damp
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pftmonojetman
Private Member
If theres any damp on a wall that wants curing first before plastering, There will be a reason its wet, maybe the cavity is full of crap or the outside flagging/path whatever is bridging the dpc. No amount of plastering on its own will cure damp. If your going to use dri-coat stop the damp first mate,
What's causing the damp? Would be better to sort out the problem first before skimming. I did an extension a couple of months back. The plumber had left what was once the outside tap still plumbed in so it could be used by the builder etc.
It was now situated in the hallway of the extension and the bulider had simply boarded around it. Everybody had just let it p*ss over the floor and the plasterboard was in a pretty bad state with black patches of damp all around the tap.
I got the plumber to disconnect the tap before I skimmed the wall, filled the hole with a bit dri-wall adhesive I had knocking around in the van (useful stuff Â
) and then coated the whole area with Wickes Bonding agent. When I went back the next day the wall was as dry as sandpaper and ready to skim. It took me a week to skim the whole extension so I got to see the area once it'd dried out. Lovely job, no sign of the damp.
The point is the WBA sealed the damp etc but the cause of the problem was also removed. I always keep some of the stuff now for things like that. I wouldn't have trusted PVA to get the same result.
Sorry to waffle on....I've had a few ciders....hope this makes sense :-[ ;D
It was now situated in the hallway of the extension and the bulider had simply boarded around it. Everybody had just let it p*ss over the floor and the plasterboard was in a pretty bad state with black patches of damp all around the tap.
I got the plumber to disconnect the tap before I skimmed the wall, filled the hole with a bit dri-wall adhesive I had knocking around in the van (useful stuff Â
) and then coated the whole area with Wickes Bonding agent. When I went back the next day the wall was as dry as sandpaper and ready to skim. It took me a week to skim the whole extension so I got to see the area once it'd dried out. Lovely job, no sign of the damp.The point is the WBA sealed the damp etc but the cause of the problem was also removed. I always keep some of the stuff now for things like that. I wouldn't have trusted PVA to get the same result.
Sorry to waffle on....I've had a few ciders....hope this makes sense :-[ ;D
i know what your saying about fixing the problem first, ive all ready mentioned this to the customer. its only a small bit of damp below a window say 5cm long and 2cm wide, the window probably needs sealing with silcone. what about using ''Liquid Damp Proof Membrane'' on the wall before plastering
B
bigsegs
Guest
why not buy a mastic gun and a tube of mastic?
you seem stuck on the 'seal it in and hope it goes away' idea...
that could be any number of things...heres a few examples...
any trickle vents on the window? if not it could easily be condensation running off the window board...improbable but possible...
was the cill gunned (sealed) onto the window frame on fitting? many a window fitter will tell u 'i never bother, never had a problem' usually cos the companies gone bust long ago...capillary action will draw water up the gap...
ive seen windows with the cill screwed on and gunned up only to be fitted in the cavity so the weight of the window forces the rear of the cill down, the front up and the water has only one place to go...backwards...
maybe theres a gap at the window edge of the windowboard and the cavity has been rendered up (yes people do do that sort of thing) and the water is just tracking back towards the room...
any sign of wetness either present or previous on the windowboard itself?
a good way to test a fix is to draw a pencil line round the offending area, fix it and leave it a week...if the damp shrinks you can usually call it fixed (assuming its rained that week) if not give the whole area a good soaking with a hosepipe - usually finds anything
btw there are loads of other possibilities...cavity bridging, incorrect lintels, even a badly pointed verge above or maybe the window above has its cill tipped back and the water is tracking...sound implausible? trust me ive seen in happen more than once...specially where they were once box sash and are now fitted in the face brick...
it cant be that much of a job anyway skimming under a window 5cm wide?
the waterproofing additives found in render and the like are there to stop salts being drawn into the new work and to hold back any remaining water in the walls till its had a chance to dry out naturally (can take months and months) NOT as a 1st line of defence against damp problems...
there are products designed that way, but theyre pretty large scale and more for basements/below ground situaltions...
you need to fix the 'leak' cos thats what it sounds like...not 'damp' as in 'rising damp'
you seem stuck on the 'seal it in and hope it goes away' idea...
that could be any number of things...heres a few examples...
any trickle vents on the window? if not it could easily be condensation running off the window board...improbable but possible...
was the cill gunned (sealed) onto the window frame on fitting? many a window fitter will tell u 'i never bother, never had a problem' usually cos the companies gone bust long ago...capillary action will draw water up the gap...
ive seen windows with the cill screwed on and gunned up only to be fitted in the cavity so the weight of the window forces the rear of the cill down, the front up and the water has only one place to go...backwards...
maybe theres a gap at the window edge of the windowboard and the cavity has been rendered up (yes people do do that sort of thing) and the water is just tracking back towards the room...
any sign of wetness either present or previous on the windowboard itself?
a good way to test a fix is to draw a pencil line round the offending area, fix it and leave it a week...if the damp shrinks you can usually call it fixed (assuming its rained that week) if not give the whole area a good soaking with a hosepipe - usually finds anything
btw there are loads of other possibilities...cavity bridging, incorrect lintels, even a badly pointed verge above or maybe the window above has its cill tipped back and the water is tracking...sound implausible? trust me ive seen in happen more than once...specially where they were once box sash and are now fitted in the face brick...
it cant be that much of a job anyway skimming under a window 5cm wide?
the waterproofing additives found in render and the like are there to stop salts being drawn into the new work and to hold back any remaining water in the walls till its had a chance to dry out naturally (can take months and months) NOT as a 1st line of defence against damp problems...
there are products designed that way, but theyre pretty large scale and more for basements/below ground situaltions...
you need to fix the 'leak' cos thats what it sounds like...not 'damp' as in 'rising damp'
B
bigsegs
Guest
btw whether its plastic or timber or even steel window you could still have similar problems... :
its not even forced to be the window...
i find the hosepipe trick invaluable in these situations....specially as you can direct it...
its not even forced to be the window...
i find the hosepipe trick invaluable in these situations....specially as you can direct it...
B
bigsegs
Guest
would i be right in assuming that is a timber window/sash...fitted with a single/double glazed unit but backed up with a rubber wedge gasket?? top hung with the window board above the closing edge?
if it is..1 im not surprised lookin at it it looks a bodge....2 give us pic of the outside, both closed and open..has it got a cill or a concrete cill??
it just looks wrong...totally wrong...maybe its the pic?
btw my neck hurts...
if it is..1 im not surprised lookin at it it looks a bodge....2 give us pic of the outside, both closed and open..has it got a cill or a concrete cill??
it just looks wrong...totally wrong...maybe its the pic?
btw my neck hurts...
B
bigsegs
Guest
btw it could still be anything...but if im right in my assumption that the window is a bodge...then god knows what else...building regs etc are there for a bloody good reason (even though i think theyre takin the michael with the insulation (though yes it does work))..
theres a right way and a wrong way..
theres a right way and a wrong way..
B
bigsegs
Guest
window board looks a bit narrow? how thick are the walls? e.g. 275mm (newbuild, prolly not!), 250mm (80's 90's cavity), 225mm(9" solid wall, identified by a row of headers every 3 or 5 course)...
9" solid....possible ingress....ill put money on the window bein the problem though...it aint risin damp thats 90 percent definate...
9" solid....possible ingress....ill put money on the window bein the problem though...it aint risin damp thats 90 percent definate...
B
bigsegs
Guest
no i dont think you should plaster it!!! why?? whats the problem with the plaster?
the problem is the wall is wet...re skimming it wont solve it...skim it if you like but the problem will still be there....in fact for gods sake dont tell em youll fix the wet wall till you know where its comin from...
reading from what youve said my next estimated guess would be water driving(in wind) or seeping(capillary action) under the frame
and under the window board manifesting itself in the easiest possible location...could be soaking in, dropping down the cavity then tracking through snots...
have you gunned between the bricks and the window good seal, dry both surfaces, low modulus silicon (high movement)
if so give it a good 5 minutes direct with the hosepipe, if you aint fixed it believe me youll know....
if nothing happens after the hosepipe do the pencil line trick and come back in a week..if its shruck then skim it...but dont forget to charge for your time and expertise....a damp proofing company would prolly have hacked the wall off, injected it, replastered it THEN realised the problem, quick fix and 2 grand ta very much...
sorry dp companies..but your only as good as your surveyor..
the problem is the wall is wet...re skimming it wont solve it...skim it if you like but the problem will still be there....in fact for gods sake dont tell em youll fix the wet wall till you know where its comin from...
reading from what youve said my next estimated guess would be water driving(in wind) or seeping(capillary action) under the frame
and under the window board manifesting itself in the easiest possible location...could be soaking in, dropping down the cavity then tracking through snots...
have you gunned between the bricks and the window good seal, dry both surfaces, low modulus silicon (high movement)
if so give it a good 5 minutes direct with the hosepipe, if you aint fixed it believe me youll know....
if nothing happens after the hosepipe do the pencil line trick and come back in a week..if its shruck then skim it...but dont forget to charge for your time and expertise....a damp proofing company would prolly have hacked the wall off, injected it, replastered it THEN realised the problem, quick fix and 2 grand ta very much...
sorry dp companies..but your only as good as your surveyor..
B
bigsegs
Guest
cant be opened?? why's it leaning back so much??
maybe the pic???
just have a good 'common sense' look all round it, inside and out...the problem usually jumps out at you when it thinks youve f'cked off..
do the hosepipe thing though...
because of the shape of the damp, i recon its something 2 do with the cill, its the same length of the cill.
but when i when outside to have a look at it, there wasnt anything that jumped out at me as beening
the problem, except for reapirs made to the revels were the old windows were riped out and new put in
but when i when outside to have a look at it, there wasnt anything that jumped out at me as beening
the problem, except for reapirs made to the revels were the old windows were riped out and new put in
B
bigsegs
Guest
1908..its gonna be a solid wall...any ingress is gonna track through and manifest itself at the earliest opportunity...
red curved bricks...id expect em to be engineerings but if the slightest bit of water gets under em its got nowhere to go but into the house...
my best fix would be to rake out whatever sealant you got in there at the minute, dry it completely (use a giant bogroll or whatever) and gun it in low modulus silicon (dont use cheap shite, its high modj and crap after a month, use it for showers, if it says its 'mould resistant' or smells of vinegar dont use it) then hospepie it again..
youve got a frame sitting on a level surface with no drip, no drainage, never a good combination...
red curved bricks...id expect em to be engineerings but if the slightest bit of water gets under em its got nowhere to go but into the house...
my best fix would be to rake out whatever sealant you got in there at the minute, dry it completely (use a giant bogroll or whatever) and gun it in low modulus silicon (dont use cheap shite, its high modj and crap after a month, use it for showers, if it says its 'mould resistant' or smells of vinegar dont use it) then hospepie it again..
youve got a frame sitting on a level surface with no drip, no drainage, never a good combination...
D
dpbeds
Guest
Ola from sunny spain!!!
I think you need to be guided by the customer. If they say they just want it plastered you've got a choice.
Refuse as you won't bodge it or do it and tell em you won't guarantee it.
It goes against the grain to walk away from a job you know will fail but then money's money. Just be honest.
IMHO of course
I think you need to be guided by the customer. If they say they just want it plastered you've got a choice.
Refuse as you won't bodge it or do it and tell em you won't guarantee it.
It goes against the grain to walk away from a job you know will fail but then money's money. Just be honest.
IMHO of course
bodplasterer
Active Member
IMHO means in my honest opinion, But with the damp what sort of vetilation is there? I know that when damp apears and there is no explanation it's usually down to poor ventilation : Especially around a window where condensation is a problem.
Especially around a window where condensation is a problem.- Status