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Damp Proofing

Lots of tiny damp spots on exterior/fireplace wall

Anonymous user 28/02/2024 - 3.45 PM

There are lots of tiny damp spots on two walls in my living room, starting at floor level and concentrated around chest/head height. The spots are all under 5mm in size, but almost dense enough to be touching in the concentrated patches. The wall is white and the spots look slightly darker / wet rather than moldy. One of the affected walls has a fireplace which is now blocked up (I'm thinking that unblocking this should help?). The other wall is also an exterior wall and has a recessed bookshelf of the kind that is common in Glasgow. Do you think it's just lack of ventilation and unblocking the fireplace will fix it, or could it be more serious and need to be looked at by a specialist? (There was a similar problem around 2012 with damp spots but I don't think it was dealt with properly...I was renting the property out so not fully kept in the loop... I think perhaps it was just painted over and has slowly reappeared.)

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4 Answers

MC Plastering

Rating: 5 out of 5
Littlehampton
It sounds like ventilation from description but would view problem before starting works. Rising damp seems out the question as it’s spots rather than a patch or water line. I would probably put vent into fireplace and check exsisting air bricks haven’t been blocked up. It may also be down to insulation on external walls or I should say lack of. This could be down to both issues I’ve mentioned
Answered4 October 2019
6

Hawthorne Timber Preservations

Rating: 5 out of 5
Dover
Is sounds like hygroscopic to me (A breakdown in the plaster causing old plaster to absorbing water or other liquid in a small quantity as vapour, within a solid or condensed on a surface.
Answered6 October 2019
0

D&L WOODRUFF GROUNDWORKS

Rating: 5 out of 5
Lancaster
This sounds like salt coming threw the brick work .with it being patchy .it needs stripping back to brick and salt neutralised. It's common around chimney breasts
Answered10 October 2019
0

Perfect Pointing

Rating: 5 out of 5
Bournemouth
It definitely sounds like the issue with the fireplace breast is from lack of ventilation in the blocked-up fireplace and could well be salts penetrating through the plaster as suggested but for the other wall I would check and see If you have cavity wall insulation fitted as if it has got wet this would lead to sporadic patches of damp on the wall too.
Answered10 October 2019
0