Really need some advice with damp in my 1915 terraced house/brickwork
Anonymous user 03/03/2024 - 3.47 PM
Hi there,
Really hoping someone can point me in the right direction.
I’ve just managed to buy my first ever house and I adore it, but I’ve realised that the original owner managed to hide issues with damp and moisture from me that are causing a lot of problem.
It seems that moisture is making its way into the bricks of the house and it’s bubbling/lifting paint and plaster on internal walls - eroding paint, it seems to be keeping newly plastered walls damp, affecting how secure some bathroom wall tiling is etc.
It’s been suggested that the bricks on my roof are unsealed or have become unsealed so I need to let them dry out and seal them with a chemical agent, which I can do no problem.
But it’s also been suggested that moisture is trapped behind the tender and this could be causing it/ or that the mortar has failed and the entire house needs repointing with lime mortar externally and internally, and then coating with storm dry cream.
I’m not rich and this house took all of my savings to afford the deposit and the mortgage, so I’m going to have to learn how to do it myself.
If anyone could give some advice or Input on the best way forward, I’d be hugely grateful! I’m more than happy to send photos, or videos - I’m a bit scared to be honest so anything anyone can suggest would be amazing.
Thank you,
Rebecca x
Are you a tradesperson and able to answer this question?
Hi Rebecca,
Modern materials & old houses don't work well together stay away from chemical agents or so called brick sealing products, your house was built to breathe not be sealed, it was the materials used in the construction of the property that kept it water tight by using original materials to restore it ,it will solve your dampness issues long term rather than covering them up .
Should you require any further information just ask.
Regards Alex
Any rising damp issues can be cured with a chemical dpc being installed via a drill and inject method. Agreed that sealing the brickwork externally is bad, epically on old terraced homes. Trapping the moisture so it can only emit inwards, hence the salts and moisture effervescing on the walls. Lime renders are ment to breathe so you will always face damp showing up in older properties, it's a catch 22 situation. Blocking it from the inside will always be favourable though as it's not aesthetically pleasing to look at and over time the substrate degrade from it. My advice would be to look for some kits online and watch some tutorials if your on a really tight budget. Bare in mind you might also have to remove the existing plaster to get the finish and damp sorted properly. Hope this helped
Answered4 January 2024
0
Anonymous user
If the bricks are damaged they will definitely need replacement. What caused the damage to the bricks is that someone repointed the house with cement mortar ! What should be done is to rake all the cement and repoint with Lime NHL 3,5 mortar. This is because that’s what is used to build the house. Lime helps the building to breathe and doesn’t hold moisture which cement doesn’t do. Lime allows building movement and that’s important because ground is clay. Cement seals the building and doesn’t allow the building to breath or movement and that’s why many houses have brick faces falling apart or bricks explode. Basically cement is the biggest problem to all old beautiful houses and makes the buildings crumble
Old House probably has 9inch walls no cavity. Repointing exterior will need to be done facia and roof need checks air bricks in problem areas will help with ventilation all cheaper options
