Old cottage damp internal wall

[Padraig Clarke]

Hi. I have an old cottage, turn of century old. The photo is of an internal wall, but it is the original stone wall of the house (different extensions now make it internal).

I can safely say there is no DPC here as it was likely just built on on the rock bed.

It was re-plastered and painted etc, but then brown staining came though. Then effervescence (white furry stuff). I decided to scrap all that back to the render. What you see now is damp render (not saturated or dripping, just soft and cold and I can get my finger nails into it).

Any advice on how I can fix this problem? I know I cannot fix the damp problem, but is there a liveable, breathable solution? Thanks.

 

[JohnD]

It looks so wet, so high, that it might be a water leak, such as a pipe in the wall, most likely above the wet. Scrape off the wet render and let the air at it. In an old house a damp wall will reach a point where evaporation from the surface equals water absorbed from wherever it originates. This will also make it easier to see the wettest point, nearest the source.

 

[bernardgreen]

Sometimes the best option is to take it back to bare stone work and allow the wall to breathe. Make a feature of the original stone work.

 

[Padraig Clarke]

Hmmm I know there are no pipes in that wall, which is odd.

JohnD - are you saying that by the time the wall absorbs the water, it is evaporating out? Hence why there is no water pooling in the floor?

Are you sure it’s not the render sucking moisture from the old stone as there is no DPC?

 

[bobasd]

you probably have an outer wall and an inner wall of rough stones with random rubble infill - most surprising if you had any kind of a DPC.
moisture will possibly be climbing up through the random rubble infill - i've seen rising damp reach about five feet high.
when the wall was opened up, bricks or blocks could have been used to return the opening?


without seeing how the top of the wall finishes - or if the wall goes into an outside wall its impossible to comment further.

maybe your best bet is to remove all affected plaster/render back to stone, keep going up and going back - remove the skirtings - and perhaps wire brush off any remaining traces of plaster.
if you go back with render then use a mix of 4:1 sand and lime with a remedial skim finish, & plastic corner beads (metal will rust).
stop the render from contacting the floor.

Remedial rendering can give you some years of damp free decorations.

presuming its all solid floors - but are there DPM's under the solid floors?