Rising Damp Hawick
Have you seen wallpaper failing to stick to the walls in your home? This accompanied by tidemarks and flaking paint patches, points towards you having a rising damp problem. Our Hawick based rising damp specialists can provide you with the necessary expertise to precisely determine the type of damp problem you are suffering from and then inform you of the appropriate treatment option for you to utilise. Get in touch with us today for advice or arrange a survey of your property.
- 30 Year Guarantee
- Award-Winning Contractor
- Experienced & Qualified, Hawick Surveyors & Technicians
What Causes Rising Damp?
Moisture is able to flow up from the ground easily moving through masonry and brickwork which results in rising damp. Liquid is capable of defying gravity and travelling upwards through tight spaces and pores in the wall. The porous nature of bricks and mortar provides the perfect conditions for water to travel upwards through the large quantities of capillaries. Your wall essentially acts as a sponge soaking up the groundwater.
When being built properties will have a damp-proof course (DPC) installed. The purpose of this course is to prevent rising damp by blocking the water’s access to the brickwork or mortar above the DPC. The material used in the damp-proof course tends to be materials such as plastic or bitumen waterproofing membranes or slate which stops the moisture rising. A deteriorated or incorrectly installed damp-proof course provides rising damp with the opportunity to affect the walls in your property above the DPC. Without a damp-proof course in place, you have not taken the necessary precautions to ensure that your home is protected from rising damp as much as you possibly can.
How To Identify Rising Damp
Signs of Rising Damp:
- High moisture reading at lower sections of walls
- Damp musty smells
- Lower temperature at the lower half of the wall
- Visible rotting of floor timber
- Crumbling or wrinkled plaster
- Tidemark looking stains
- Visible salt deposits
- Discolouration of plaster
Moisture from the ground can be pulled up the walls at the ground floor of properties which can cause a rising damp problem. Damp issues with similar symptoms to rising damp on the first floor or above are likely to be caused by penetrating damp or condensation problems instead.
Become more knowledgeable on the typical signs of dampness by reading our Rising Damp FAQ page. Alternatively, you could reach out to our Hawick branch to receive advice or arrange a property survey.
Rising Damp Treatment & Repairs
Attempting self-treatment at this stage can prove extremely damaging in time and cost should the wrong diagnosis be made. Our Hawick branch can send out specialists to thoroughly evaluate the impacted area and will accurately define the source of your damp rising problem.
What our specialist will do:
- Carry out an extensive survey of the affected area to identify the type of damp problem
- Locate the source of your problem (How the water is getting into your walls)
- Present you with an easily understandable survey report and specification for repair
- Provide the best treatment solution
After our specialists have sufficiently analysed your property problem, they will then carry out the remedial work necessary to solve your rising damp issue. Dependent on the property construction and site conditions, our specialists will either fix the existing damp proof course or install an entirely new system. A chemical damp proof course is an efficient technique to deal with rising damp. The system consists of a continuous unbroken layer of waterproofing cream which acts as a barrier stopping dampness from rising up the wall from the ground.
Standard rising damp treatment procedures involve drilling numerous holes in an affected wall and injecting waterproofing solution through these holes. Damp plasterwork will be stripped in order to remove all salt contaminated areas which we will replace with a cavity wall membrane system before re-plastering. This may come across as a little daunting, but there is no need to worry as our Hawick based rising damp specialists will inform you of what treatment solutions are the most appropriate for your situation.
Property Survey
Our rising damp specialists will closely investigate the affected area and measure the scale of the problem. At Richardson and Starling, we only supply experienced surveyors who are highly trained in all types of rot and damp problems that could affect your property. This means that our surveyor will be able to complete the survey and give the appropriate remedial recommendations no matter what problem is identified.
30 Year Guarantee
Free automatic transfer to the new property owner if sold.
After eight decades of successful property surveys and repairs, we’re confident to offer you a 30 Year Guarantee that transfers with the Property.
Richardson & Starling are long-standing members of the Property Care Association (PCA) and the QANW. This demonstrates our ability to meet technical and financial requirements to offer an insurance back-up to our own long term guarantees if you would like this.