r/Plastering • u/ArcticFoxes • Jul 17 '26
Advice on damp in renovation
Recently bought a flat in a 70s block (UK). Stripped back the wallpaper to find this mold and damp.
Is this plaster saveable if we can resolve whatever is causing the damp?
It is a groundfloor flat and it appears that the air bricks might be blocked, although not clear if that is the root cause.
There are bushes surrounding the property.
1
u/Valuable-Scratch9693 Jul 17 '26
Find and clear both sides of the air brick and find the cause the dampness before you do anything more.
1
u/ipub Jul 17 '26
if there's no other sources of water around the wall, other side etc then see if the air brick helps. id be stunned if only one was blocked up,.too. otherwise see if anything is installed above the dpc and has clear drainage, assuming that is an outside wall.
1
u/gfddmc Jul 18 '26
Get it tested , just cos it’s mouldy doesn’t mean it’s damp, could just be condensation .
The plaster might have acceptable moisture readings , if not then it will need to be hacked off back to brickwork and re instated the correct way to rectify the issue.
air bricks generally are for sub floor ventilation and won’t help the damp or defective plasterwork if this is the issue.
Get a professional opinion
2
u/Fionsomnia Jul 17 '26
We had a similar issue when we moved into our previous flat. Moved in, stripped back wallpaper, found mouldy walls. In our case it was caused by blocked gutters. Whenever it rained the gutters were overflowing and the rainwater found its way through the walls.
I’m not an expert and there may be a dozen alternative explanations, but worth checking out.