The Different Types of Damp
With the UK’s typically wet climate, our homes and buildings are incredibly susceptible to the effects of moisture build-up. Fortunately, the team at Premier have extensive knowledge surrounding the different types of damp most commonly found in UK homes and buildings:
PENETRATING DAMP
Sometimes called lateral damp is an ingress of moisture penetrating through external walls.
Penetrating Damp is usually due to defects in the building such as faulty rainwater goods, porous brickwork, porous stonework, perished mortar joints, frost damage bricks, and defective or cracked render.
External defects allow moisture to penetrate through the wall and can lead to fungal decay to inbuilt timbers such as Wet Rot or Dry Rot, both extremely hazardous to the health of a building.
Another cause might be where external ground levels are higher than the internal floor levels. Then, moisture that is naturally in the ground penetrates through the masonry, affecting the internal side of the building. This is also known as bridging and can cause discolouration of paint, peeling wallpaper, damaged plaster or even fungal decay.
Premier Contractors provide alternative barrier solutions such as cavity membranes or cementitious slurries to stop damp penetrating to internal walls.
We offer a comprehensive 10-year guarantee backed by GPI insurance on all our projects. Contact us today for specialist damp treatment.
We offer damp services all over the UK, including the South West, Midlands, London, and the North.
Condensation
Condensation in the home is a common issue in the UK. However, many people don’t understand that it is reasonably simple to solve and prevent it from coming back.
Premier 1st for Property Care has experienced surveyors to diagnose condensation issues. We will give you honest and reliable advice to solve an issue that is often misdiagnosed and treated as rising damp.
As moisture in the atmosphere touches a colder surface, such as warm air meeting a cold window or wall, the warm air condenses. Water is released onto the colder surface, causing tiny droplets to appear.
Condensation can also appear in areas where the air movement is restricted, such as inside wardrobes and behind bedroom furniture, causing a musty smell and leading to mould growth on clothes, furniture and walls.
Typical signs of condensation in your home include:
- Damp patches on walls, especially behind furniture and in corners
- Wallpaper peeling
- Black dots on window reveals
- Streaming windows
- Black spot mould starts to appear
- Damp smell within rooms
Rising DAMP
Rising damp is the effect of moisture rising from the ground into a property’s fabric. The installation of a damp proof course, which may be horizontal or vertical, will prevent rising damp.
Moisture within masonry can cause timbers to become susceptible to risk from fungal decay. This can cause structural damage to the building which can be very costly to repair, especially as most insurance companies do not offer cover for Rising Damp.
After a new damp proof course has been installed, walls which are contaminated with hygroscopic salts also attract condensation. For this reason, Premier 1st for Property Care advise that condensation control is just as important as applying Specialist Plastering.
Re-Plastering after remedial treatment for Rising Damp
After a Damp Proof Course has been installed, the affected area will require to be re-plastered using Premier Contractors Specialist Plastering. As the existing plaster work is likely to contain salts that attract moisture from the atmosphere (hygroscopic salts), Premier Contractors Specialist Plastering will control the contamination and stop them coming through to the surface.
If you’re in need of damp proofing services on your home or property, please get in touch with Premier 1st for Property Care. We have teams of very experienced technicians highly-trained in every area of damp penetration.
May 13th, 2021
