Damp Wall & Plaster Following Leak

[NickRich]

I recently had a new kitchen fitted and noticed that new plaster would not dry on a 3 meter width area of external kitchen wall directly below my bathroom. The kitchen fitter still went ahead and put the units up and painted the newly plastered wall. 3 weeks later the paint was peeling off and water stains could be seen on the wall. Water marks were also clearly seen on the kitchen ceiling.

A plumber investigated and found that water was leaking from various pipe joints but mostly from the concealed shower thermostat pipes in the bathroom. Once the tiles and flooring were removed I could see the soaked wall and rotten floor. The bathroom wall took almost 8 weeks to dry using a dehumidifier before being re-tiled.

I have been trying to dry the wall in the kitchen below but it seems I am fighting a lost battle. The dehumidifier is filling with 3 litres of water every 24 hours and so far this has been running for 3 weeks with no clear improvement !!!!

Will it ever dry?? Is there any shortcuts ?? How long will it take?? Can I use a coat of something to allow the paint to not show the damp??

I'm slowly losing the will and wonder if I can do anything to speed this process up, I have taken down the new kitchen units whilst trying to dry the wall.

Any advice is very much appreciated.

Thanks Nick

 

[stevethespreader]

Are you sure all the leaks were fixed?

 

[NickRich]

I am confident the leaks are fixed. I will however check the bathroom for leaks. Is it realistic that the wall kitchen wall could take months to dry ???

 

[stevethespreader]

No what kind of plastering took place was it float and set or just a skim? You say its an external wall have you checked outside ? Can you send pics?