DIY SOLUTION: RISING DAMP

You've noticed the unsightly bubbling, flaking and peeling of your house walls. You've painted, repainted and painted some more - but it just keeps on coming back! What could the problem be? You, happy DIYer, are a victim of rising damp.

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What is rising damp, and what causes it?
Rising damp is a form of damp that affects the walls of a building when moisture from the ground (or a leaky pipe) travels up through the wall. In a nutshell, your home's walls basically suck up water like a thirsty builder on a summer's day.

What causes it?
The main cause of rising damp is a faulty Damp Proof Course (DPC), which allows moisture to penetrate your home's walls.

Other causes include:

• Inadequate sub-floor ventilation: This causes a buildup of humidity and means that only the minimal evaporation from the soil and base walls occurs.
• Sub-floor obstructions: Any debris in the sub-floor that obstructs the flow of ventilation and may help contribute to dampness by bridging the DPC.
• Poor drainage and/or damaged guttering and pipes: Water may be directed underneath your house if you have poor drainage.

What are the signs of rising damp?
Commonly the first thing you'd find is a patch of wall with a band of dampness starting from the floor upwards - this often causes the paint to flake or the wallpaper to peel. Other unsightly and smelly signs include: 

Getting down to fixing it