Published: 09 August 2022
Introduction:
Mrs. G. has contacted her local Prokil branch in Bournemouth as she found low-level damp in her kitchen walls and utility room walls. Mrs. G was concerned as the property had recently been subjected to a leak.
Arriving at the property, Jason Syrett, our Damp and Timber expert surveyor ran a full diagnosis on the outside of the property from ground level first.
Findings:
Although from the outside there was no evidence of any spillages that could affect the internal walls of the property, Jason carried out some tests internally using different types of protimeter, to check for any signs of damp.
During the internal inspection, Jason found high readings in the kitchen and utility room walls, most likely affected due to a combination of cavity walls being bridged above the Damp Proof Course (DPC) via debris or a DPC failure.
Jason stated: “The debris in the cavities and the mortar joints of the wall soak up groundwater, which carries salts and minerals. This means they absorb moisture from the air causing damp according to the relative humidity in a room at any given time.”
Work carried out:
Before:
Visible rising damp patches on the kitchen walls and utility room. This is how the kitchen walls and utility room were found originally.
Step 1:
Site preparation: The customers’ items have been covered by a plastic cover to protect and avoid any damage. All the skirting boards were removed as well as the affected plaster and all rubbish inside the cavities.
Step 2:
After closing the cavities, a damp proof course was injected into the masonry followed by a tanking slurry mix applied on the left-hand side of the kitchen, due to the depth of the wall. And a waterproof membrane was added on the right-hand side of the kitchen with plasterboard adhered to it.
Step 3 – Final result
The treated area was finished with a multi-finish plaster and skirting boards were reinstated, leaving the area ready to be decorated by the customer or others. All rubbish was removed.
After the contaminated area was finally treated, the kitchen and utility room were left clean and tidy and ready to be used.
For more information about our damp proof course survey and rising damp, please feel free to contact our lovely team.
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