"Colin Swan" colin AT nildram DOT net wrote in message
...
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.

Well, the 3 other walls were pretty much well stuck (there were some loose
patches that looked okay until we tried stripping it and then we realised it
wasn't well stuck and was probably already lifted).

The radiator was fitted after the wallpaper as the bracket was screwed
through the paper. The corners of the bay (either side of the radiator)
were also peeling off - so it may be that its was like the other parts of
the walls that had lifted, but because its on an internal corner, it showed
more easily.

I'm not 100% sure its a damp problem, but with it being a single skinned
wall, I was maybe expecting it. My only concern is to make sure that the
lining paper we put up before painting DOES stick well and doesn't come off.
Maybe I'll try something like PVA glue or something! I remember reading
about someone trying to strip off a border stuck down with PVA and it being
a pain - maybe that would be less susceptible to damp once its stuck,
whereas paste is turns back to goop when it gets wet, hence peeling.

Thanks again

D