.
It is already sealed off with damp-block paint. However, if you are
saying that this will not be a perfect seal in every square inch of
the wall, then you may be right...
>> Once sealed off, it
>>will stink like the devils breath if it is allowed to grow mould in still
>>air.
>>
>>This type of damp needs plenty ventilation to stop it getting worse. You
>>close off the vent, you make the problem worse. Even paints coverings can
>>create a seal that holds moisture in the wall. This could cause the stone
>>work to become soft and begin to crumble.
That's how it's been for the past 12 years. No case of "all fall down"
as yet.. ;-)
>>Have you had the floors checked to see if they cross to the outside wall?
>>This could cause dampness to climb the wall.
Yes. It's a suspended floor and the joists only enter the inside skin
of the cavity wall.
>>Is the under floor dry?
No, it's very damp under the floor along the wall which is affected
with the damp. The middle of the under-floor area however, is dry.
>>Are there any leaking drainage pipes in the area?
That's a possibility that I hadn't considered. How would I find out
without digging up the road outside? ;-)
>>Do you have a leak in the original heating system?
No - it didn't have a heating system when I first discovered the
problem.
>>You say that the soil outside is in the right place. But is it? Have you
>>try digging away some soil to see what's behind it against the wall?
No - because it's very hard tarmac (council pavement).
>>Digging some of the soil away and laying roofing felt against the wall, then
>>back fill the soil to hold it, may help keep water from lying against the
>>wall and climbing up.
But water climbing up the outside skin of the cavity shouldn;t affect
the inside skin and the interior of the house, should it?
>>Get to the cause and repair it.
I'd like to... but it seems very hard to determine the cause. It's not
obvious at all...
Thanks again,
Dave L
stuart noble
Dave L wrote in message <41aca6a...@news.individual.net>...
>The outside of the
>brickwork is painted in Dulux Weathershield, so there is not likely to
>be any rain getting through that
I wouldn't be so sure. Painted bricks give you the worst of both worlds. Not
enough of a barrier to prevent rain getting in, but enough to delay it
getting back out.
Solvent based masonry paints are more effective than water based.
>It looks like rising damp.
Difficult to tell the difference because the lower part of the wall is
usually the wettest, whatever the source.
>But does the damp really matter if it's not getting through to the
>interior once I install my proposed plasterboard cladding idea?
If you're going that route, I'd put plastic sheet between the wall and the
battens, and leave a small gap top and bottom to allow air up behind the
plasterboard. Probably not a permanent fix though.
coherers
>
> However, I now want to sell the property and I want to cover up the
> problem as best I can, so that it won't show up when prodded with a
> resistance tester.
Hmmmmm......
If you deliberately conceal defects (as opposed to just failing to mention
them) , this could have unexpected consequences when discovered by the new
owner.
Scott
"coherers" <nos...@deathtoallspammers.com> wrote in message
news:iS3rd.26791$up1....@text.news.blueyonder.co.uk...
And how would they prove that he did it and not the previous bloke?
Brad Jeavons
What consequences, exactly? Isn't it down to the buyer and his
surveyor (if any) to detect faults. Surely, the responsibility is on
the buyer and his agents rather than the seller, no? There is no law
requiring a seller to disclose everything that might be construed as
an undesirable feature of the property, is there?
BJ
Cicero
> >>You say that the soil outside is in the right place. But is it? Have
you
> >>try digging away some soil to see what's behind it against the wall?
>
> No - because it's very hard tarmac (council pavement).
>
<snipped>
> Thanks again,
>
> Dave L
>
===============
This is quite possibly the source of your problem. When pavements are
refurbished they tend to gain some height and yours could have grown by
several inches over the years.
Try to trace the brick courses from the problem wall around the house to a
'good' wall at the side or rear of your house. Compare the height of the
ground at the side or rear with the height of the pavement on the problem
side. If there's an obvious discrepancy you *might* have the source of the
problem and you *might* have a legitimate claim against the Council.
Also check to see if the pavement drains correctly - away from your house.
Cic.
BigWallop
"Scott" <n...@thanks.com> wrote in message
news:1c5rd.108$Ky1...@newsfe5-gui.ntli.net...
Because it should be apparent to the existing owner who sold the house. And
who didn't mention it when it was being sold by them. Damp doesn't lie in
waiting for you to sell the house. :-))
John Rumm
> And how would they prove that he did it and not the previous bloke?
the date printed on the plasterboard?
--
Cheers,
John.
/=================================================================\
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Scott
Sounds like a plan Dave...
A friend of mine managed to get what was essentially tin foil wall paper and
you glue it on with a nasty acrylic type glue then wallpaper over. He is
still living there and I think it has solved* the problem.
I noticed a very similar material on an outside wall in this place - looks
like it has been removed though
*well stopped the damp coming into his flat, probably pushed it onto someone
else though obviously not solved it at all.
>
> Thank you,
>
> Dave
BigWallop
"Brad Jeavons" <July...@dancinEcamera.com> wrote in message
news:41ace37d...@news.individual.net...
Yes, there is.
Scott
"BigWallop" <spam.guard@_spam_guard.com> wrote in message
news:ID5rd.26958$up1....@text.news.blueyonder.co.uk...
But it is rarely enforced. I would be more expecting the surveyor to pick
it up. We have a dry lined wall here. The surveyor when we bought didn't
spot it, now I'm selling it it was spotted.
I was told that it is due to the wall being north facing and cold and hence
suffered condensation. Now that could be true, but then again how do I
know? The room always smelt musy until I opened up the fireplace - it is
now ok.
Having just sold the sellers disclosure's forms they are pretty limited in
the depth of what they ask.
Scott
"John Rumm" <see.my.s...@nowhere.null> wrote in message
news:41ace4a5$0$50863$ed26...@ptn-nntp-reader01.plus.net...
> Scott wrote:
>
> > And how would they prove that he did it and not the previous bloke?
>
> the date printed on the plasterboard?
Now that would be funny
coherers
>
> Because it should be apparent to the existing owner who sold the house.
And
> who didn't mention it when it was being sold by them. Damp doesn't lie in
> waiting for you to sell the house. :-))
>
Yup. And any "fix" like this will quickly deteriorate ( I know - I have
tried to cover up a similar damp problem). So if it looked spanking new when
they bought it but is mouldy within six months they can be pretty sure that
the previous owner tarted it up.
Owain
| A friend of mine managed to get what was essentially tin foil
| wall paper and you glue it on with a nasty acrylic type glue
| then wallpaper over.
Metallic foil wall paper would solve the problem anyway, as it would
completely invalidate any readings of dampness by a meter.
Mind you, might knock more off the house value on taste grounds than the
damp would.
Owain
coherers
"Owain" <owain...@stirlingcity.co.uk> wrote in message
news:110189857...@doris.uk.clara.net...
> Metallic foil wall paper would solve the problem anyway, as it would
> completely invalidate any readings of dampness by a meter.
>
Unfortunately, the average muppet using a Protimeter would assume the
readings indicated a damp level of 100000% MC and decide the house was
actually under water.