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Restoration & Refurbishment

Insulating a damp bathroom that has already has a rendered exterior

Anonymous user 15/03/2024 - 2.38 PM

Our Victorian mid-terrace has a problem with condensation in the downstairs bathroom. It's in a solid wall brick extension (30s/40s?) so the walls get icy cold in Winter and it is impossible to heat. The cold walls (on 2 sides) mean we suffer heavily from shower steam condensing, ruining the decor and causing mould. I'm exploring options for insulating and improving the room. Ideally I'd like to use internal insulation because it's cheaper than external insulation and we could install it ourselves - even if it means going back to brick. I was looking at replacing the extractor with a more powerful model, then lining the walls with waterproof insulated tile backer boards, with floor-to-ceiling tiles to the face. However I've been told by a friend that we should be careful as the exterior of the walls are completely rendered, likely with cement render, and we risk trapping moisture by not allowing the walls to breathe. Is this advice correct or can we somehow safely insulate the bathroom internally? I think that external insulation is going to be out of our price range as it is not a DIY job. Should we redo the exterior first?

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2 Answers

MAGINNIFIX

Rating: 4.8 out of 5

Lewisham, London

I would suggest you upgrade your extractor first to increase air flow look into humidity controlled models this will be the simplest most cost effective solution. you friend is correct the cement render will trap moisture and cause all sorts of damp related damage.

Answered29 March 2018

Sphere Renovations

Rating: 5 out of 5

Bristol

Look for an extractor fan which has the ability to trickle at slow speed 24/7 and boost upon sensing humidity, they are know as 'dmev' you can get some which are around £100 but if it's that bad I would suggest the 'envirovent infinity'. As for the walls you could apply a plasterboard with thick solid PIR type insulation to the walls using adhesive. There are lost of options but I would certainly look at the extractor initially although it sounds like insulation would be extremely beneficial.

Answered19 August 2018