I'm no longer damp in strange places!

[Lindsey]

Just wanted to take a moment, to let you know,the outcome of my pre Xmas post that you all very kindly helped me with. To recap, I had strange damp patches that appeared on the wallpaper, above chair rail height, and went when the rain stopped. Having removed the wallpaper and painted with a water based emulsion, I now have, can you believe it, ABSOLUTELY NO DAMP ANYWHERE IN THE ROOM. Take that, Laura Ashley and your devil wallpapers. Thanks again to you all. You know who you are.

 

[robgil]

That Laura Ashley has a lot to answer for , rubbish paint, silly wall paper, silly woman that she is!

 

[Zebra]

Glad to hear someone else has solved their damp issues. There's hope!! So do you think it was just the wallpaper causing the problem? So what was the source of the damp patches? Condensation? Or do you not know, now that the breathable surfaces are allowing it all to evaporate?

 

[Lindsey]

It's a mystery. There was no source of condensation. The flagstone floors can 'breath', no pointing problems, leaky pipes or soil levels outside too high. Just an ebb and flow of damp when it rained. We must unknowingly have created a barrier. Who cares. ITS GONE! WHOOPEE.

 

[vicky whitworth]

'Had' a lot to answer for, Robgil. I think she's dead, isn't she? Fell down the stairs a while back.

The only house I've lived in where I couldn't understand the damp had Laura Ashley wallpaper and my neighbour has terrible damp problems and Laura Ashley paper everywhere as she used to work for the firm. Is it/was it particularly vinyl - ey?
Vicky

 

[Moo]

The LA paper in my downstairs loo has been in situ for quite a while now, and so far there's no sign of damp.
But I'll keep an eye on it from now on!

 

[JoceAndChris]

There's nothing wrong, or different, about Laura Ashley paper or paint. Use properly in a dry, well ventilated situation and there won't be any problems. It isn't particularly breathable but nor do I believe that wood panelling, or tiling, or hanging your walls with tooled leather, or painting on layer upon layer of varnish, or encrusting the whole thing in shellwork, or just sticking on another layer of 19th C wallpaper with flour and water were particularly breathable either - just some of the decorative choices of our ancestors.

Walk round any period property and you're forced to conclude that 9 times out of 10 the mix of "breathing" and "unbreathing "materials our homes are now subject to aren't causing desperate problems on inner walls.

The problem that people just will not face is it's the combination of drying laundry, showering, breathing, cooking and not opening windows enough that causes many (most?) damp problems.

I would like to ask Lindsey to post back about this, in the future. I'd like to believe she's fixed the damp with the simple cure of removing the old wallpaper, but having reread her original thread, I find it hard to imagine this really can be a permanent fix. And specifically what's the paint that has been used? And what paint was stripped back before using it?

 

[Penners]

The LA paper in my downstairs loo has been in situ for quite a while now

You're presumably referring to the torn up pages of the Los Angeles Times that hang on a nail?

 

[Lindsey]

Ooooooh, I feel like it's exam morning! The only thing I can remember from school science lessons is about osmosis. Something to do with permeable membranes and barriers( oh and pickled onions). I think it basically boiled down to that. Or hygroscopics. Or something that is spelled like that. The morning room is a pretty formal space, miles from kitchen,bathrooms and steam/condensation. I resist the urge to drape husband's smalls over any available surface (puts off the vicar when he calls for tea). All I have done is remove wallpaper and paint with water based emulsion. I have photos but am clueless how to up/down load them from iPad. Huge chunks of the skim fell off but I filled and rubbed down regardless. There is a radiator and wood burner in the room and the windows have always been condensation free. Your guess is as good as mine!!!!

 

[Penners]

I resist the urge to drape husbands small over any available surface

'Scuse me, Lindsey - husband's small what?

 

[JoceAndChris]

Well, there's nowt so peculiar as damp I suppose! It could be that Lindsey has just removed the horrid effects of damp, and the cause has long gone? Let's hope so.

But I'm going to continue to grumble about this whole situation until I get to see some pics of the lovely sounding morning room. :wink:

Open an account with www.photobucket.com, then upload the pics onto the site from your ipad, then click copy on the image code, then click paste when you're writing here.

 

[Lindsey]

I've been trying to upload my period property photos as directed for the last 2 hours and am officially giving up. Something to do with something called Flash won't let me. Aaaaaaaargh!

 

[Feltwell]

Flash

Aaaaaaaargh!

Hang on, there's a bit missing....... :idea:

Saviour of the universe!

Is Gordon alive?

:wink: :roll:

 

[Penners]

Is Gordon alive?

What do you mean - alive? I've just despatched war rocket Harpic* to bring back his body.


*Sorry - that should be Ajax.

 

[Feltwell]

It's probably "Cif" by now

(Although maybe "Cillit Bang" would have been more appropriate?)