damp probs

[craigers]

hi all
im going to tile my mates kitchen wall for him, but it seems he has had a slight damp problem. The paint on the walls is peelin and flaking and a bit of mould is present. Now i intend to scrape, sand, key and prime with pva. Then use good adhesive with anti-fungicide and hope to god the tiles dont fall off...
any advice would be appreciated.
Cheers

 

[Concept PHT]

Is the wall an external wall - in other words, does the wall back to the outside? If so, then you need to try and identify the leak. The main cause in this case would be either the guttering outside is leaking heavily and seeping through the bricks or the pointing is weak. In either case, you will need to rake out the mortar and re point.

If its a studded wall, i.e its hollow, then its more than likely a leak from the plumbing somewhere. Obviously you will need to sort that one out too.

If the damp is coming from the floor, then check to see if the plaster is not touching the floor. There should be a 1-2 inch gap. If not, then the plaster will suck the moisture from the floor and creep up the wall.

Finally, check to see if any of the air bricks have been covered. Or if there are any airbricks at all!! Uncover the air bricks or install one to let the air flow round the room thus reducing condensation and damp.

Then tile as normal. Pointless task if you dont stop the damp - the tiles will come off within a few weeks.