DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

Hello,
I am new to this forum, and am hoping taht you can offer me some advice ...
I am in the process of installing a new kitchen, all old cabinets etc have been removed, all tiles removed - this room was (not me I hasten to add) tiled wall to ceiling, and must from the design be 20 years old - on just one outside wall, where the radiator is situated, the tiles literally flew off, behind them was old grey coloured plaster which came off with no/little help in huge clumps, exposing the brickwork, this brickwork looks damp - it is however, not wet to the touch - the house is completely rendered outside.
This wall extends from the kitchen into other parts of the house which are emulsioned and not damp - a neighbour did the gasp and sucking in of breath and mentioned that it could be the damp proof has gone - is this the case?
What can you suggest - please?
:?

Hi there, i hope my advice helps. Firstly I wouldnt panic about this. Take your time deciding what to do. Its always better to get a professional in to get ther opinion. Its even better to get 3 or 4 professionals in and see what they all have to say. You will find from doing this you will get lots of free opions and advice are you will find yourself in a much better postion on deciding what to do. I would definatley do the above before anything else. Worst case senario is problems with your damp proof course. This is easy corrected by injecting the walls with a new damp proof course. I wouldnt loose a lot of sleep over it until you know definatley whats wrong. By what you say it may well of just been a leak in the radiator or water from elswhere in the kitchen. Its not uncommon for walls which have been concealed by a radiator for many years to be less stable due to the excess heat hitting them all day everyday. If none of your other walls look of feel damp and you cant see any signs of mould then it may well be something simple. From what you describe the bricks which are now exposed look damp but dont feel wet, maybe there just really cold. A few days exposure to the fresh air may well air the bricks off and get rid of the moisture you thinks there. Hope this helps...let me know how you get on. Dude diy

All sorts of possibilities here.

Are any other parts of that same outside wall affected (ie in other rooms) or is it just localised to that particular area?

Has the rad had a leak? If so the water may have just gone in through the grout and spread about by capilliary action thereby wrecking the adhesion.

Has the outside been painted recently or (worse) sprayed with that wretched stuff that costs the earth? In either case such does an excellent job of driving whatever damp there may be in that wall inwards which could lead to what you have experienced.

It is quite possible for the rendering to have a hole in it (which may not be immediately obvious) and which has been letting the water in over a period of time.

I'd hesitate to immediately blame a DPC failure frankly. You do need someone (several people) to look at it. Please come back and tell us what their findings are.

Cheers

Please read all of our projects on Damp. There are several and they are all sponsored by a company called PRS who are experts in all forms of Damp. You can telephone them for completely free information with no obligation whatever and as you can see from the various projects we have covered every possible way damp can get into your building and what to do about it. The book store even has a section called My House Leaks.

Hi,
I agree with DIY Dude about the radiator’s effect on the wall. Humidity from the pipes may have caused dampness in the brick work. This can be resolved by drying out the area with a dehumidifier.

I
I hope this helps.

Hi,

I agree with DIY Dude about the radiator’s effect on the brick work. Humidity from the pipes may have caused dampness in the brick work. This can be resolved by drying out the area with a dehumidifier.


I hope this helps

:lol:
Dear All,
Many thanks for your advice which was greatly appreciated - I did as you recommended and got some expert advice, and thankfully, it was not the damp proof course, but localised flooding held behind the tiles - the wall rapidly dried out and has now been professionally replastered
And no sleep was lost ....
Just need that kitchen fitted now ......