Cigarette smoking coming in from next door neighbour

[1930sreno1]

Hello Everyone!

Having a bit of a disaster at the moment... we took off the laminate beading in our spare bedroom (upstairs) to paint the walls as eventually we are going to get carpets.

Next day and over the last month the smell of cigarettes has been getting worse and worse and the room smells so bad of cigarettes when you walk in!

We know that the neighbours next door smoke heavily. I sniffed around the whole room and the smell is coming from the flooring where the beading has been taken off. The issue is no where else in the house. I have added a picture where the base of the skirting board and floorboards smell and possibly where the smoke is coming from.

First of all, is this normal?? I didn't think that smoke could travel between walls! I have lived in a lot of houses and we actually bought this one and now have realised it smells of smoke and no idea what to do.

Any suggestions?

 

[jacko555]

Any suggestions?

Put it back on!

Seriously though, party walls suck. Or rather, living near other people suck. Lived in a few that either transmit sound or smells from gaps in the wall, presumably where the joists sit.

Short of ripping up the floor and trying to plug them (messy, difficult access, no guarantee of success etc), why not put the beading back on as you know it works? Maybe squirt some silicone sealant in the gap, or Cork edging strips first to further block it up?

Then air the room out for a while and count yourself lucky that you can block the smells and its only one room

Die hard smokers.

(Insert many stories of nightmare neighbours)

 

[RandomGrinch]

First of all, is this normal?? I didn't think that smoke could travel between walls!

Unfortunately, this can happen.
I live in a Victorian terrace and have the same issue (with a smoke smell a lot more pungent than cigarettes ).
In the 'main' part of the house, the joists run back to front.
In the 'extension', housing the kitchen and bathroom, the joists run side to side - meeting in the party wall with some pretty large gaps in between.
Apart from the smell, we also had rodents coming through the gaps.
I have since taken up the floors and filled every gap with wirewool and expanding foam - so far the problem seems to have subsided, with only the occasional whiff.

For you, the laminate and beading may have been acting as a decent seal. When you move to carpets, you may first need to investigate and seal what's under the floorboards.

 

[jacko555]

Sorry, missed the bit about moving to carpets....
Would overlaying the floorboards with 4mm ply and taping the edges (with the tough metal tape or something meaty) be an option? Then underlay and carpet.

 

[1930sreno1]

To be honest it did smell of something in there, clearly it was the smoke but I didn't actually realise what "that smell" was fags until we took the beading off! We moved almost a year ago now. We wouldn't even have a clue to take the original floorboards off

 

[JohnD]

To do a proper job, you need to take the floor up and block the gaps in the brickwork, where they have not been plastered over. Some of it will be shoddy bricklaying, and some will probably be where the joist ends are clumsily built in.

Pink, fire grade expanding foam is ideal. Clean out dirt first, and moisten with a garden sprayer to help it stick.

You can also use an extractor fan, turned round to blow fresh air into the room, which will raise the pressure enough for draughts to blow out, not in.

For more money you can get a positive pressure ventilation system.

 

[1930sreno1]

Thanks for the advice everyone so far, really helps. I think he's quite sick too so I don't want to go over and say anything as he's free to smoke in his own house. I'm just a bit worried because we want to start a family soon! So bad that smoke can travel through like that. Especially when you think of fires etc.

 

[jacko555]

he's quite sick too

he's free to smoke in his own house

Not to be too dark, however, hopefully the problem will go away soon...

 

[1930sreno1]

I have since taken up the floors and filled every gap with wirewool and expanding foam - so far the problem seems to have subsided, with only the occasional whiff.

Wow this sounds so stressful

 

[1930sreno1]

Not to be too dark, however, hopefully the problem will go away soon...

A little dark, my husband said the same I was like wtf I think we'll lift the laminate and add sealant in those gaps and try to completely seal any gaps between the skirting and floorboards and hope for the best with underlay and carpet.

 

[jacko555]

If you lift the laminate you also have the gaps in the floorboards to deal with. At the moment it's just the edges...
That's why overboarding and taping *may* be an option...
Good luck

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

Be grateful it doesn't smell of the decomposing former owner, as one I rented did, despite all new carpets. I should have got suspicious at the two plug-in air fresheners in there when I viewed. Poor old bugger must have soaked into the floorboards. I bet the relatives were keener on sorting the inheritance than they had been on checking up on him.

 

[Dork Lard]

Troll is troll. LOL.

 

[Deleted member 18243]

The smell of people smoking is disgusting - nobody should have to put up with it and campaigners have put a stop to much of it thankfully. That could all be reversed before long if the pro-cannabis lobby get their way. The smell of cannabis is much more pungent, one smoker in a house will stink the whole street out. It's called skunk for a reason.

 

[johnny2007]

The smell of people smoking is disgusting - nobody should have to put up with it and campaigners have put a stop to much of it thankfully. That could all be reversed before long if the pro-cannabis lobby get their way. The smell of cannabis is much more pungent, one smoker in a house will stink the whole street out. It's called skunk for a reason.

Went to the high street yesterday.
The smell of cannabis was everywhere, I mean everywhere!
My next door neighbour smokes inside and we have concrete floors.
The smell goes through the party wall but fortunately we have the hallway acting as a buffer zone.
But the smell in there is noticeable.