Rising Damp is an aspect of home ownership that affects millions of properties in the UK. As a result, over the last 40 years, we have installed and guaranteed damp proofing in over ten thousand domestic homes.
A prime factor is that our housing requirements have changed significantly from the days before fridges became commonplace, c1960. Back then, to help keep foodstuffs fresh, a damp room was a design feature of housing. Nowadays, when we use these rooms for kitchens and bathrooms, we expect a warmer, dryer environment.
Another contributing factor with rising damp was the 1960’s housing boom, where generous building controls allowed thousands of poor quality homes to be erected.
Rising damp is the result of porous masonry sucking up water from the ground, rather like blotting paper. The water rises up the wall sometimes to a height of a meter and often leaves a characteristic horizontal ‘tide mark’. There may also be mould growth and loose wall paper. Aside from ruined internal decorations, all forms of damp will, if left untreated, severely damage the brickwork, render and masonry of a building. It will also cause fungal decay to timbers and cause infections and respiratory illness in occupants.
If you suspect Rising Damp call us and we will arrange for one of surveyors to inspect your property. We will then send you a clear report with a plan showing which areas if any require treatment and how we propose to solve the problem in the most effective manner.
The standard process for rising damp is to inject a water based cream treatment, at low pressure, into the lower mortar joints.
It is also usually necessary to renew the internal wall plaster with a cementitious waterproofing system. This combination effectively eliminates any further damp.
