Does my wall have damp? (Photos)

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Jgreenplastering said:
The wall paper that was on the wall before, was it bubbling/falling off/peeling before you stripped it and was there anything unusual that you noticed at that section prior to plastering?
Did you notice anything at all?
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No, the wall seemed fine. We're wondering if it could be just be condebsation. That wall is east facing and the other external wall is north facing.
 
radford said:
All good advice but difficult to give advice. The best person to ask would be a local builder familiar with your particular housing stock. Perhaps the cavity is full of debris perhaps that portion of the wall is a cold spot for condensation perhaps the window wasn't fitted correctly ... It could be lots of things hope you get it sorted
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Thank you, this is really really useful.
 
I don't like the look of where the bricks finish in relation to the window sill?
What's stopping any moisture going down at the point where bricks meet (or rather don't) the sill on the reveal?
 
BigK said:
I don't like the look of where the bricks finish in relation to the window sill?
What's stopping any moisture going down at the point where bricks meet (or rather don't) the sill on the reveal?
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Thank you. Yes, we think the window might have been added there at some point in the last 15 years. Would you suggest sealing this with outdoor sealant or cement? The window sill hasn't been painted in years, and the paint is cracked, so I also need to scrape this and repaint which might help too.
 
The exterior ground level looks to high in relation to your internal one.
You should have a minimum of 6 inches from inside down to the outside level.
This could be causing some issues.
Has it dried out at all since your first post?
Also if there is gaps around the window and it's getting in it could drop down the cavity and soak into the internal skin of block work, this would need to happen quite a lot though to cause the damp you have.
Is the very bottom of the wall damp below the plaster?
Why don't you drill a few holes below where the skirting will go and see what you can find?
 
Does look like the damp has been bridged out side, get a screw driver and scrape a small hole where it's damp back to brick if it's soft and pink he has used the wrong backing plaster.
 
If he's skimmed it after an hour you can bet he's used bonding or similar.
Take it off and get it re plastered using the additive 'triple strength medusa' in a sand & cement mix. Then skimmed.
You could put a hose on the back of the wall with that gear in it, your wall won't be damp [emoji3]
 
If the damp is bridged dig a 300mm soak away around the perimeter then hack off inside an do properly like big k says an should be fine hopefully
 
BigK said:
If he's skimmed it after an hour you can bet he's used bonding or similar.
Take it off and get it re plastered using the additive 'triple strength medusa' in a sand & cement mix. Then skimmed.
You could put a hose on the back of the wall with that gear in it, your wall won't be damp [emoji3]
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That's Weber stuff isn't it?
Is it the mutts nutts?
Why isn't it something they use in there Pral etc or is there limits to its use?
 
It's now a weber product but don't think it used to be??
I've not used it in over 15 years, but it is the only waterproofer I have ever used that has totally repelled ALL water.
Should be used in all scratch coats where no suction is required imo.
It's the mutts mutts alright
 
Is the wall north facing ?

Personally if I was you I would get a dehumidifier, I am sure you might be able to borrow one from a relative or friend if not try your local hire shop.
Leave it running in the room for a few days and see if it dries out.

Personally I think the problem is you need air bricks to vent the cavity, looked at a similar job a year or two back the house had no cavity ventilation and had a damp band below the physical DPC. I recommended they fitted some air bricks.

But try the cheapest option first. Also please don't get cavity insulation it will cause more hassle and damp, instead internally dab insulated plasterboard to your external walls to bring up the ambient temperature and make sure you have a minimum of 270mm of loft insulation.
 
Hello, me again! So, I had three different damp specialists out to look at our bathroom wall (we've been working on our living room and kitchen so bathroom work got put on hold). 1st one said the problem was penetrative damp, with water coming in from the external window sill. Second one said that was rubbish, and it was definitely rising damp. Third one said it was neither and was condensation! In the end we ended up getting a specialist to drill into the brick to test the moisture content of the bricks to see what the problem is. Turns out the bricks are bone dry and thankfully it's just condensation. The damp company have recommended that we either take the plaster off, put a breathable membrane on and then replaster; or just tile the bathroom. The problem is we've discovered with it being autumn now (we moved in in April) that the bathroom is the coldest room on earth, so tiling or putting a membrane on won't help with the cold problem. Could we just take the plaster off and put insulated plasterboard on to that external wall. Would that stop the condensation problem? Or is there any other solution? Any advice gratefully received!
 
BigK said:
What ventilation is in the bathroom?


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Just a window, that we open when we shower/bathe, but when we remove the plaster we're going to install an extractor fan to help deal with the excess moisture.
 
Mechanical ventilation is essential at any condensation point, is there a rad in bathroom? Any reason so cold other than damp.

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Re plaster however takes your fancy, that's not the problem, as paddy says proper ventilation is essential.


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paddy5 said:
Mechanical ventilation is essential at any condensation point, is there a rad in bathroom? Any reason so cold other than damp.

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There is a radiator on the wall that has the condensation problem. Makes no difference whether the radiator is on or not to the problem. It's an uninsulated external north east facing wall on part of the property which doesn't receive much sunlight, meaning the wall is very cold. Agree proper ventilation is required but won't help with problem of cold wall.
 
You will find it warmer once damp is removed, bathrooms can be tricky to Insulate internally as ware ,plumbing etc , might require refitting and replumbing , expensive .....if you intend new white ware tilling etc. that would be a good opportunity to perhaps go with insulated linning to problematic wall, go with the best ventilation practice first though, inline fans etc. Worked of light switch with delayed shut down are way to go.

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The combination of no ventilation and a cold wall is the cause of condensation here.
As the others have said insulate this wall and put a decent extractor in and that should solve it.
 
In your photo is that a pipe where the wall to floor junction is ? looks like an old lead pipe ?
 
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