Damp has worsened after Damp Seal?

[Lavender Girl]

Hi guys
Hope you're all well.. Happy Xmas!

Question for you.. My mum lives in a 1930s two storey block of flats.
She's upstairs and has always had a little damp and sometimes mildew in the corner of the second bedroom (has an outside wall)

Anyway she decided to redecorate so she rubbed all the wall down (it has swirly type paint pattern on it, not full on artex but a light version if that makes sense) she applied polycell damp seal in the corner and all the way up that corner and along the wall about a couple of feet up from the skirting board.

She then applied a few coats of dulux matt emulsion after a few days.

All fine until last night the wall was soaking
Damp from bottom to top of that corner and along the area she applied the damp seal
So it's almost like it's made the problem worse!!

Any ideas why this may have happened? And anything we can do in the meantime before we get someone in to look at the cause?

The landlord had previously damp coursed the outside so not sure what's happened
But it made my mum cry on Xmas night after all her hard work
Gutting
Photos attached (I hope!)
Any advice massively appreciated
Thanks guys
Gem x

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• Lavender Girl
• 26 Dec 2013
• 1

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• Lavender Girl
• 26 Dec 2013
• 1

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• Lavender Girl
• 26 Dec 2013
• 1

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• Lavender Girl
• 26 Dec 2013
• 1

 

[JohnD]

how is the room ventilated?

where does she dry the washing?

Open the windows and let the fresh air dry it out.

In your photos, which way is up? Where is the window? What is on the other side of the wall (e.g. gutter, downpipe, overflow)

//www.diynot.com/wiki/building:condensation_in_houses

 

[Lavender Girl]

Hiya John
Thanks for your reply and the link
Answers below x

It's just odd it's occurred after treatment and the paint sort of came off on our fingers when touched
X

how is the room ventilated? - air brick square hole in the ceiling drop 6"x9"

where does she dry the washing? Outside never in this room

Open the windows and let the fresh air dry it out.

In your photos, which way is up? Sorry the damp is along the bottom by the skirting board and the end photo needs to be rotated 90 degrees clockwise with the most at the bottom and then rising up that corner.
Where is the window? On the adjacent wall front aspect so as you walk in this damp wall is to the right and the window directly ahead.

What is on the other side of the wall (e.g. gutter, downpipe, overflow) none of these just a plain flat wall - solid and not cavity walls.
None of the internal walls get it.

//www.diynot.com/wiki/building:condensation_in_houses[/QUOTE]

 

[JohnD]

Emulsion paint contains a lot of water so will add to the room humidity.

Open the window.

Water vapour will permeate through the flat until it either escapes or finds a cold surface to condense on. so e.g. steam from the bathroom will drift around, unless there is an effective extractor, as will damp towels or washing and cooking even if they are in another room.

Is there a shower in the adjacent room? What pipes?

 

[Lavender Girl]

Thanks John that's a good shout as the room doubles as the dining room and obviously we were all in there yesterday along with a hot hostess trolly
This is the first time it's done it since she's done the wall.
Also the kitchen is next door
Thanks for explaining that.. Could definitely be the reason!

Cheers

Emulsion paint contains a lot of water so will add to the room humidity.

Open the window.

Water vapour will permeate through the flat until it either escapes or finds a cold surface to condense on. so e.g. steam from the bathroom will drift around, unless there is an effective extractor, as will damp towels or washing and cooking even if they are in another room.

Is there a shower in the adjacent room? What pipes?

 

[loply]

That looks like a lot of water for only a few days, especially since she's upstairs.

Are you sure something isn't leaking somewhere?

 

[Lavender Girl]

Hi Loply
I don't know what could be leaking?!
The radiator pipes run a different way (shame as that might've kept it warm!) and they're hot all over.
No signs of gaps where rain could get in
V strange

 

[Lavender Girl]

No shower in adjacent room nope
It's the living room on the other side and the kitchen sort of behind it
This wall is an outer wall

 

[cajar]

Render could be cracked outside, or gutter blocked / rain pipe leaking maybe. Landlord's problem.

 

[Lavender Girl]

Thanks Cajar
I reckon it could be bad rendering

 

[Johnmelad]

Dampseal will stop damp coming through if the cause of the damp has been identified and rectified.

If the cause has not been rectified, it will not work.