Rising damp happens when water is sucked up from the ground by your walls, in a sponge-like action. Water loves getting sucked up and it will take any type of sponge that it can come across. The problem with rising damp, however, is that you cannot get rid of it. Once it’s in your walls, you have a serious problem. All that can really be done is installing a damp proof course, which is filled with chemicals.
Unfortunately, rising damp is also very common. And, to make things worse, it is often misdiagnosed. If you are carrying out a dampness investigation, make sure that you hire someone who is a very well-trained and competent surveyor. They must be able to truly recognise what rising damp is, and understand the problems it causes. A surveyor should be properly qualified, and you should ask for their qualifications and check up on these.
Most buildings use a type of masonry that allows for a little bit of movement of water through capillary action. In modern buildings, this is controlled because a damp proof course or another physical barrier has been installed. However, if this barrier isn’t present, or if it has been damaged or destroyed in some way, then something needs to be done. Most commonly, a remedial DPC (damp proof course) is recommended. This will stop further water rising from the ground.
The problem with groundwater is that it is also full of salt, which will start to coat your plaster and walls through its crystals. Consequently, you will need to remove the existing plaster and install a new coat. Normally, a salt-resistant plaster is then recommended.
Signs of Rising Damp
Learn to recognise the signs of rising damp before you hire a surveyor, not in the least because these people are often very expensive to hire. The most common signs of rising damp are:
- Decayed skirting boards. They often fall to pieces and the nails and screws that hold them in place will have become rusty.
- Plaster may start to crumble or is covered in salt stains. You can expect to see quite a bit of discolouration as well as various stains. However, it is uncommon for mould to appear with rising damp, because mould does not like salty conditions.
- If you have timber floors, these may start to decay as well. You may notice that your floor is no longer level, for instance, or that heels of shoes sink in to the flooring.
- Once the rising damp is actually in your walls, you may notice that your wallpaper starts to peel, or you may start to see bubbles in your paint work.
Take care, however, that many of these defects only become evident once the problem is actually very severe. Hence, by the time you see this, the damage is likely to be extensive. If you have reason to believe you have rising damp but none of these signs are visible yet, make sure you have a specialist inspection done.
Gary Bown is a home improvement expert. Having dealt with homes suffering from damp, he would recommend www.damp-solutions.com.
