Not drying at base of wall

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hardya1

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After 9 weeks the plaster at the base of walls still looks and feels damp/wet following dpc, thermotek outside and waterproof rendering onto bare brick inside.

Could this have anything to do with the fact that the dpc is above floor level, which I only now realise is probably unavoidable. Turns out however that this is allowed according to the t&c.

The salts have stopped coming through now the rest of the wall seems OK. We engaged the firm to advise on a solution not to request dpc. They advised fitting a dpc (third to be fitted in 20 years). Ought they to have advised on lowering our overbuilt drive way or cutting a channel in it? Ought they to have made it clear verbally that dpc would be above floor level and what the consequences of that might be.

Why is the waterproof rendering not preventing this damp at the base? Should the skirting boards have been removed when the waterproof rendering was applied? They were not. Will this ultimately dry out after the stipulated apparently contractual 9 months?

Any advice? thanks.
 

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could just need more time to dry out. Is it a cavity wall ? did they check it was clear ?
 
OK, hopefully then. It's a non cavity wall. Time to dry is 1 month per inch thick, so they say minimum 12 months.

You think we can paint all but the bit at the bottom?
 
Get a fan heater on it? If the plaster becomes damp again then that’s the time to start worrying
 
Where the skirting boards taken off before the plastering dpc work commenced and, if they were, were they refitted with mechanical fixings ie screws or nails or were they stuck on with a no nails adhesive?
 
OK, hopefully then. It's a non cavity wall. Time to dry is 1 month per inch thick, so they say minimum 12 months.

You think we can paint all but the bit at the bottom?
i always advise a 3 month drying out period before painting with a non vinyl matt emulsion. just hang on till its all dried the same colour
 
OK, hopefully then. It's a non cavity wall. Time to dry is 1 month per inch thick, so they say minimum 12 months.

You think we can paint all but the bit at the bottom?
If you use crown matt obliterating paint you will have no problem, its formulated for painting over wet plaster, look at the spec on the tub, available at crown decorating centres mcphersons eclipse does the same job,
 
Thanks everyone for all the advice. Really appreciate it.

raggles, skirting boards were not removed, but they say this is not a problem as no bridging plaster was present.

tcd, we have been told not to paint the damp bits.
 
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I have to say I do find the whole dpc plaster etc thing very confusing. Someone else has told me they should not have put the dpc above floor level and that the driveway is over built and the better solution would be to take the drive way back to how it was or at least have drainage channels cut. The contractor who did the dpc says the driveway levels are fine, t&c says fine dpc above floor.

They said lightly sand off salts, others say there should be no salts if they did it right, others say NEVER sand the plaster, ONLY ever brush off salts with hand.

Paint after 6 weeks, 12 months to dry, don't paint over damp, do paint over damp, remove skirting, don't remove skirting. If the dpc is above floor and there is no waterproof render behind the skirting, how is that part of the wall protected from damp? I am so confused.

It seems to me that in dpc there is not much clarity in cause, effect, solution, prognosis, etc etc.

Against one personality one has to take a large pictures view.

1. Get someone in.
2. Wait 12 months.
3. Damp? Get them back.

Nothing else.

Except it does seem there is necessary critical work to be done a critical way by the occupier after their work.

Oh well!
 
You've been ripped off it's should be dry in days a week at most they have not fixed the problem, I don't actually understand what they have done if they didn't remove the skirting?
 
What does this all mean?

Surveyor:

"As discussed with your wife and your self onsite, the wall will take a minimum of 1 month per inch of wall to dry therefore the walls we treated will take approximately 12 month to dry. (Me: 12 months before painting was not mentioned on site)

Please don't paint the damp areas until they have dried properly. (Me: visibly or 12 months?)

The drive way levels are ok. (Me: how, in what way? Dpc is above floor but could be below floor if the drive way built over old drive way right up to or slightly over air bricks was removed)

The walls should not be sanded unless they have a texture finish from the salting throughout the drying period. If so they should be sanded very lightly with a very fine grit sand paper before painting.

As discussed at survey the skirting boards could not be removed due to the pipe work fitted along side the skirting boards.(me: only one wall of three has pipes) This is not a problem as no bridging plaster was present. (Me: what does this mean?)

... the plasterer is coming to re skim the areas tomorrow, then we will be in touch to settle the outstanding invoice"
 
What does this all mean?

Surveyor:

"As discussed with your wife and your self onsite, the wall will take a minimum of 1 month per inch of wall to dry therefore the walls we treated will take approximately 12 month to dry. (Me: 12 months before painting was not mentioned on site)

Please don't paint the damp areas until they have dried properly. (Me: visibly or 12 months?)

The drive way levels are ok. (Me: how, in what way? Dpc is above floor but could be below floor if the drive way built over old drive way right up to or slightly over air bricks was removed)

The walls should not be sanded unless they have a texture finish from the salting throughout the drying period. If so they should be sanded very lightly with a very fine grit sand paper before painting.

As discussed at survey the skirting boards could not be removed due to the pipe work fitted along side the skirting boards.(me: only one wall of three has pipes) This is not a problem as no bridging plaster was present. (Me: what does this mean?)

... the plasterer is coming to re skim the areas tomorrow, then we will be in touch to settle the outstanding invoice"

Where exactly did they install the DPC? Both in relation to the internal floor and the drive outside?

What's the floor, concrete?
 
The surveyor just says 150mm above ground.

My measuring says 200mm above the drive way at the back of the property and 240mm above the drive way at the front of the property along the same length of wall. They installed the dpc in a line of mortar, the next line of mortar down would have violated their 150mm (or n?below floor which ever is higher) above ground rule that's in their t&c.

All along the wall the dpc is about 90mm or 100mm aprox above the floor level.

They did dpc along a length that incorporates 3 rooms all with the same floor level.

Kitchen concrete and tiles
Utility room concrete
Living room floor boards and laminate.

Hope that helps.
 
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The surveyor just says 150mm above ground.

My measuring says 200mm above the drive way at the back of the property and 240mm above the drive way at the front of the property along the same length of wall. They installed the dpc in a line of mortar, the next line of mortar down would have violated their 150mm (or n?below floor which ever is higher) above ground rule that's in their t&c.

All along the wall the dpc is about 90mm or 100mm aprox above the floor level.

They did dpc along a length that incorporates 3 rooms all with the same floor level.

Kitchen concrete and tiles
Utility room concrete
Living room floor boards and laminate.

Hope that helps.

So essentially, they chipped off the plaster from in line with the skirting, up to waist height, inserted DPC one course above the skirting, re-rendered with waterproof plaster, then skimmed it in.

That about it?

I'm confused about the skirting.

They do anything externally?
 
No not waist height, 1.5m.

No, dpc was installed outside. Also thermotek outside.

No, dpc was installed "about" one course above floor not above skirting ("about" 90mm).

Yes, re-rendered with waterproof and salt preventing render, then plastered / skimmed.

Skirting was not removed for reasons surveyor gave, see quote. In two rooms it would have been possible, not in kitchen, had pipes.

The plastering was subcontracted. The same firm did non dpc related plastering for us with which we a pretty happy.

Hope that answers the questions.
 
No not waist height, 1.5m.

No, dpc was installed outside. Also thermotek outside.

No, dpc was installed "about" one course above floor not above skirting ("about" 90mm).

Yes, re-rendered with waterproof and salt preventing render, then plastered / skimmed.

Skirting was not removed for reasons surveyor gave, see quote. In two rooms it would have been possible, not in kitchen, had pipes.

The plastering was subcontracted. The same firm did non dpc related plastering for us with which we a pretty happy.

Hope that answers the questions.

So the internal plaster was removed from the top of the skirting to a height of 1.5m and redone.

And the DPC was installed 250mm above the finished floor height.

Or about 100 mm above your skirting.

That it?
 
"
My measuring says 200mm above the drive way at the back of the property and 240mm above the drive way at the front of the property along the same length of wall. They installed the dpc in a line of mortar, the next line of mortar down would have violated their 150mm (or n?below floor which ever is higher) above ground rule that's in their t&c.

All along the wall the dpc is about 90mm or 100mm aprox above the floor level."
 
Not really no. I'm not sure where I'm going wrong in my description.

Please try to be clear and differentiate between floor and drive.

Where off the internal floor is the dpc and where is that in relation to the skirting?
 
The dpc is "about" 100mm above the floor.

The height of the skirting from the bottom where it touches the floor to its top is "about" 120mm, slight variation each room.
 
The dpc is "about" 100mm above the floor.

The height of the skirting from the bottom where it touches the floor to its top is "about" 120mm, slight variation each room.
`
Ah... so the drive isn't above floor level?
 
Correct.

At the front the dpc is 240mm above the driveway and 90mm above the floor.

therefore

"drive isn't above floor level"
 
It's a fn bodge ,it's a fn bodge , surveyor is a generic term, no more surveyor than a fn teddy bear, bigger con than double glazed salesman , don't let him return to skim .
 
What does this all mean?

Surveyor:

"As discussed with your wife and your self onsite, the wall will take a minimum of 1 month per inch of wall to dry therefore the walls we treated will take approximately 12 month to dry. (Me: 12 months before painting was not mentioned on site)

Please don't paint the damp areas until they have dried properly. (Me: visibly or 12 months?)

The drive way levels are ok. (Me: how, in what way? Dpc is above floor but could be below floor if the drive way built over old drive way right up to or slightly over air bricks was removed)

The walls should not be sanded unless they have a texture finish from the salting throughout the drying period. If so they should be sanded very lightly with a very fine grit sand paper before painting.

As discussed at survey the skirting boards could not be removed due to the pipe work fitted along side the skirting boards.(me: only one wall of three has pipes) This is not a problem as no bridging plaster was present. (Me: what does this mean?)

... the plasterer is coming to re skim the areas tomorrow, then we will be in touch to settle the outstanding invoice"
Is one inch in depth or height ? Can't see the calculations that led to 12 months ,
 
The wall is probably soaked through , the on,y solution would of been to hack it off, let it dry out ,then re plaster with sand and cement ,
 
I can't understand what a reskim would do anyway.
Another 2mm of plaster ,how many extra weeks to dry that out , skim only adds moisture to this situation, a job a friend of mine had done, the 'surveyor ' returned to site and asked what did you plaster the sand and cement with ,he said they used multi , the surveyor said,that's your problem then, he asked the 'surveyor ' what should they have used ' no answer but multi was wrong
 
Another 2mm of plaster ,how many extra weeks to dry that out , skim only adds moisture to this situation, a job a friend of mine had done, the 'surveyor ' returned to site and asked what did you plaster the sand and cement with ,he said they used multi , the surveyor said,that's your problem then, he asked the 'surveyor ' what should they have used ' no answer but multi was wrong

Everest have surveyors like that. They're cahoots with the salesmen.... Everyone is happy until the brickies and/or plasterers turn up and find out what's been promised to the customer and only a day to do it.
 
Damp proof man or gang turn up, cover furniture,remove carpets ,remove skirting ,arkithrave maybe , hack off, apply 3/1 coat ,then apply 4/1 coat ,float it in ,skim it at 1/2pm, skirting nailed back on by 3.30/ 4 carpets back down,quick hover ,job done ,

This I would never allow in my house or job, never would leave the skirting on either , the correct thing would of been a plumber or competent person caps the pipes off , skirting is removed ,do your protection of flooring and furniture hack it off, render with the appropriate material and additive, float it up, clean up and return another day to skim , the skirting should really be renewed,painting on the inside to protect it, the skirting should go on when the wall has properly dried , it's cash and grab basically, a step up or below the gypos,not sure which
 
I am a simple man, though I have had experience of injected dpc and the remedial plastering etc.
It has always struck me that “damp” is essentially a little bit of water, whilst “wet” is a bit more of the same (“moist” is quite another thing....heh,heh).....
If a thing was “wet”, you would simply stop the source of the water.....the thing would begin to dry, becoming “damp” in the process, then eventually drying out completely.
So, find the water source, fix it.
 
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