Wood Wool Board + Lime Cellar Wall Damp Control Idea

[Hexatom]

Hello.

I'm sorting out this basement cellar kitchen in a terrace on a hill - rear wall is two storeys down and backs directly onto earth. Water is continually tracking through the mortar and then runs out of energy half way along the party wall and soaks into the floor which is an old concrete slab onto earth. It's not running water, just continual damp seepage. The mortar is like old soil in many places.

Initially I thought this can be resolved by application of lime render to the bare brick, but then I read this could cause probs as lime might not cope with being permanently damp. (I could be wrong). Considered cavity membrane which would work but seems a bit overkill.

OK, plenty preamble - here's my idea - 25mm wood wool board fixed direct to the wall then lime plaster over the top of that. I'm thinking the WW being waterproof but permeable will allow the water to continue tracking and soaking away behind it as it seems to have been doing very happily for years. It would add a bit of insulation - both temp and sound - and the lime on the surface will do its evaporation breathy thing without being in direct permanent contact with the damp.

Has anyone done this? Has anyone considered this and then thought of a glaring error in the whole concept?

Please take aim...

Tom.

 

[Kearn]

If it’s that bad, then there may have been a drain in the cellar now covered by concrete. That slab shouldn’t be there.

If you have running water, lime plaster won’t be the answer.
Wood wool boards are definitely not appropriate, they are NOT waterproof. In fact they will turn to weetabix if they get wet.

 

[aockenden]

Agreed with Kearn on definitely avoiding ANYTHING made from biodegradables like wood or plant fibers. Plant fibers + constant moisture = mold first, then rot. If it was me, assuming there’s no way to stop the damp penetration, I would be thickly plastering the perpetually damp walls with 2 parts medium-grit perlite and 1 part NHL 2 powder. The NHL will allow the plaster to set while still damp, and the perlite will help provide some insulation value and hopefully interrupt any condensation / cold wall cycles. Then blast a dehumidifier for a month to try to get the plaster to fully dry out, and hopefully the thick layer of fully carbonized lime will be able to redistribute and evaporate away any localized areas of very high moisture via capillary action across the entire wall. Ventilation down there will be extremely important along with the insulated perlite lime plaster.

This is the approach I’m going to take when we finally build our underground root cellar in this very wet part of the world.

 

[Hexatom]

Ha! Weetabix did cross my mind. Thanks very much. Very helpful.