Rising Damp – Production Recommendation

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Last Post by Majordennisbloodnok 2 years ago

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Mars

(@editor)

Illustrious Member Admin

Joined: 5 years ago

Posts: 3895

Topic starter 06/05/2024 8:30 am

We've noticed some rising damp around a window after this winter. I've looked up solutions, and it typically involves removing the plasterboard and applying treatments. It's not something I'm keen on tackling at the moment. I vaguely remember seeing a product a while ago that involves sanding off the layer of paint in the affected area, applying it, and then painting over it again. Has anyone used a product like this that they can recommend?

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AllyFish

(@allyfish)

Noble Member Contributor

Joined: 3 years ago

Posts: 518

07/05/2024 8:47 am

Hi @editor, a lot of damp is mis-diagnosed as rising. Often it is penetrating damp through the fabric, common in older solid wall properties in the corners of rooms and around (ironically) well sealed airtight windows where lower local indoor air temperatures can reach dew point and form moisture on the adjacent walls promoting mould growth. Can also be damp from excess internal moisture that is condensing on cooler external walls. Be wary of applying internal or external damp treatments - they can prevent the fabric of the building from breathing and naturally drying. I would recommend a specialist check moisture levels for you and recommends a treatment. Have you high humidity inside the room where there's damp?

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Majordennisbloodnok

(@majordennisbloodnok)

Famed Member Moderator

Joined: 4 years ago

Posts: 1339

07/05/2024 9:55 am

Yet another topic I'm not an expert in. Nonetheless, there is something that might be of interest or use.

Some friends of ours had a bit of a damp problem in one room of their Victorian house and spent some significant amount of time and effort researching and getting advice. A lot of that advice involved removal of plaster and injection of a chemical damp proof course at considerable expense. One surveyor, however, who happened to have a lot of experience with heritage buildings and had done a fair bit of work with the National Trust felt the answer to their issue lay in working with the way the building was originally designed. The suggestion given was that they should remove the soil from next to the outside face of the offending wall and then fill that trench with gravel so as to provide quick drainage. That is what they did and the damp problem disappeared.

I hasten to add that was a different property and perhaps even a different problem so I'm not suggesting a solution per se. However, it does feel to me that a bit of work minimising the ability for the moisture to get into your wall instead of some barrier to stop the moisture moving from your wall into your plaster might be a more productive line of enquiry.

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