I had a damp problem in my kitchen, cause unknown but contributing factors may have been:
- House empty for 2 years.
- No heating, ventilation for 2 years
- Kitchen is above a cellar which had become very damp with condensation
- Kitchen floor is stone flags, which seems to have soaked up moisture from the damp cellar
- The plaster on the kitchen walls went right own to the floor, the stone flags and was therefore able to soak up moisture.
- The was also a dodgy water stop tap under the sink.
The steps I have taken to address this are:
- Opened up the cellar windows (after fixing metal gauze to prevent vermin entry) to get some ventilation.
- Hacked off two inches of plaster in the kitchen at the foot of the walls to break the plaster's contact with the stone flags.
- Switched on the heating and opened some more windows
- Got a dehumidifier in.
In 5 weeks this has made a big difference, with the kitchen walls now almost completely dry.
On one part of the wall, I hacked off some loose top layer plaster to leave the browning undercoat. The undercoat was also damp, but dry now. I have however noticed on this now dry browning a white powdery deposit, and I'm not sure how to read this. Is it a sign of fungal rotting, or is it something harmless that can just be swept away?
Kind regards,
Saeed
sr_ng 786