mould in house

dbaplaya · 11 Oct 2010

gutted and plastered 4 bed house. heating isn’t on yet but the carpets went down last week and it's air tight so relatively warm. the windows are all on the 2nd latch (so they are locked but still a gap for air).

today i noticed in the dining room a green furry fungus on the new skirting board. what’s causing this - the amount of water off the new plaster? also how do i solve it. i don’t want to use a dehumidifier as it will shrink the walls and cause cracking. would getting the heating on solve it?

the house was built 1958.

JohnD · 11 Oct 2010

mould is caused by damp

new plaster is made of water

if you don't want a dehumidifier, open the windows. Fresh air will dry it better than heat.

Even opening the loft hatch, the trickle vents and the internal doors will allow quite a bit of airflow (water vapour is lighter than air so will rise upstairs and out)

Given a clear day, solar gain through the windows will help warm the house at nil cost.

DIYDANDY · 11 Oct 2010

Have a read of this...

//www.diynot.com/wiki/building:condensation_in_houses

foxhole · 12 Oct 2010

Doors , skirtings etc should not be fitted until plaster has dried out, a sealed house will make the problem worse, needs lots of ventilation.

dbaplaya · 12 Oct 2010

ok i shall open the windows. would it be ok to keep the top one's open all day and night? I'm not at the house everyday as we havnt moved in. This is fine from a security point but are they best to be shut at night when the temp goes down?

thanks

JohnD · 12 Oct 2010

I would try to leave the top ones slightly open all the time, as long as they are well away from drainpipes, porch roof, anything that can be climbed on. In this sunny weather the house will be warmer than the outside, it takes a long time for a house to cool down.

Or, as I said, open the loft hatch and you will be surprised at the airflow through it once the sun comes up.

Leave all the internal doors open to encourage draughts.

chappers · 12 Oct 2010

airflow is far more important than heat, you shouldn't be getting damp at this satge if the plaster had dried sufficiently before painting and finishing

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mould in house

dbaplaya

JohnD

DIYDANDY

foxhole

dbaplaya

JohnD

chappers

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