How to Deal With Damp Walls

Beauty is a part of reality; the other part is hard work. If you ask, why is it hard work? Then let us tell you that your house withstands seasonal changes and is prone to damage. Besides other features, damage to walls is a serious and common concern for buildings, often caused by dampness. You need serious actionable plans for taking care of your house, particularly its walls. Otherwise, it can damage the foundation of the structure. Here we will be elaborately talking about how to deal with damp walls sustainably.

What Causes The Damp Problem?

Moisture, excess, and unwanted moisture is the sole reason for damp patches on walls. Now, you cannot live in an environment without moisture, but how moisture affects your walls and that’s the concern.

Let’s understand this, moisture from both air and ground is a threat to your walls; they can create damp walls. So, when you want to know how to deal with wet walls, understand the hazards first. As your walls soak more moisture, it gets damped and gradually come to the surface. The damp patches on the walls are only an external manifestation of the damage inside. And it’s not just moisture from the air that your walls soak but even moisture from the ground. The latter process is known as capillary action.

Usually, damp-proof courses or DPC prevent damping from capillary action, but that’s weaker in older houses. That’s why the damp problem is most common in old homes. It’s not just the age that causes such damage; it’s also due to lack of maintenance.

If your house isn’t appropriately planned, has uneven areas, or lacks a proper drainage system, then a damp problem would be common. So, when condensation occurs, water stagnates, and damp patches on walls appear when you fail to maintain your house.  

How To Deal With Damp Walls: An Approach To Resolve The Issue

It’s easier to solve an issue if you know the causes correctly and you know them. Don’t you? So let’s address them one by one with actionable solutions.

Treating Black Speckles On Internal Walls

Condensation occurs, and it’s the primary reason behind internal wall damage. The effects of aggravated condensation are black speckles and damp patches on walls.

Over time, closed windows and doors cause poor ventilation and lead to damp walls. The damp problem also causes a musty smell; you just don’t have sick-looking walls but even have to deal with bad odor. If you do not address this issue quickly then grey growths and black speckles will appear on the walls.

You must ensure proper ventilation to deal with wall dampness due to condensation. The easiest way is to keep the doors and windows open, allowing natural light and proper air circulation. It might take a few days to act on the existing damp patches on walls, but it can effectively control the condition.

Treating Damp On External Walls

Capillary action and penetrating dampness are two of the most common causes of dampness on external walls. While a damp proof course can control the capillary action, nothing prevents penetrating wet other than some reconstruction.

To minimize the effect of capillary action on your external walls, you must invest quality damp-proof course and a damp-proof membrane. These two effectively prevent walls from absorbing stagnant water or groundwater. As a precautionary measure, you must ensure moisture doesn’t accumulate around your building. Check your drainage system, the contour of the land, and related features to ensure no water stagnation.

Next, let’s treat damp problems due to moisture penetration. That’s because the walls have weakened with time. They have also become drier. So, whenever they get any trace of moisture, they attract it, and you have plenty of it in your kitchen and bathroom. This is why you often see grey growths in bathrooms and black speckles in kitchens, especially in older houses. It’s a common sight there. To check and prevent this, you must treat damp walls; the best is to remove the plaster, give a fresh coating and then paint it. If you aren’t willing to spend that much, seal the cracks properly with a strong plastering layer.

Quick And Easy Ideas To Deal With Damp Walls

Consistency is the way to deal with any problematic issue. Walls don’t get dumped in one day or two; it develops with time. So before you try preventing mold, musty smell, or the entire gamut of issues arising from dampness problems, keep your windows open.

Open windows allow light and air circulation and keep your home warm. It’s one of the essential steps to prevent damp issues. All you need to invest for this is your time, and be consistent with it. With little care and commitment, you can avoid serious damp issues that can dig a bigger hole in your pocket later.

Check your drainage system and ensure they are not clogged. It, too, demands periodical checks and prompt action to ensure zero water accumulation and thus negligible risk of a damp problem.

If you are facing recurring damp issues, your home must have poor ventilation. Treat this; we have elaborately discussed the solutions. You know how to deal with damp walls effectively. We hope you make good use of this blog. If you want to know about any other issues you are facing with maintaining your home, write to us!