On Fri, 12 Sep 2003 12:15:33 +0100, "David Hearn"
wrote:


"stuart noble" wrote in message
...

Colin Swan wrote in message ...
Although you can get interior damp-proofing treatments (or gloss
paint) that stop residual dampness affecting decoration, if the source
of the damp has not been fixed, then you will just seal the problem
into the plaster, which could make it worse.
SBR latex polymer is probably a more efficient sealer than gloss paint.
Unless the water is entering at one specific point I reckon it can get out
the way it came in, throiugh the masonry. In my case I think the mortar
and
plaster are acting as a wick, and lining paper is just an extension of
that.
Shorten the wick and, hopefully, you reduce the amount of water. Sealing
the
inside is always a bit of a gamble but attending to it from the outside
may
not be possible.
I'm doing some experiments on my gable end wall at the moment so we'll see
how the latex stands up to the next lot of driving rain.

From what I can see, there's no obvious problem with the plaster etc (its a
little crazed/cracked - but then is most of the plaster in that room and its
very old plaster!) and the only sign I had that there may be a 'damp'
problem is just that the wallpaper had peeled away in places (especially
behind the radiator). Can't see any other sign of damp on the bay.

Actually that sounds quite normal - wallpaper is quite hard to press
down behind radiators (I find it to be anyway), so that could explain
the lifting there. In other places, perhaps it just wasn't well hung!

I would imagine that damp would show itself by staining the wallpaper
and/or plaster, so you may yet be OK. A good look at the state of the
outside should also give you a good idea of whether anything is
getting through.


--
Colin Swan