Damp - Can you recommend a product?

[Loz_0576]

Hello - hope you can help, we are new to this forum and DIY novices!
We have a patch of (presumably rising) damp about 6" from the floor (solid floor) on internal dividing walls only (none at all on external side). The plaster is a bit sticky but not perished. It seems the plaster may be going right down to the floor and that's what's causing the problem.
Our plan of action is to remove the skirting boards, which are only about 2" high, and make a gap between the floor and the plaster and then put higher skirting boards on. Does this sound reasonable?
We've also heard that a cream DPC could be a good way to go for this relatively small area. Can anyone recommend a product?

Would be really grateful for any advice!

 

[Static]

Rising damp!!

Joking asside you should try to find the cause for the damp.. if its local to one wall, look for burst water pipes, household pets who cant control their bladder etc.
Lift a few floor boards (if timber floor) to look underneath, check pressure on central heating.. etc etc

 

[Loz_0576]

Thanks!
It's laminate flooring so a bit of a big job to look under i guess. The damp actually appears on 3 walls (all except the external wall), that's why we thought the plaster must be bridging the DPC.

 

[Static]

You should look under the floor to check that, check for adequate ventilation, signs of water gathering below the property, burst water pipes etc.

 

[Frederick]

If it really is rising damp, Dryzone is the only cream-based treatment that I would recommend - basically because all the others contain very low levels of active ingredient. However, as the previous posters point out, your first step should be to find out exactly what is causing the damp. A good source of info about damp problems is the PGA FAQs section http://www.specifypga.com/index/faq/faq_section_list/1/Rising Damp - Your Questions Answered/

 

[Loz_0576]

Thanks for all your advice. We've removed the skirting boards and are pretty sure the cause is the plaster touching the floor (bitumen floor). We've removed plaster to a height of 50mm and will have a look at trying Dryzone cream.

 

[breezer]

cream to cure damp?

 

[Tozzy]

We have a patch of (presumably rising) damp about 6" from the floor (solid floor)

Lift a few floor boards

Solid floor, not suspended .

Anyway, after hearing about this, I think I need to be careful when constructing my solid floor. However, I may be able to offer my point of view regarding your problem. I'm still very new to this though.

Well, presumably, internal walls are raised about 6 inches off the ground. This is how my wall looked when I removed the floor. I actually need someone on here to correct me of I'm wrong as I was going to make a thread to ask this. If the bottom of your internal walls are touching the Earth floor, I believe this could transmit damp.

If your solid floor is touching the Earth floor and the internal walls, this could be another cause.

Something worth thinking about.

Do internal walls have a DPC level, the same as external walls? I don't think they do, but I really need someone to confirm.

Cheers.

 

[Frederick]

cream to cure damp?

Creams are now the most commonly used method of installing a chemical DPC - see http://www.dryzone.eu/