Mould in Kitchen

[potatomasher]

Hi DIYers,

I've just had a nasty surprise only days after moving into our new property. We've discovered mould in the kitchen, both along the drywall, and to a less extent, in the kitchen cabinet (see pictures). The property is a typical Victorian terraced house (with the kitchen being slightly extended from the property) and the mould appears on the "external" facing wall of the kitchen.

I should note that our initial building inspection uncovered loose or old joints in the brick which may be leading to water infiltration. As we are planning a loft extension next summer, our original plan was to wait until next year to fix the brickwork, though I am no longer sure we can afford to wait.

Before calling in the experts (and possibly being "shaken down"), I wanted to reach out to know what my options are at this point. Should I simply wash the affected area with bleach and monitor the situation closely ? Should I install more ventilation or a heater to dry-out the wall until the root cause is addressed ? Should the drywall and cabinets be removed ASAP, while the wall is aired out ? Or should I simply call in the cavalry and defer to damp experts ?

I do truly appreciate your input. As a new owner, I'm feeling slightly in over my head at this point...

All the best,
Guillaume

 

[potatomasher]

Second attempt with the pictures.

IMG_20151027_203654

• potatomasher
• 28 Oct 2015

IMG_20151027_203710

• potatomasher
• 28 Oct 2015

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• potatomasher
• 28 Oct 2015

 

[ree]

What you show is condensation that has attracted mould spores - as it will.

The units and plumbing seem to be Ikea or similar, and are awkwardly plumbed in (probably by a DIY'er).

You dont show any plasterboard, and i'm wondering is this a dot and dabbed wall(s)?

Do you have a solid floor or walls ? Do you have a kit extractor or a dryer?

Pics of the larger kitchen and the external wall from outside would help.

Research Similar Threads at the bottom of this page.

 

[JohnD]

signs of damp around a sink are most likely due to leaks.

If not easily spotted, tie kitchen roll round the pipes and the sink waste and see where it gets wet. The back of that cabinet is probably just painted hardboard so you can tear it out and look at the pipe behind.

 

[foxhole]

Clean up and ventilate, probably no more than poor lifestyle of previous occupier, victorian terraces do seem to suffer damp problems but often down to sloppy maintenance . Kitchen needs mechanical ventilation minimum.

 

[potatomasher]

Thanks for the feedback everyone.

@ree You can find below pictures of the kitchen and outside walls. As for your questions, here's what I know from my homebuyer's survey:

"The main house and back addition external walls are finished in brick, measure approximately 225mm thick and are assumed to be of solid brickwork construction."
"The external walls to the extension are brick faced and are assumed to be of 300mm cavity brick and blockwork construction."
"Floors are a mixture of suspended timber and solid concrete construction."

@JohnD I'll try the kitchen roll experiment and report back. Thanks.

Glad to hear overall that this is most likely caused by condensation, and not rotting of the external walls.

IMG_20151029_193924

• potatomasher
• 29 Oct 2015

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• potatomasher
• 29 Oct 2015

IMG_20151029_194026

• potatomasher
• 29 Oct 2015

 

[Burnerman]

The middle picture...it does show your damp course is working, but maybe its excessively wet down there.....was there a door there originally?
John

 

[ree]

Your kitchen sink bank of units is against a solid wall - the wall doesn't have a cavity. This means that its probably a cold wall.

The window frame has replaced a doorway - the lower part has been bricked up. This disturbance has possibly removed any DPC that was originally there or, as is often the case, it was bricked up without any DPC?

There is a sand and cement plinth and a S&C fillet at the base of the wall. These hopeful barriers will have been installed because of previous damp issues. They should be removed.

If you can locate a DPC can you indicate where the DPC is?
It could be in slate and, if its there, it could have been bridged by the plinth - altho there are no obvious signs of damp brickwork above the plinth.

Presumably, the kitchen floor is solid but it probably doesn't have a DPM (a membrane) underneath the slab?

Do you have an extractor in the kitchen, does the hob hood extract?

Where is the affected drywall?